During WWII, the Indian Army fought alongside the British, against the Japanese and the Germans. At the time of the war, India was a colony in the British Empire. Initially, India had been told they would not be required to fight in the war, but by 1940, it was requested they help the Allied Forces' war effort. On behalf of the British, Indian forces fought against the Germans in parts of northern Africa, and against the Japanese during conflicts in Malaya and Burma.