ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a difficult and controversial aspect of the Second World War and the immediate aftermath: occupation responsibilities throughout the Imperial Japanese Empire. When His Majestys Government (HMG) in London agreed to expanding the area of responsibility for South East Asia Command (SEAC) with regard to occupation duties in July 1945 at Potsdam, Germany, this put SEAC in the position of relying upon the largely volunteer Indian Army to carry out the mission. The British mission was organised into two groups, the Control Commission and the Allied Land Forces French Indo-China, and headed by the seasoned and well-respected 20th Indian Division commander, Major General Douglas Gracey. Contrary to the common assertion that the Second World War was not a complex war, the post-war occupation duties for the Indian Army in the Far East provide an excellent encapsulation of the complexity of the Second World War.
