Analysis Of World War I: The Indian Soldiers Letters

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Throughout World War I, thousands of Indians were conscripted to fight on behalf of their “King-Emperor” Great Britain, in France. Whilst the war was transpiring, propaganda ran rampant with the expectation of recruiting additional soldiers. It was considered a great honor to not only fight on behalf of one’s country, but moreover, to die while fighting for one’s country. These letters were exchanged during this time period; however, the letters were censored by the military. The Indian Soldiers’ Letters are overall an inadequate representation of war accounts during the First World War, due to censorship and cultural attitude of pride towards those serving in the war.
Predictably, several letters exist in which soldiers share their unpleasant accounts of the unforgiving interminable First World War. The first letter in the document is a despairing exchange between “A Garwhali to his father” (Omissi, 27-29). Through this letter, the soldier illustrates the warfront as treacherous and unforgiving. The war is becoming increasingly harder to endure when “the bullets and cannon-balls come down …show more content…

Trench warfare, for example, was a new strategic technique of fighting that transformed the concept of war altogether. Instead of traditional war on the terrain, trench warfare assisted soldiers by providing greater shelter from attack than previous forms of warfare. Subsequently, the First World War lasted exceedingly longer than previously predicted, and as a result was far more repugnant. Waiting in trenches for the enemy to attack resulted in soldiers remaining inside of trenches for weeks, or even months. The harsh weather during the war contributed to the discontent and ailments of the soldiers. Moreover, the letters served as informative news to those who had no knowledge of trench

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