The Bahadur Group, or the Special Services Group as it was initially formed, was a
Special Forces
Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit within the
Indian National Army
The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...
that was tasked with frontline intelligence as well as subversion and sabotage operations behind enemy lines.
[Roy, P. (2022). Indian National Army: Netaji’s Secret Service. Indian Historical Review, 49(1_suppl), S168-S192. https://doi.org/10.1177/03769836221115896] This was the INA's second special forces unit besides the Intelligence group led by
Colonel Shaukat Hayat Malikof Bhawalpur Regiment who is credited with raising the flag of
Azad Hind
The Provisional Government of Free India or, more simply, Azad Hind, was a short-lived Japanese-controlled provisional government in India. It was established in Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II in October 1943 and has been con ...
in
Moirang
Moirang () is a town in the Indian state of Manipur, best known for the tentatively listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Keibul Lamjao Conservation Area (KLCA), covering Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), the world's only floating nation ...
in 14 April 1944, an event accepted as one of the first instances of the liberation of Indian soil by an independent Indian government.
They were two parts to the organization: the Special Service Group and the Secret Service Group. Both of these groups were trained in commando tactics, sabotage,intelligence collection and deep penetration missions in India while some members received training in Linguistics in order to liaison with local Japanese units. Usually operating in groups of 8 to 10 members of the Bahadur group were attached to local Japanese divisions in order to spread propaganda among Indian troops in the British Indian army and to act as pathfinders.
References
Military units and formations of the Indian National Army
Special forces units and formations
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