World War I

The Indian Army during World War Icontributed a large number of divisions and independent brigades to the European, Mediterranean and the Middle East theatres of war in World War I. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war.

World War II

The British Raj, as part of the Allied Nations, sent over two and a half million soldiers to fight under British command against the Axis powers. The British government borrowed billions of pounds to help finance the war. India also provided the base for American operations in support of China in the China Burma India Theater.

Over 87,000 Indian soldiers (including those from modern day Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh) died in World War II.

Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from 1942 asserted the British “couldn’t have come through both wars [World War I and II] if they hadn’t had the Indian Army.”

Indian participation in the Allied campaign remained strong. The financial, industrial and military assistance of India formed a crucial component of the British campaign against Nazi Germany and Imperial J

India’s strategic location at the tip of the Indian Ocean, its large production of armaments, and its huge armed forces played a decisive role in halting the progress of Imperial Japan in the South-East Asian theatre.

The Indian Army during World War II was one of the largest Allied forces contingents which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign.

At the height of the World War, more than 2.5 million Indian troops were fighting Axis forces around the globe. After the end of the war, India emerged as the world’s fourth largest industrial power and its increased political, economic and military influence paved the way for its independence from the United Kingdom in 1947.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Army_during_World_War_I?wprov=sfti1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_in_World_War_II?wprov=sfti1