India’s role in helping Red Army withstand the Siege of Stalingrad

For Russians the war is known as the Great Patriotic War, for no aspect of life was left untouched, no family remain unaffected. (Source: WikimediaCommons)

On May 7, a memorial plaque in recognition of the Indian soldiers awarded Soviet orders and medals, was unveiled at the Russian House in New Delhi by Russian Ambassador Denis Alipovov and former Odisha Chief Minister and current MLA Naveen Patnaik. Patnaik's father Bijayananda Patnaik was among those honored for his help to the Red Army during World War II.  This is part of the events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.

This day - 9th May when Germany formally surrendered to the Allied powers - is marked as Victory Day in Russia. In the Soviet Union earlier, and now in the Russian Federation - the inheritor state of the Soviet Union - the day is a sacred one, possibly Russia's most hallowed day, tinged with pride of victory, and sorrow at the great losses it had to face, and remembrance of the great sacrifices made.

For Russians the war is known as the Great Patriotic War, for no aspect of life was left untouched, no family remain unaffected. Around 27 million Soviet lives were lost in the brutal war which began with the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. And in this war there were Indians like Biju Patnaik who played little known but important roles.

Dropping off supplies in Stalingrad

Patnaik, who at the time was flying for the Royal Indian Air Force, had made multiple sorties dropping off supplies to the besieged Red Army in Stalingrad. There were also others, like Subedar Narayan Rao Nikkam and Havildar Gajendra Singh.

As British India, India sent the largest volunteer army to the battle fronts of the West and East in WWII. Over two-and-a-half million Indians were recruited, and it was in the battle fronts that they met their Soviet counterparts. Notwithstanding the frosty relations today, the British and the Soviets had collaborated during the war. One of the tasks was to get supplies to the Soviets from British India.  But the terrain was harsh and a road had to be built.

Supply route through Baluchistan and Iran

A Bulletin of the Information Service of the Government of India, Indian Information dated December 15, 1941, says “One more link with Russia is being established with the organisation of a regular supply route from India via Baluchistan and East Iran. More than 5,000 labourers are now employed in improving the road surface and it is expected that their number will shortly be increased to 8,000. Linked to the overland transportation arrangements put into commission by British experts, the Russian organisation called Iran-Sov-Trans now takes delivery at a series of points in Northern Iran.”

With supplies to Russia cut off by the German occupation, this route from Iran to the Soviet Caucasus became important. According to Indian Information Bulletin of May 1, 1944, “.....the whole journey of some thousand miles by river, rail and road — through varied landscape and weather — show's Indian soldiers at work as engineers, labourers, drivers and sentries, all performing their allotted task with skill and patience, often in the most trying conditions”.

A Ministry of Defense press release of June 2020 says "The Indian Military not only fought on all fronts, but also ensured delivery of goods along the Southern, Trans-Iranian Lend-Lease route, along which weapons, ammunitions, spare parts for equipment and food went to the Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq. The valour of the Indian soldiers was recognised with the award of over four thousand decorations...".

The road to the Soviet Caucasus

The "General Purpose Transport Companies of the Royal Indian Army Supply Corps" would travel day and night to supply the Soviet Union war effort against the Nazi armies. Jute, rubber, hessian, copper, tin and mercury, gunny bags, tea, nickel, pepper, silk were sent along this route. An article in Russia's International Affairs says that the Royal Indian Army Service Corps carried out 428 trips through the mountain passes and deserts of the “Indo-Soviet route”: 275 with ammunition, 52 with bitumen, 35 with oil, 66 with various military materials.

Indians like Subedar Narayan Rao Nikkam and Havildar Gajendra Singh performed the grueling task of delivering supplies along these routes. According to Soviet journalist L.V. Mitrokin " ..the 3,000 mile long road to the Caucasus, across burning desert and barren land, through 7,000 feet high mountain passes and low river beds passed through places where the temperatures varied from 130°F to 40° below Freezing point. It formed the vital supply link between India and the Soviet Union. From Peshwar to Tabriz, on the Iran Soviet border, this road was “India’s outstretched hand to Russia, bringing it vast resources to within a week’s road journey of Russia’s outlier frontier”.

In recognition of their "exceptional and brave services", Nikkam and Singh were honoured by the Order of the Red Star by the Soviet Union in 1944.

And the combatants from India

There were yet others - in combat roles. Those like Captain Ram Singh; Subedar Pritha Singh Kurung; and Lt. Col. W. R. B. Williams. All of them were also honoured with Soviet recognition for their contribution in the defeat of Nazi Germany: Captain Ram Singh was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, III class; Subedar Pritha Singh Kurung the Order of the Patriotic War, I class; and Lt. Col. W. R. B. Williams the Order of Nevsky.

India has been slowly coming around to recognizing the contribution of Indians to the Allied victory in WWII - which has largely been viewed as part of the colonial legacy. As India implements Operation Sindoor this Victory Day, it becomes important to preserve the memory of the myriad contributions and sacrifices made by these brave men.