Well actually the mindset is more like Germany looking at the Soviet Union and having mistaken its war potential.
Germany's evaluation was based off the Soviet Union's marginal performance in Finland ( Winter War 1940) and at Khalkin Gol ( Japan, 1938). This led the world and Germany to believe that the Soviets were a pushover. The Germans claimed a battle hardened modern lean and mean tough fighting force with state of the art weapons; numerically less than the defending Soviet Army but entirely capable of defeating them. There was some truth in their claim but the Germans made a dangerous mistake underestimating the will and determination of the Soviet people in defending their land and their capacity for taking punishment and sacrifice.
Ironically it is exactly this kind of thinking that is being propagated by Indian manipulated media being quietly encouraged by their Western counterparts.
Line of thinking and propagation of myths:
1. The Chinese are not battle hardened and experienced as the Indian armed forces. They performed poorly against Vietnam in 1979 and even their so-called victory against India in 1962 is qualified because they ultimately retreated to their previous positions because they had poor logistics. In short they are no match for India.
2. Chinese weapons are unreliable, untested and poor copies of their western counterparts. Indian weapons are modern and state of the art tried and tested by the western military in various theaters of war globally.
In short. India has a supreme equipment and weapons advantage.
3. India enjoys tactical advantage because of cold mountainous terrain which is familiar to Indian troops and where they are used to the climate.
( Note: Despite the fact that 80% of India is either hot or humid and 90% of Indians have very low tolerance to cold weather considering the deaths when temperatures are around 5 C).
4. Indians are brave and have defeated numerically superior Chinese forces in combat in a ratio of 1:10 inflicting heavy casualties
In short Indian soldiers are supermen.
It is dangerous myths such as these that builds public opinion in favor of a war that snowballs out of control.
I like your comparison of BJP India today with Nazi Germany. There are certainly some ugly similarities with their racism, jingoism, and militancy. However, their similarities end there.
There are fundamental differences between India today and Nazi Germany in the 1930's:
1) BJP India today, have nothing of the competence of Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany for all their ugliness, built great projects and infrastructures like the: Olympiastadion, Tempelhof Airport, Autobahn, etc.
2) Nazi Germany inherited many brilliant minds and technologies of the former German Empire. By the 1930s they had world-beating technologies like the Haber process, rocketry, engines, coal-liquefaction, etc.
India OTOH could not keep most of its smartest people in the country. And they have practically zero indigenous world-beating technologies.
3) Nazi Germany had a powerful military industrial complex. Not as powerful as the USA and Soviet Union. But powerful enough to Blitz Western Europe and give the Americans, Brits, and Soviets a good fight.
India have nothing equivalent to the military industrial complex of Nazi Germany. It has to rely on imports of military equipment, especially modern ones. India has no realistic chance of fighting a major conventional war with campaigns lasting into months and years.
4) Nazi Germany is very influential. Able to form and lead an Axis alliance with many like minded fascist countries. India have nothing of that kind of influence. They are hated by their neighbors, and practically no county look up to India as a role model. India have also become a dog to the Western powers.
Its ironic that China looks more like the Nazi Germany minus the evil fascism. Against India, China enjoys greater diplomatic clout, technology superiority, economic might, and military might. India OTOH is acting more like a mistress. Demanding Russia to choose it over China, and at the same time seducing the USA for favors.
India today is akin to a third world country pretending to be a superpower. Perhaps the closest thing I can compare with India today is Argentina under Leopoldo Galtieri. Different type of geo-politics, and no hot war yet. But the circumstances are quite similar.
1) By 1982, Argentina had imported lots of modern Western military equipment. And they happen to have a territorial dispute with Great Britain: Falklands Islands. Coincidentally, Argentina in 1982 was also a big buyer of French modern armaments (Exocet, Super Etendard, Mirage III, etc) just like India today.
2) Right before the Falklands War, Galtieri's government was in trouble with the public, due to Argentina going through an economic crisis. So, like India today, Galtieri's Argentina turned to settle the Falklands dispute militarily, in order to rally public support.
3) The Galtieri junta calculated that they had local superiority over Falklands. And Britain under Thatcher is undergoing its own political problems, would not risk a long naval voyage to defend it. So they could score a quick victory over Great Britain.
4) Yes, Argentina did hurt the Royal Navy and Marines with Exocets, but the French later froze further exports of the weapons to them. And Argentina quickly ran out of these wonder weapons.
5) Argentina ground troops have numerical and local superiority over the Royal Marines. But they lack training and morale. They quickly capitulated to the smaller numbers of Royal Marines despite having military odds in their favour.
The Falklands War ended in humiliating defeat for the Argentinians, and Galtieri's junta was ousted from power. This is the fate that awaits India if they go to war against China over this border dispute. India could bloody China's nose in some specific battles, but China would cripple India in the entire war.
