India in Second World War - Part 1

India, officially the Indian Empire, declared war on Germany in September 1939. The Provinces of India (which included most of modern-day India and the present day Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar), being imperial colonies of the United Kingdom, were by default a part of the Allies of World War II. Several Indian princely states provided large donations to the Allies to combat the threat of Nazism and Fascism (Wikipedia)

Two crew members of a Sherman tank of the Scinde Horse, part of the Indian 31st Armoured Division in Iraq, March 1944

Indian soldiers holding a Nazi flag which they had captured at Libyan Omar, December 1941

An Indian infantry section of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment about to go on patrol on the Arakan front, Burma 1943

Indian troops move ammunition in very muddy conditions whilst on the road to Tamu in Burma

The British commander and Indian crew of a Sherman tank of the 9th Royal Deccan Horse, 255th Indian Tank Brigade, encounter a newly liberated elephant on the road to Meiktila, Burma 1945

India in Second World War - Part 2

Private Begum Pasha Shah of the WAC (1) on duty in the Orderly Room of an RAF station in India, August 1943

Indian women labourers, engaged in airfield construction work, pass mechanics working on a Royal Air Force Consolidated Liberator bomber at a base in Bengal. 1944

Indian and RAF ground crew, 1943

Indian technicians assembling cannon-firing Hurricanes

Squadron Leader Karun Krishna Majumdar was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross - the first to be awarded to an Indian Air Force officer - for the gallantry and leadership that he displayed while serving as the commanding officer of No 1 Squadron, Indian Air Force, during the retreat from Burma in 1942. He was subsequently awarded a Bar to the DFC in recognition of his courage and skill while serving as a tactical reconnaissance pilot with No 268 Squadron, Royal Air Force, during the liberation of France in 1944. Squadron Leader Majumdar was the only Indian Air Force officer to receive two DFCs during the Second World War

More on Wing Commander Karun Krishna Majumdar

Three of the four Engineer brothers who served in the Indian Air Force

A scout car crew of 6th Duke of Connaught’s Own Lancers, Indian Armoured Corps, chat with youngsters in San Felice, Italy, during the advance towards the River Sangro

A week before the German surrender in Italy, sappers of 136 Indian Railway Maintenance Company set about repairing some of the extensive damage in the railyards of Bologna, Italy

India in Second World War - Part 3

Chief Officer Margaret L Cooper, Deputy Director of the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS), with Second Officer Kalyani Sen, WRINS at Rosyth during their two month study visit to Britain, 3rd June 1945

Trainee mechanical engineers at work in the Royal Indian Navy’s shore establishment, HMIS TALWAR, near Bombay, 1941

Crew of HMIS ‘Narbada’ with blistered gun barrels following the bombardment of Myebon, Hunters Bay, Burma

Zavier Fernandez from Bombay was injured when the Russian convoy in which he was sailing was attacked. In hospital he underwent rehabilitation and in this photograph he was recovering the use of his fingers by working at strings on a frame

Workers at an Indian railway workshop now employed in the construction of armoured vehicles, 1942

Indian Air Force engineering officers under training at the Schools of Aeronautical Engineering, RAF Henlow, July 1943

Indian Army Soldiers During World War II Fighting The Axis Powers In Europe And Africa

Indian Army Soldiers During World War II Fighting The Axis Powers In Europe...

Soldiers from India, then a British Colony, volunteering to fight on the side of the Allied Powers to defeat the...

Blackout Curtains That Will Make You Feel Like You’re Living In A Penthouse Above A Large City

by Stella

Blackout blinds, or curtains, are no longer just a token of edgy teenage bedrooms. They’re back in style, with a modern twist that will have you clamoring to hang them up in your home. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the beauty of blackout blinds and how far they’ve come.

In 1939, Britain enforced a mandatory blackout due to the threat of enemy air strikes. Residents were made to hang thick curtains made of black cotton over their windows at night so that not even a twinkle of light could escape, and even car headlights were to be covered with small shades. Though these were frustrating times, homeowners came to like the privacy and peace blackout curtains provided, and decided to keep them up after the war was over.

The purpose of these dark drapes has now extended far past home safety. Most commercially available blackout curtains are woven extra-tight, and are able to block 99% of light and UV rays. Since they trap sunlight, they also trap heat inside your home, meaning you could save on heating costs during the winter. Stylish new roll-up blackout blinds now come in sleek ‘cut-out’ designs that can turn any window into a glamorous New York or London-inspired city skyline, while still letting minimal light into your home. Check out the best ones on the market below!

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