Netaji supported active resistance against British rule. This led to his rapid rise to Congress presidentship. He resigned following disagreements with Gandhi. He saw WWII as an opportunity to expel the British; others differed.
In Jan 1941, he daringly escaped from house arrest. Within 2 months, he reached Berlin via Delhi & Kabul. He met Nazi leadership, but they thought British rule is suitable for India. Japan offered greater help. So Netaji headed to Tokyo in a submarine in Feb 1943. Netaji’s policy was simple – he would work with any country opposed to Britain.
When WWII ended, he rightly predicted Soviet Union would break the alliance with Britain. He probably was on his way to contact the Russians in Aug 1945 in pursuance of this idea. But he disappeared from history.
The Wikimedia image shows Netaji with Hitler in May 1942.

The British army in Malaya surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore in early 1942. The Japanese separated the Indian prisoners. Then they told the prisoners that Japanese are supporting a liberation army of India. They wanted the surrendered Indians of the British Army to join the liberation army.
Bose delivered his call of ‘Dilli Chalo’ and inspected the INA at the Padang in July 1943. Singapore has erected a national monument in honour of Netaji in Padang.
The image from Fay’s book shows Netaji inspecting the INA at the Padang.

Mohan Singh addressed the surrendered Indians of British Army at Farrer Park, Singapore. A meeting in Tokyo in March 1942 sowed the seed for INA. The terms of reference were firmed in April 1942. Formal recruitment started in May. Many Indian POWs were reluctant to break their soldierly oath. However Mohan Singh persuaded a majority of the 55000 soldiers.
The INA was proclaimed in Sept 1942. Mohan Singh did not trust the Japanese and he was arrested in late 1942. The INA almost got disbanded and Bose was called to rescue it. Bose later reinstates Gen Mohan Singh in the INA.
After INA, Mohan Singh became a partition refugee. He settled in Jalandhar, became an MP and advocated for INA’s recognition. Mohan Singh is a seminal figure in INA’s history. The Facebook image shows Mohan Singh inspecting INA.

Rash Behari was part of plan to assassinate the viceroy in 1912. He tried to foment revolt during WWI. He fled to Japan, married a Japanese girl, became a citizen there and avoided extradition. He continued to maintain contacts in SE Asia.
When WWII started, he was appointed head of the India Independence League under which INA operated. Mohan Singh did not trust Rash Behari due to his closeness to Japan. But Rash Behari held the INA together after Mohan Singh’s arrest in late 1942. Rash Behari was the one who requested Netaji to takeover, which he did in July 1943. After that, Netaji was both political & military head of Azad Hind.
Rash Behari reportedly told Netaji, “one more fight, last and the best.”
The Wikimedia image shows a young Rash Behari with his wife Toshiko.

Mohan Singh recruited almost 40000 (70%) of surrendered Indian prisoners. However, after his arrest the army almost disintegrated. Netaji started afresh in July 1943. He recruited prisoners of war and also overseas Indians. He raised funds, set up recruiting & training centres and established civil & military commands. In a few months, this large force was raised and went into action. This was a major feat.
Bose was not a trained soldier but he was adored by INA veterans even after the war. He had an endearing style. Once his military secretary, Major Prem Saigal, playfully told a German diplomat that the Indian equivalent of ‘cheers’ was ‘chakta’ – Punjabi for ‘put up.’ The diplomat embarrassed Netaji with this greeting at an official banquet. Netaji just told Saigal, “Next time you decide to commit India to something, will you please consult me first!”
The Facebook image shows an Azad Hind training centre in Shanghai, China.

Netaji gave his ‘Dilli Chalo’ call in July 1943. He announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free India) on 21 Oct 1943. He was the Head of State with a cabinet of 20 people, both civilian & military. It was recognised by 11 countries, mostly Japanese allies.
Netaji symbolically hoisted the Indian flag in Andaman which was under Japanese control, in Dec 1943. He was thus able to win the right of being an ally, not a client, of Japan. He then established the flag, national anthem, currency & state bank of the new govt. Azad Hind currency was in force in NE India till 1952. His declaration inspired confidence that the INA were justly fighting for their country. This was their main argument of the INA veterans when they were tried after the war. The Facebook image shows a Malayan newspaper reporting Azad Hind Govt.

