This table (In the section below) shows the 4th and 5th highest casualty inflicted Nations in WWII were Indonesia and India. How did so many civilians of these nations die?

by Cogito96

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/World_War_II_Casualties2.svg

This is the table. Yes I know it's technically from Wikipedia but It's still accurate, I feel. I presume Indonesian deaths were caused by the Japanese advance, but I never knew so many died. And why was the number of Indian casualties so high?

*EDIT: Is this because of the Bengal famine?

regengott

In India, while Nazi Germany was condemned, the leaders were against Indians taking part in the war on the behalf of the British. Indians were more focused on independence from the British and more effort was put into that movement. The Quit India movement of 1942 that was carried out by the Congress lent a "Do or Die" attitude to the Independence Struggle. Indeed many of the leaders of the Congress saw the War as a means to achieve Independence. Churchill was furious at this and the British took appropriate measure by jailing the top leaders of the Congress.

The Indian Army fought and repelled the Japanese at Burma failing which Japan would have entered India and given Japan more foot hold in Asia. It also sent soldiers to Europe, the vast bureaucratic machinery of the Civil Service took care of the logistical end of weapon and man power supply, aeroplanes were manufactured in Bangalore and so and so forth. Burma was really the only part of British-India where the War was seen. And Burma wasn't really part of India. Germany and Italy weren't interested on this side and were tied up elsewhere. Japan was broken at Burma. So the civilian deaths as a direct result of the war were very little compared to other parts of the world.

As you say the Bengal famine was extreme. One of the many causes was the war. However, it would seem that the chart does not take the famine into consideration because many more people than what is shown died. So, I do not think that the map, and by extension your question, can be correct.

Alexandhisdroogs

No, the number does not include the victims of the Bengal famine. Your chart shows the total Indian deaths as slightly under a million, while the Bengal famine killed 2-3 million.

The numbers in your chart indicate military and civilian deaths not including the famine.

As for military deaths, the number is large because the Indian Army was huge. It numbered 2.5 million towards the end of the war, and was the largest volunteer army in history. Far larger than the British Army.

Indian soldiers fought in Europe and Africa, besides fighting the Japanese in Burma and southeast Asia.

The Indian civilian deaths are mostly from Burma. At the time, there were many Indians living and working in Burma, who died during the Japanese invasion. Other civilian deaths include Indian laborers working in the war effort in southeast Asia and Africa. They worked in constructing roads and airstrips, war-related industries, sailors on merchant ships carrying war materials. They died when those places were attacked by Axis partners.