Malaya Command: Where Indian officers and soldiers learnt that their British commanders weren't invincible

A metal and teak crest of Malaya Command: A golden kris on a jungle-green shield.

The capture of Singapore by the Japanese in 1942 was perhaps the bitterest blow to the British Empire. Or, as Churchill described it, the "worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history." While debates have since raged on who was responsible for the defeat, the facts are clear: Of the roughly 125,000 troops in Malaya Command, around 50,000 were Indian. Dogras, Garhwalis, Gurkhas, Hyderabadis, Jats, Madrasis, Punjabis and Sikhs; inadequately trained for jungle warfare, and led by commanders who were incapable, incompetent and ignorant. Despite pockets of heroic resistance, the Indian, British and Australian troops didn't have a chance. Nor did the Empire: India would be independent in 1947.