The Italians, who were initially successful in north Africa, had raised a unit composed of Indian prisoners of war. The atrocities they committed on the locals in Malaya, and also on the Indian prisoners who refused to switch allegiance, shocked his gentleman-officer conscience. The cowardly evacuation of Malayan towns by British troops and families when the enemy came knocking had made Indians there feel let down. The expected desertions from the British Indian side also failed to materialise at Imphal and Kohima. Sensing the mood in the country, the commander-in-chief Claude Auchinleck granted them pardon, though they were not taken back into the Army.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 24, 2020 05:48 UTC