Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is a romantic hero for the Indian masses. Sometimes such romantic heroes turn out with fleet of clay. In hindsight we can now see that Bose made a fatal mistake in allying himself with Fascist forces to gain independence from the British Raj. Bose fled India and via Kabul and Moscow reached Berlin sometime in March/April 1941.
On arrival in Berlin he met Von Ribbentrop the German foreign minister and requested for an audience with Hitler. The German foreign minister made no committment and asked Bose to organize the India league. The importance of Bose can be gleaned from the fact that Hitler was in no hurry to meet Bose.
Bose just whiled away the time and months passed without Hitler showing any inclination to meet Bose. This was the period that Bose fell in love with an Austrian girl and married her. Bose repeatedly requested for a meeting with Hitler, but Hitler now busy with the Russian campaign had no time for small fry like Bose.
This is one of the tragedies of history as we in India feel that Bose was given great importance in Berlin. Unfortunately this was not the case. He spent time meeting junior Nazi party funcionaries. After almost a year Hitler finally met Bose on 29 May 1942. It was more than a year after he landed in Berlin. The meeting with Hitler took place in his office and Bose met him wearing a suit.
Bose pressed Hitler for an invasion of India, but Hitler promised nothing. No minutes of this meeting are available. Probably the meeting achieved nothing. Bose himself has indicated that the meeting was unsatisfactory. Bose continued in Berlin till Feb 1943 when he was transferred by U boat from Humburg to Japan that is another story.
On arrival in Berlin he met Von Ribbentrop the German foreign minister and requested for an audience with Hitler. The German foreign minister made no committment and asked Bose to organize the India league. The importance of Bose can be gleaned from the fact that Hitler was in no hurry to meet Bose.
Bose just whiled away the time and months passed without Hitler showing any inclination to meet Bose. This was the period that Bose fell in love with an Austrian girl and married her. Bose repeatedly requested for a meeting with Hitler, but Hitler now busy with the Russian campaign had no time for small fry like Bose.
This is one of the tragedies of history as we in India feel that Bose was given great importance in Berlin. Unfortunately this was not the case. He spent time meeting junior Nazi party funcionaries. After almost a year Hitler finally met Bose on 29 May 1942. It was more than a year after he landed in Berlin. The meeting with Hitler took place in his office and Bose met him wearing a suit.
Bose pressed Hitler for an invasion of India, but Hitler promised nothing. No minutes of this meeting are available. Probably the meeting achieved nothing. Bose himself has indicated that the meeting was unsatisfactory. Bose continued in Berlin till Feb 1943 when he was transferred by U boat from Humburg to Japan that is another story.
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