The Film Hitler Watched - Colonial India and his Inspiration for Nazi Ideology

A look at how Hitler’s favorite British-India film reinforced his beliefs about racial hierarchy, empire, and conquest in Eastern Europe.

In a fascinating trivia highlighted by the History Undone channel, a spotlight is cast on a bizarre piece of cinematic history: Adolf Hitler’s obsession with the 1935 Hollywood film, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer.

While we often think of Nazi propaganda as a strictly internal machine, this reveals how a piece of American adventure cinema helped fuel the psychological blueprint for the Holocaust and the invasion of Eastern Europe.

What Hitler took from the film had little to do with India as a real place or Indians as real people. What he saw - and what he praised - was the image of a tiny group of British officers holding a vast population in subjection. To him, this wasn’t colonial propaganda; it was a lesson. He reportedly described the film as showing correctly how a “superior race” should rule: through discipline, prestige, and the constant readiness to use fear and violence. The politics of the Indian freedom movement then, led by the 'moderate Congress leaders' who had triumped over extremists fed into this narrative

The Psychology of Obsession

Why would the leader of the Third Reich be enamored with a British-India adventure flick? For Hitler, it wasn’t about the plot - it was a visual proof of concept for his racial theories.
The "Superior Race" Template

Hitler was haunted by the question of how a few thousand Englishmen could rule over 300 million Indians. He saw the film as a manual for how a "superior race" should behave: through discipline, prestige, and a total lack of empathy for the "inferior" subjects.

This way of thinking fed directly into policies like Generalplan Ost, which envisioned mass starvation, enslavement, and displacement of millions in Eastern Europe. The Bengal Lancer film didn’t cause those plans - but it helped normalize the mental model behind them.
Admiration Mixed with Envy

He viewed the British Empire as a model to be emulated. He wanted the German people to be the "Aryans" of the European continent, wielding the same absolute authority over the East that the British held over South Asia.

From Film to Frontline: WWII Strategy

This cinematic obsession wasn't just a hobby; it bled directly into the horrors of Generalplan Ost (the Nazi plan for Eastern Europe).

"Our India": Hitler repeatedly referred to the Soviet Union and the "Russian space" as "Germany's India."

Slavic Populations: In his mind, the Slavic people were the equivalent of the "hostile natives" in the film—a population to be displaced, enslaved, or starved to make room for German settlers.

Hesitation Toward Britain: Because he viewed Britain as a "racial peer" in empire-building, he initially hoped for a peace treaty that would leave the British Empire intact while he dominated Europe. He didn't want to destroy the British Empire; he wanted his own version of it.

Final Thoughts

What was intended as a standard Hollywood adventure was used by a dictator to validate a worldview of hierarchy and enslavement. When Hitler looked at the Bengal Lancers, he didn't see heroes- he saw a blueprint for the subjugation of the East. And therein lay his doom

Vasa Museum vs Fram Museum: A Nordic Journey Through Two Eras of Exploration

Explore the Vasa Museum vs Fram Museum - two iconic Nordic ships separated by 300 years. A personal journey through Scandinavian naval history and polar exploration.

Two Nordic Ships, Two Eras, One Baltic Journey

Our Nordic trip this year introduced us to two extraordinary vintage ships - one in Stockholm on the edge of the Baltic Sea, the other in Oslo overlooking the Oslofjord. Separated by almost 300 years, they represent two radically different eras: the Age of Naval Power and the Age of Scientific Exploration. Yet both stand as powerful symbols of human ambition, resilience, and the desire to explore the unknown. Standing on their decks felt like standing at the threshold of history - almost as if you could hear Vangelis’ haunting “1492: Conquest of Paradise” echoing across the water.

The Vasa: Stockholm’s Time Capsule of Swedish Naval Power

What sits today on the Stockholm waterfront at the Vasa Museum is not merely a salvaged ship - it is a frozen moment in time. The Vasa, a 17th-century Swedish warship, sank on its maiden voyage within minutes, collapsing in the harbor just a few kilometres from shore. Yet its story didn’t end there.

The museum barely contains it - the masts rise so high that they graze the upper levels - and the preserved hull is a monumental reminder of the era’s engineering ambition, naval rivalry, and royal pride.

What struck me most were the reconstructed faces of some crew members who perished that day, silently telling their story from the dim wooden decks. The Swedes of the 1600s averaged about 5 feet and thereabouts in height; looking at the ship’s cramped quarters made me wonder about the imposing stature of modern Scandinavians and how dramatically things have changed.

The Fram: Oslo’s Window Into the Age of Polar Science

Across the sea in Oslo is a very different vessel - the Fram, the legendary Arctic exploration ship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Unlike the Vasa’s tragic brevity, the Fram lived a long, heroic life, braving ice-packed oceans and carrying explorers like Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen into the most hostile corners of the planet.

Walking around the Fram Museum, you can watch historic film footage of polar expeditions, hear the creaking of wooden decks replicated through sound design, and truly sense what endurance meant in sub-zero isolation.
By the time the Fram sailed, the world no longer sought new trade routes—it pursued knowledge, science, and the untamed frontiers of the Arctic.

Two Ships, One Thread of Human Curiosity

The Vasa and the Fram could not be more different - one symbolizes the might and fragility of naval empires, the other the courage and curiosity that drove humanity to the poles. Yet both share a common spirit: a restless desire to discover, explore, and understand the world.

Our journey across Nordic waters felt like a walk through centuries. From the Baltic to the fjords, history seemed to whisper through every wooden beam, every iron nail, every preserved deck. And somewhere in the background - at least in my mind - Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise played on, reminding me that exploration, whether triumphant or tragic, has always been part of the human story.