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On 19 January 1941, Subhas Chandra Bose escaped in disguise from British surveillance in Calcutta to Kabul. There, he established contact with the German and Italian foreign ministries, thereby beginning a long period of collaboration with the Axis Powers to counter British rule in India. This led to the setting up of the Free India Centre, the radio station Azad Hind, and the Indian Legion in which 4,500 Indian volunteers were trained by German experts to fight for the freedom of their nation. While his compatriots resisted colonial rule on native soil, Bose spearheaded the cause of freedom in Europe. Using Machiavellian tactics, he discreetly played the Axis leaders off against each other and courted considerable public favour through his transmissions on Radio Azad Hind.
Netaji in Europe pieces together information from official records, diaries and military archives in Germany, Italy, Britain and India to give a comprehensive account of the daily negotiations between Bose, and foreign offices, diplomats and double agents, during the Second World War. These efforts resulted in a declaration of Indias independence long before 1947, and the formation of the first Indian army. The first work to narrate the story of Netaji in Europe, this insightful book closes an important gap in research on Boses biography.
About the Author
Jan Kuhlmann studied history, philosophy, Latin and education in Wurzburg, Heidelberg, Windsor (Ontario), Berlin and Cologne. He became interested in the biography of Subhas Chandra Bose in the history classes of the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg. Later, he obtained his PhD from Humboldt University, Berlin, for his research on Boses political activity in Europe. He worked as a freelance journalist for local newspapers and government publications for a decade, and now teaches history and Latin at a German secondary school.\
