WI the British absolutely flooded the WW1 battlefields with Indian troops?

Coulsdon Eagle

Monthly Donor
One of the problems with "flooding" Indian troops in the 1st ww is the almost total lack of Indian artillery. From memory there were exactly ten batteries of Indian artillery, all mountain batteries. Raising Indian artillery would require a policy shift even bigger than commissioning Indian officers

Ever since the Indian Mutiny of 1857 the British had not trusted any native troops with artillery - not those who stayed loyal either. The only artillery provided to any Indian units was some mountain artillery.
 
Real life war does not work like a Victoria 2 game. It takes time and more money to arm and move these soldiers.

Success is even worse as there are millions of Indians willing to rebel against the UK.
 
Yeah, no. The British treat the Indians better than OTL and that makes them want to defect? Anti-British nonsense I’m afraid. That’s borderline Germanwank ASB.

OTL the resentment felt by Indians towards the British was in large part due to the fact when they got to Europe, they weren’t allowed to fight. This PoD assumedly removes that source of contention.

Yeah, defecting to the Germans would gain them nothing. Higher desertion is more likely and even that would be limited. It would be seen by everyone as cowardice.
 
A key to the loyalty of the Indian Army was that, notwithstanding the differing status of the British and Indian troops, they all fought together. Took the same risks, suffered the same conditions and were comrades in arms. If lead by British officers the officers were expected to lead from the front. If supported by British units those fought in the same battle and took the same risks.

If you keep the British working in home factories, earning good money, whilst the Indians go to the front it would not take long for the Indians to query why they are there. A good way to accelerate Indian independence and spur a mutiny. The Indian Army fought loyally with the British, not for the British. That was the approach of Sergeant Major Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in his choice to serve the Empire. By serving alongside, Indians would earn respect and a Dominion type status in the Empire. If it, instead, became serving for the Empire as cheap cannon fodder, then it undermines the entire raison d'etre of the OTL Indian Army.

Mention has been made of Indians feeling insulted if they were not sent to fight. This was not unique to Indians. The same issues came up with other Empire armies composed of volunteers. They did not volunteer to heave cargo, maintain vehicles, sit in an office and a thousand and one necessary jobs to keep a modern army in the field. So the British Army did a somewhat over large proportion of these non combat tasks. This was one of several reasons for recruiting labour corps such as civilians from China.
 
A key to the loyalty of the Indian Army was that, notwithstanding the differing status of the British and Indian troops, they all fought together. Took the same risks, suffered the same conditions and were comrades in arms. If lead by British officers the officers were expected to lead from the front. If supported by British units those fought in the same battle and took the same risks.

AFAIK, this would still reduce amount of British troops needed drastically, as Indian Army units had, IIRC about 1/4 battalions in a Brigade and the artilley units. This would not keep all the British soldiers out of danger, naturally.
 
there's a similar issue with the contribution of Irish soldiers (in both world world wars), 200,000 of whom fought in WW1 and 49,000 of whom were killed and who also don't get the remembrance they deserve.

agreed - and those who fought in WW2 were treated terribly by their government after the event.
 
Are we talking conscripts from off the streets or are we talking about those form the 'marital castes/races' that the British liked to use? And should I presume that the least the Princely States will be keeping their own troops at home? Gotta keep order. And I wonder if they wouldn't be better served having Indian troops invade Ottoman areas. Closer, plus it doesn't give your army any bright ideas on needing to kill loads of Europeans. It might be seen as setting a bad precedent. And hopefully the contribution means India gets a mandate of its own, like how South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand all got their own. Though partially because they occupied the areas with a lot of their own men and it would be seen as disasterous for relations withtnhe Dominions if the UK tried to take it away, even if the Germans won the war.
That might well be a bad idea. Despite their historical service this was the spark of the Singapore Mutiny.
 
I can't find any sources saying that.
Wiki (not the best but a good start and mainly ased on Singapore NA sources) states:
The 1915 Singapore Mutiny involved up to half of the 850 sepoys comprising the 5th Light Infantry against the British in Singapore during the War, part of the 1915 Ghadar Conspiracy. The 5th Light Infantry had arrived in Singapore from Madras in October 1914. They had been sent to replace the Yorkshire Light Infantry, which had been ordered to France. The 5th Light Infantry consisted of roughly equal numbers of Punjabi Muslims and Pathans serving in separate companies. Their morale was constantly low, being affected by poor communication, slack discipline and a weak leadership. The regiment had been employed to guard the captured crew from the German ship, SMS Emden and reportedly attempts were made to fan the discontent amongst the sepoys. The regiment was under orders to embark for further garrison duty in Hong Kong, however rumours started that they were going to be sent to fight in the Middle East against fellow Muslims from the Ottoman Empire.

On 16 February 1915, while preparations for departure were under way, the four companies of Punjabi Muslims mutinied while the Pathan sepoys of the remaining four companies scattered in confusion. Two of the British officers at the Tanglin barracks were killed and the mutineers then moved on the German prisoner of war camp where they killed thirteen camp guards and other military personnel. The Germans however refused to join them. The mutineers then roamed the streets of Singapore, killing European civilians that they encountered. The mutiny continued for nearly five days and was suppressed by local volunteer and British regular units plus naval detachments from allied warships, and with assistance from the Sultan of Johor.

Following immediate courts-martial a total of 47 mutineers were executed, while 64 were transported for life and another 73 imprisoned for varying terms. Later in 1915 the 5th Light Infantry saw service in the Kamerun Campaign and was subsequently sent to East Africa and Aden.​



 
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