Berlin, National Socialist Germany
April 9th, 1942
4:52 PM
Bose and Himmler in a moment of levity
SUBHAS Chandra Bose was being feted on the anniversary of his escape from India and arrival back to Germany. At his side was his German "companion", Emilie Schenkl, whom he had not seen in years. It should have been a happy occasion, but for Bose, it remained fraught with disappointment.
Bose had only managed to meet with Hitler once, and the meeting was shockingly unproductive. Hitler was visibly agitated, and had his personal physician, Dr. Morell behind him the entire time. He ranted almost uniterrupted, not so much
to Bose than
at Bose for an hour and a half before abruptly adjourning the meeting. The Führer had promised a follow-up meeting, but every time the date drew close, some event on the Eastern Front prevented that from happening.
Bose felt similarly slighted by other officials of the Reich. His liaison with the
Indische Sonderrefferat ("Special Bureau for India") was the ambitious young diplomat Adam von Trott zu Solz. Trott zu Solz seemed to have little time for and little interest in Indian affairs, and seemed to be in a perpetual state of either coming or going; seldom remaining with Bose for long. Matters related to training the Indian Legion, as of now around 2 000 who had departed India via China and the Soviet Union in years prior, seemed to be low on Trott zu Solz's list of priorities too. That was just as well, in Bose's estimation, as Trott zu Solz and Emilie could not stand each other. As Bose and Emilie Shenkl were married in a secret Hindu ceremony, Trott zu Solz refused to accept that they were actually married, and regarded Emilie as a grifter, attempting to profit from the lifestyle Trott zu Solz characterized as "extravagant" and Bose as "comfortable". Word had it that Trott zu Solz's excuse for not attending this ceremony was another meeting with Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg or some of the other influential military officers and diplomats that made up his social circle.
Still, thought Bose, his treatment could be worse, and it was certainly better than that received by other leaders of "liberated peoples". One needed only look at Colonel Vidkun Quisling, who absolutely
nobody took seriously. This was a matter not helped in the slightest by Quisling's extreme arrogance and precisely zero military or political accomplishments. Even Goebbels, Quisling's former champion, now regarded him as something of an embarrassment and tried to be seen with him as little as possible. Hajj-Amin Al-Husseini, the fiery Mufti of Jerusalem who had recently been exfiltrated was regarded as a useful political and propaganda ally, but that was about the extent of it. Bose felt a clear sense of certainty that he was now one of the most important of Germany's allies.
Still, it was nothing like the cordiality with which the Allied nations treated each other. There would be no portrait of Bose by Karsh of Ottawa. There would be no translated radio broadcasts like those given to the people of Britain by King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav of Norway. There would be nothing like the lighthearted film clip of Lord Sempill and Prince Chichibu tossing a rugby ball back and forth, nor the lavish banquets which Roosevelt and Vargas threw for each other and each other's delegations. Bose, unlike Wu Peifu, was also not likely to be the favoured candidate for Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1942. Granted, his book,
The Indian Struggle, translated into German, was seeing surprising sales success lately.
It was no secret that as Bose's star rose, Chiang Kai-Shek's was falling. Chiang was increasingly unreliable, and ever more demanding. The situation in China is one that was not supposed to have happened. What was supposed to have happened was China, with its German trained army and German patterned equipment, was to have crushed the Japanese puppet states in the Northeast and retaken Manchuria's industrial capacity, before pushing the British and Americans into the sea. Then, Burma and Indochina would fall, followed by crushing Malaya, and the Allies begging for terms. What was
not supposed to happen was a three-sided Chinese civil war, and the breakaway Union of China now in a position to attack Nanking. Chiang was swift to blame the failures on bad German advice, and shifted responsibility for the blame to his German advisors. Eichmann received the brunt of the accusations, and was currently in a state of limbo- not yet recalled to Germany although he was expected to be, yet removed from all posts of authority by Chiang, who refused to allow Eichmann in his presence. Falkenhausen, who disliked Eichmann anyway, made no attempts to sway the Generalissimo's thoughts. While never fully a subscriber to all of the tenets of National Socialism, Chiang was now openly oppositional to them. He famously stated: "Of course I know there are Jews in Guangzhou and Shenzhen! I don't care in the slightest! I will do precisely nothing to
answer the question, nor will I be made to do anything about it!". This was decidedly
not the sort of ally Germany was looking for. Even worse for Sino-German relations was Chiang's open feuding with Himmler. Chiang and Himmler despised each other, and "despicable" was just about the most charitable adjective that Madame Chiang could conjure up for the
Reichsfuehrer-SS. Madame Chiang was rumoured, albeit reliably rumoured to have said "That disgusting creature! If I looked like
him, I would not speak so loudly about the 'Master Race'! Perhaps what lit the fire within him is a deeply-rooted envy of what he desires, yet is out of his reach!" Himmler, although furious upon learning of this, remained silent about it, seemingly concerned with other matters.
