How did World War II affect the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

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Cinque Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Islands — Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman redwood trees in the Cinque Islands, south of Rutland Island, in the southern Andamans, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.

During World War II, Japanese forces occupied both the Andaman and Nicobar island groups from 1942 to 1945.1

The occupation had significant long-term consequences for the region's administration. Following the conclusion of the war and the subsequent recapture of the islands by the British, the penal colony that had been established in the Andamans in 1858 was abolished. Shortly thereafter, when India gained independence in 1947, the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was transferred to the new nation.1