India – Germany bilateral relations

During World War I, India was a part of the British kingdom. Consequently, the British Indian Army was ordered to contribute soldiers to the Allied war effort, including deploying troops on the Western Front. Pro-independence activists within the colonial armies sought German assistance in procuring India’s freedom, resulting in the Hindu– German Conspiracy during World War I.

During World War II, the Allied war effort mobilized 2.5 million volunteer troops from British India. Subhas Chandra Bose, a prominent freedom fighter for Indian independence, made a determined effort to obtain India’s independence from Britain by seeking military assistance from the Axis powers. The Indische Legion was formed to serve as a liberation force for British-ruled India and was principally made up of British Indian prisoners of war and expatriates in Europe.

The newly formed Republic of India was one of the first nations to end the State of War with Germany after World War II and did not claim war reparations from Germany although 24,000 soldiers serving in the British Indian Army died in the campaign to fight Nazi Germany.

India maintained diplomatic relations with both West Germany and East Germany and supported their reunification in 1990.

Germany condemned India for liberating Goa from Portuguese rule in 1961 and  supported  Portugal’s  dictatorial regime under Salazar against India. Germany was critical of India for intervening in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Germany rejected India’s 1998 nuclear tests with Chancellor Helmut Kohl saying: “This was the wrong decision for them to take; we do not accept that decision”.