Romain Hayes - Bose in Nazi Germany

RANDOM HOUSE INDIA

Published by Random House India in 2011

Copyright Romain Hayes 2011

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EPUB ISBN 9788184002355

For sale in the Indian subcontinent only

For my parents without whom this would not have been possible.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Years ago when first embarking on this book, I remember reading the opening lines of Hugh Toyes biography on Subhas Chandra Bose, The Springing Tiger, in which he refers to the many years he spent preparing it and in the process acquiring the reputation of being a troglodyte. Little did I know that this would one day apply to me as well. Nevertheless over the years several individuals and institutions proved to be of considerable assistance. I am grateful to the All India INA Committee in New Delhi which was not only encouraging but also made it possible for me to meet veterans of the Indian Legion. In this regard I am particularly grateful to Captain S. S. Yadava. Lieutenant K. V. Chandran and the Tamil Nadu INA Forum were equally helpful in Chennai. Again in Delhi, the staff at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library was most accommodating. In Calcutta, the staff at the Netaji Institute for Asian Studies was equally helpful. My thanks to the late Director of the Netaji Research Bureau, Sisir K. Bose and his successor Sugata Bose for granting me access to the extensive archives of the Netaji Research Bureau. The former also kindly described his involvement in arranging Boses escape to Berlin. I am also grateful to the staff of the German Federal Archives and of the Webster Library at Concordia University in Montreal.

For contributing to my general understanding of Bose by sharing their wartime recollectionsin some cases close involvement with himI am especially grateful to the late Air Commodore Ramesh S. Benegal, Lieutenant-Colonel N. S. Bhagat, Captain D. Dasan, the late Colonel Gurbakhsh S. Dhillon, Natesan Govindaswamy, Govindarasu Muthukrishnan, Captain Puan Sri Datin Janaky Nahappan, Lieutenant R. Lakshmi Devi Naidu, Lieutenant Hari Ram, Lieutenant-Colonel Lakshmi Sahgal, Malkiat Singh, Natesan Swamiyappan, and John Patrick Thomson. My gratitude also extends to Rama Rao, M. Shinnasamy, and M. K. Valampuri Thevar for their eagerness to share their experiences.

For providing valuable sources on the Indian Legionin many cases documents as well as surviving witnessesI am grateful to Claude Jeay, the Director of the Archives Dpartementales in Bourges, Philippe Gitton of the Section Historique of the Archives Municipales in Bourges, M. Galand and Michel Lafitte of the Histoire et Archives section of the Marie of Libourne and Jean Arnoux of the Groupe dHistoire Locale in Luzy. Also of significant help were the Mayor of Ardentes, Didier Barachet, the Deputy Mayor of de Beaune, Alain Suguenot, the Mayor of Luzy, Jean-Louis Rollot, the Mayor of Ruffec, Bernard Charbonneau and the Mayor of Saint Laurent Mdoc, Henri Laurent. I am also grateful to Sarah Ducoudray at the Marie of Le Poinonnet, Martine Faury at the Marie of Angoulme and Christian Martin, a Municipal Councillor in Libourne. My thanks as well to the Mayors of Bourges, Chteauroux, Jussey, Le Poinonnet, Sainte-Hlne and Soulac-sur-Mer. I am also particularly grateful for providing information and sharing their recollections of the Indian Legion to Francis Cordet, Henri Gendreau, Marcel Jarraud, Pierre Pirot, L. C. Renault, Nicole Richebon and Josette Tessier. Rudolf Hartog, a former German officer in the Legion, was very helpful in providing a different perspective in some regards. Anyone writing in the field of Boseian studies is inevitably indebted to T. R. Sareen, the former Director of the Indian Council of Historical Research, for his pioneering work and the valuable collection of documents he has assembled over the years. Professor Milan Hauner facilitated my research into his monumental work through an act of generosity. Jan Kuhlmann responded to a query in a most helpful manner. I am also very grateful to Maurice Gerard with whom I had a most enriching time conducting interviews and partially retracing the footsteps of the Indian Legion in France. Brian Schouten was also of help in this regard for the coastal region. Gilles Sigro proved to be very generous when we met in Versailles. My thanks as well to Martin Bamber, Romen Bose, Rudolf Hebig, Stphane Pauli and Tomasz Sudol. A special thank you to Rahul Srivastava. The same applies to Michael Dwyer who believed in this book from the beginning. Lastbut certainly not leastduring my stay in Calcutta, Victor and Maya Banerjee proved to be wonderful hosts and true to the Indian proverb that a guest is treated like a god in India.

CHRONOLOGY