Recruitment Challenges of the Indian National Army during the Second World War

Abstract This article critically examines the organizational and recruitment inefficiencies faced by the Indian National Army ( ina ); an auxiliary force formed in Japan with the goal of liberating India from British colonial rule. The scattered nature of recruitment, which initially focused on prisoners of war and later expanded to civilians, resulted in significant issues regarding training, cohesion, and overall military readiness. Many recruits, particularly those enlisted under duress, displayed diminished motivation, driven by demands for better living conditions rather than nationalistic fervour. Although a limited number of soldiers possessed genuine patriotism, this was insufficient to sustain a cohesive and effective military force. Furthermore, the inclusion of women in combat roles, under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose, introduced additional logistical and operational complications, straining the already fragile organizational structure. The article argues that these combined factors undermined the ina ’s military efficacy and contributed to its inability to achieve its strategic objective – mounting a successful military campaign alongside the Imperial Japanese Army ( ija ) to overthrow the British Raj in India.