War memorial in Italy

• A memorial to commemorate the 50,000 Indian Army soldiers who fought for the liberation of Italy from Nazi occupation during the Italian Campaign in World War II was unveiled in Italy.
• The ‘V.C. Yeshwant Ghadge Sundial Memorial’ was unveiled by the Commune of Monotone (in Italy) and Italian military historians at Montone in Perugia as a tribute to Indian troops who died in action during the Italian Campaign.
  • The Italian Campaign refers to the 2-year campaign (1943-1945) by the Allied power — Great Britain, the US and the Soviet Union — to liberate Italy from German occupation.
• The soldiers were part of the 4^th, 8^th and 10^th Divisions of the British Commonwealth forces that fought against the Axis powers — Germany, Italy and Japan.

ELSEWHERE

• Indian forces fought with Germany in Africa, Japanese in Burma, and took part in the invasion of Italy.
• They also played a significant part in battles in the Middle East.

ABOUT           

• Naik Ghadge was a soldier of the Mahratta Light Infantry who served in Italy during World War II (1939-1945).
• According to the National Army Museum of the UK, he was only 22 when he died in action while fighting the Axis powers.
• He received the Victoria Cross posthumously in 1944.