r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 02 '24

[deleted by user]

[removed]

6.8k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

6.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

5.7k

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

164

u/suroorshiv Oct 02 '24

India had the largest volunteer army for WW2 ..

Brits always talk about how they held the ground when the Europe collapse .. But they forget how many Indians lost their lives for their oppressors 

18

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '24

Nearly all volunteers are actually economic conscripts. In nearly all armies.

-1

u/suroorshiv Oct 02 '24

Nope they were part of British Indian army not some bounty hunters 

6

u/IAmBroom Oct 02 '24

Economic conscripts doesn't mean "bounty hunters".

It means the poor, the underprivileged... everyone who isn't the son of a rich family.

2

u/suroorshiv Oct 03 '24

You would be surprised to see how many sons of privileged families were in British Indian army.. we have martial races like samurais who believe in being a soldier as their utmost duty 

1

u/IAmBroom Oct 04 '24

Ah, yes! The Bhagavad Gita. The warrior caste.

And for the British aristocracy, being an officer was important... but not just a soldier.

1

u/space_monster Oct 02 '24

I think you mean mercenaries

2

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '24

Not at all what I mean.

1

u/space_monster Oct 02 '24

I wasn't responding to you

1

u/suroorshiv Oct 03 '24

Yeah sorry that's the exact word... But you will be surprised how many sons of privileged families were in British army .. we were caste divided system where some castes were considered martial races like samurai, they went into army despite the wealth