ABSTRACT
This chapter,‘World War II: a disaster of the twentieth century’is about World War II in the A&N Islands. As the A&N Islands were a British colony, they were drawn into World War II from 1942 to 1945. The British evacuated the islands which were captured by the Japanese in March 1942. The War ended with the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, after which the British again occupied the islands. This period, under both regimes, first British and second, Japanese, was characterized by constant bombings, large-scale killing, damage, destruction and an ensuing famine. In three and a half years nearly 5,900 people were killed, which was nearly one-fourth of the total population of the A&N Islands at that time. The A&N Islands were the only territory of India where World War II was directly fought. Because of its strategic location, small size and lack of military defence, the A&N Islands were vulnerable to attack and capture.