The one bright spot in the whole affair was the success the Chinese National Army was now enjoying in Burma. Much of the north of Burma had now fallen into Chinese hands, and General Li's forces now began to open the jaws of great pincers to the east and northeast of Rangoon. Repeated Allied bombing efforts had failed to cut off the Burma Road, and with Lashio now in Chinese hands, the railhead between Rangoon and the interior was now in Chinese hands. Montgomery would have little choice but to retreat south, severed from the easier route into India, or be forced to attempt a seaborne evacuation. The Allies would be far too arrogant if they expected they would get away with another Dunkirk Miracle. The campaign to crush Malaya, defended by the outnumbered Yamashita and Percival would be a few weeks' worth of distraction. From there, the National Army would link up with the Indian border, and true progress could be made in effecting Indian liberation, with Bose leading from the front. Britain, France and Japan, stripped of blood and treasure, would beg for, and would be denied by the Americans for help in retaining their colonial holdings, causing the coalition to fracture. Even in these trying times, that seemed the likeliest course.
On the matter of Himmler, it was with him that Bose found an unexpected ally. Himmler was utterly fascinated by Aryan symbology, and India was rich with it. The Swastika was itself of Indian origin, and this in particular transfixed Himmler, who even went so far as to prepare archaeological teams to comb India for "ancient Aryan artifacts" after India's liberation. His views were not entirely aligned with Bose's. Bose could not help but wince whenever Himmler would begin to disparage South Indians; splitting the country into "Indo-Aryan" and "Indo-Dravidian" divisions was no better than what any other conqueror had done. However, Himmler's seemingly genuine interest was something Bose was not yet used to, and was indeed welcome.
When Himmler, in his black SS uniform approached Bose at the party, he could not help but feel a sense of importance. Himmler offered a Nazi salute, which Bose returned enthusiastically.
"Heil Hitler!" greeted Himmler "And a hearty congratulations!", an uncharacteristically non-specific phrasing for Himmler.
"Heil Hitler" said Bose, returning the salutation. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"
"Good news this time!" stated a smiling Himmler. "I have spoken to the
Fuehrer as of late, and in two weeks' time, you will surely be able to meet with him! I have arranged it through Bormann so we will both be in his presence; given the situation in the Far East, I thought it important that we deal with this matter now. The new offensive against the Bolsheviks will start soon, so we must do this with as great a haste as possible, as my attention and the
Fuehrer's will necessarily be devoted to matters there. I'm sure you understand."
"Indeed I do" said Bose, somewhat disappointed. "I am grateful and most pleased that you were able to arrange such a meeting"
Before Bose could continue, Himmler announced excitedly "And not just that! The Indian Legion will become very important in the days to come! I am of the mind that certain very important people are having their potential wasted in China, and would be far more effective in promoting
our interests in India. Between us, I believe only Aryan peoples can fully understand and internalize the importance of our struggle! Heavy weighs the yoke of English oppression, and their favour of the Dravidians at the expense of the Aryans and-"
Bose interrupted this tangent, interjecting "Who was this person you had suggested? I have expressed my concerns to you about the Bureau, so I am hoping it may be... someone from outside that circle"
"Oh, not to worry, it is one of my handpicked best" said Himmler, practically beaming. "Eichmann!"
