Indian Army Memorial in Italy
In News
- During his visit to the UK and Italy, Indian Army Chief Manoj Naravane will inaugurate the Indian Army Memorial at Cassino in Italy, about 140 km away from Rome.
- The memorial commemorates 900 Indian soldiers who took part in the effort to liberate Italy in World War II.
What was happening in Italy in WWII?
- Under Benito Mussolini, Italy had joined Nazi Germany in 1936 and in 1940 it entered WWII (1939-1945) against the Allies.
- But in 1943, Mussolini was overthrown and instead, Italy declared war on Germany. The invasion of Italy by the Allies coincided with an armistice that was made with the Italians.
What was India’s involvement in World War II?
- Indian Army was the largest volunteer force during WWII, with over 2.5 million Indians participating.
- These troops fought the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) as part of the Allies.
- Three infantry divisions of the Indian Army took part in the Italian campaign. These were the 4th, 8th and 10th Indian Divisions.
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