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But when I ascertain the level of Indian sacrifice for the 'Empire' from which few Indians profited - and balance this with M. Ghandi's clear and brilliant denial of 'British' Imperialism only a couple of post-war years later...then I ask myself - were the efforts of the RIAF an important factor to an Indian 'mindset' in proving that the colonial power was no longer 'decisive' or welcome as an ongoing presence - despite the sympathetic nature of Mountbatten?
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I think the Indian Armed Forces has been kept relatively isolated by the Independence movement by the leaders of that era. Gandhi, Nehru and others. This is not because that they saw the Army as a British tool, but more because they knew that the officers and men would be needed for a post independence indian army.
It is a fact that while the 'men' were seen as soldiers by profession and loyal to the british, the 'Indian Officers' who started their careers in the 20s and 30s were seen in a more sympathetic light by the political movement. They were actively discouraged from political leanings or activism by the Indian freedom movement. this discouragement was to make sure that the british did not have a reason to discontinue the indianisation program on the basis of 'suspected loyalty'. so leader after leader had very clearly indicated to the indian officers that thier contribution is to ensure that the indianisation program is sucessful, not to give the british to point fingers and kick them out and make sure that they prove that they are equals with the british officers on all aspects.
The RIAF was a small cog in the overall wheel of indian armed forces. It did bring in some new untested concepts in the 30s.. - like the first 'all indian units' that were even missing in the indian army. There was also the concept of 'mixed all class-all religion units' - something the Indian Army did not adapt till 1945.
The performance of the officers (and men) proved to the indian public that they were at par with the british , and the second world war certainly hastened india's freedom. I can just visualise India still being a British controlled dominion till the late 1950s if not for WW2.