It is still uncertain why the Indian government went ahead with a nuclear program despite the results following Japan's actions. Some believe the Indians were unaware of German advancements in intercontinental ballistic missile technology enabling the Reich to launch a nuclear assault without the need for delivery by aircraft. This is further reinforced by India placing aircraft on high alert following the detonation. India may have also believed itself safe in the still volatile Middle East with German forces bogged down in occupation duty. With its sizable military, and especially Pakistani hatred for Germany following the destruction of Mecca and Medina, India had no shortage of men willing to hold back the German horde. Finally, with the test taking place underground, India may have believed their experiment to have gone undetected. They were mistaken.
With the population and economic growth India was undergoing, many in the Party believed India would be a future threat to their control of Asia. Rather than draw up a simple strike, detailed plans were formulated for a nuclear strike on all civilian and military targets aimed at thoroughly destroying the state leaving little to stand against a German invasion.
On December 20, 42 DR, Operation Icarus proceeded. The initial nuclear strike saw the decimation of the Indian military and the destruction of all major cities. 25% of the population was wiped out immediately. Another 40% would die either from starvation or radiation over the next six months.German forces would enter a shattered India June 43 DR. Malnutrition plagued over half of survivors. Proof of cannibalism was also found. Public order had completely broken down with murder and rape occuring in large numbers. With the promise of food and security, many openly collaborated with the invasion force.
Germany immediately set about transforming India into a Reichkommisariat. SS officers would comb through the survivors deciding who was ethnically viable and who should be liquidated. Those deemed unworthy were left to starve and/or were sterilized. The survivors, a mere 50 million in a state once numbering 500 million, were aided in their rebuilding of India. They were forced to take on German names, to accept numerous German customs (including western dress, language, etc.), and to swear allegiance to the German state. Around 10% of survivors would migrate to other parts of the Germanic Union.SOURCE: Brock, Johannes Tempting the Gods: The Fall of India
