On the morning of February 16th, the warships of the German Navy's Indian Ocean fleet appeared punctually in the western waters of India. Dozens of ships spread out, advancing toward the vast coastline. Though the fleet consisted of over forty vessels, large and small, it was insignificant when compared to the two thousand kilometers of coastline in western India.
By calculation, each ship was tasked with blocking fifty kilometers of coastline. During the day, with the speed of these warships, the task seemed manageable. However, at night, due to limited visibility, the blockade would be difficult to maintain. This meant that the German Navy's blockade of India would not be particularly tight. British and American merchant ships could still find openings to deliver weapons and supplies to India.
Even so, such a blockade was still far better than leaving India completely unprotected, allowing Britain and America to ship weapons freely. Intelligence estimates suggested that after the naval blockade, the quantity of arms and equipment shipped to India by Britain and America would decrease by over seventy percent. This was already a significant outcome, for without those weapons, the armed forces of the British Indian Army would face severe challenges. The difficulty for the German forces in conquering India would thereby be greatly reduced.
The moment the German Navy appeared, the British Indian colonial authorities were alerted. Baron Charles Harding immediately summoned Lord William Nicholson.
"The Germans have arrived! Although, for now, it's only the German Navy, we can anticipate that the German Army will soon follow. Our time is running out. My lord, you must, in the shortest time possible, prepare the native Indian forces for battle. Simply teaching them to shoot may not suffice!" said Baron Charles Harding.
As the day of the German attack drew near, Baron Harding's concerns grew. Despite his belief that he had accounted for every potential issue, he still harbored some doubts about the plan's success. If the plan did not go as expected, the consequences could be dire.
"My lord, we have already sent troops for specialized training. In fact, to ensure we had enough instructors, I ordered the disbanding of the previous 1.2 million British Indian soldiers. They were reassigned into twenty-five new army groups along with the first batch of recruits. However, this has resulted in a decline in the combat effectiveness of the British Indian forces. So far, the soldiers of these newly formed groups have at least learned to fire a gun. We will focus on other aspects in the upcoming training. However, the Germans will not give us much time to train. I anticipate that when the war breaks out, the British Indian Army will barely be able to muster sufficient combat strength," said Lord William Nicholson. During this period, he had been deeply concerned about the training of these troops.
Now, Lord Nicholson was beginning to understand what it meant to have too many troops—an embarrassment of riches that became a burden. He had never imagined that the British Indian Army would expand to five million soldiers. In his unpreparedness, the army now faced a severe shortage of supplies. They lacked weapons, uniforms, officers, and, above all, time. Had they been afforded sufficient time, these deficiencies might have been addressed. Unfortunately, time was the one thing they lacked. With the arrival of the German Navy, it was clear that war was imminent.
Baron Charles Harding nodded. "I know well that it is almost impossible to train the native Indians into elite soldiers. In any case, our advantage in this battle lies not in the combat prowess of our troops, but in our numerical superiority—an advantage the Germans can never match. I believe that as long as we exploit this advantage to the fullest, we will make the Germans pay a heavy price. Defeating them is not entirely out of the question."
"Yes, my lord," Lord Nicholson nodded in agreement.
"However, my lord, I believe it is time to start preparing for the next batch of British Indian recruits. While we hold off the Germans with the current forces, we should begin recruiting and training the next group. This way, when the first batch of troops suffers heavy losses, the next group will be ready to take the field," Lord Nicholson continued.
"Very well, I will communicate with the Indian National Congress and the Green Party Alliance to prepare the next batch of recruits. With this additional ten million men, even if we cannot defeat the Germans, we should be able to hold the line. At that point, if it comes to a war of attrition, India's population and resources will ensure we outlast the Germans!" declared Baron Charles Harding.
After reaching an agreement with the Indian National Congress and the Green Party Alliance, recruitment for the British Indian Army proceeded without issue. The members of these parties alone were enough to meet the army's needs. Not to mention, a large number of farmers, affected by the situation, volunteered to join the military.
"Yes, my lord," Lord Nicholson responded. However, a sense of unease lingered in his heart. He feared that their plans had not accounted for the morale of the troops. If repeated defeats dampened the morale of the British Indian forces, he was uncertain how much combat strength they would retain.
Of course, Lord Nicholson knew that expressing these concerns was futile, as Baron Harding was too absorbed in his hope for success to listen. At this point, all of Baron Harding's hopes rested on the plan's success.
Lord Nicholson could only pray to God for a favorable turn in the war.
After the fall of the Outer Zh Kingdom, the German 8th Army, having taken a short respite, boarded transport ships bound for India.
Upon the arrival of the Navy, they would launch their assault on India. The 8th Army would serve as the vanguard, with the 4th Army following closely behind.
At present, these two armies were the entirety of Germany's force for the invasion of India. Of course, if the battle did not proceed well, Germany would certainly call for additional troops. After all, India held an irreplaceable role in Germany's colonial system, and Germany had more than enough manpower to reinforce the attack.