To signal inclusivity, Netaji chose Urduised Hindustani as official language. His govt was officially called Arzi Hukumat-e- Azad Hind. The motto was Etihad(Unity), Etmad (Faith) & Kurbani (Sacrifice).
‘Shubh Sukh Chain’ was the Hindustani version of Rabindranath’s poem ‘Bharato Bhagyo Bidhata’, the first stanza of which became free India’s national anthem.
Many of Netaji’s symbols became popular in free India. His slogans ‘Jai Hind’ & ‘Chalo Dilli’ are immortal. The Azad Hind marching song ‘kadam kadam badhaye jaa’ was written by Vanshidhar Shukla and set to music by Ram Singh Thakuri in 1942.

He used the Congress flag – with colours of free India’s tricolour and a centre charkha.

The Wikimedia image shows INA troops carrying the tricolour. Notice the charkha.

Netaji named the women’s regiment after Rani Laxmibai, heroine of 1857. It was raised from among Indian girls living overseas. The regiment fought at the Burma border in 1944.
The driving force was Captain S Lakshmi, a doctor in Singapore. She was also in the Azad Hind cabinet. She was from an illustrious Nair family of Chennai. Her sister was the dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai. Her daughter was Subhashini Ali , a Communist MP. Netaji also named key INA brigades after Gandhi, Nehru & Azad as a tribute even though he disagreed with them.
The photo from Fay’s book shows the Rani of Jhansi regiment marching.

The joint Japanese – INA campaign against British India started in March 1944. The first attack was in South Manipur – the Arakan offensive. The special operations group ‘Bahadur’ worked behind enemy lines to create chaos and to recruit British Indian soldiers.
Capt Shoukat Malik of this group broke through enemy lines and captured Moirang on 14th April 1944.
The Wikimedia image by ppyoonus shows the INA memorial at Moirang, with its motto.

The Arakan front was a diversion. The objective of INA (Maj Gen Shah Nawaz ) was to capture the Imphal – Kohima Road. This would isolate British forces in India from those in Burma. INA could not enforce the siege at either town. They suffered a disaster with supplies drying. The British reports on the INA were unflattering. Maj Gen Shah Nawaz defended his men though, “there was never an occasion when the enemy despite overwhelming superiority was able to capture any post held by the INA.”
The truth perhaps is in the middle.
The Wikimedia image shows Gurkhas of the British Army advancing on Imphal-Kohima Road, the only WWII battle fought in India.

The Japanese – INA force started retreating from Imphal in late June 1944. They fought all the way down the Irrawaddy River that runs almost through the middle of Burma. The final battle was fought in early April 1945 at a place near Mount Popa, a Burmese pilgrimage site. Military resistance ceased after that.
The INA remnants marched on foot towards Bangkok in an “epic retreat to safety.” Netaji joined them. When Japanese offered transport to Netaji he refused. He returned to Singapore. After the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, he vanished in Taiwan.
The Wikimedia image shows INA POWs at Mount Popa.

Major General Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, and Colonel Prem Kumar Sehgal were the most active field commanders of the INA. They were chosen for court martial at the Red Fort in 1946, as a symbol of British majesty. They were tried for torture of deserters and for being traitors.
The Congress set up a defence committee with luminaries like Tej Sapru & Nehru. The chief defence counsel was Bhulabhai Desai. He argued that their actions were an anti-colonial war fought under a legitimate govt of India. They were sentenced to deportation. However it was suspended due to a public outcry.
The British were forced to contemplate “that the Raj had ceased to be the object of the Indian officer’s loyalty.” This was INA’s triumph.
The photo from Fay’s book shows the trio from L to R.