The British Empire and the Second World WarIn 1939 Hitler went to war not just with Great Britain; he also went to war with the whole of the British Empire, the greatest empire that there had ever been. In the years since 1945 that empire has disappeared, and the crucial fact that the British Empire fought together as a whole during the war has been forgotten. All the parts of the empire joined the struggle and were involved in it from the beginning, undergoing huge changes and sometimes suffering great losses as a result. The war in the desert, the defence of Malta and the Malayan campaign, and the contribution of the empire as a whole in terms of supplies, communications and troops, all reflect the strategic importance of Britain's imperial status. Men and women not only from Australia, New Zealand and India but from many parts of Africa and the Middle East all played their part. Winston Churchill saw the war throughout in imperial terms. The British Empire and the Second World War emphasises a central fact about the Second World War that is often forgotten. |
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... Italians , and had acquired new terri- tories as a result of the defeat of its enemies . British military administrations were established in Italian Somaliland , Libya , Madagascar , Sicily and Syria . Southern Iran was also invaded ...
... Italy and Japan . It was just that , as a sated power , recovering from the First World War and the effects of the depres- sion , with a population that would not hear of another war and that elected governments only too pleased to ...
... Italy out of the war early so that the fleet would be available for dispatch to the Far East if Japan declared war . Unfortunately for the British , although Italy was being destroyed as a political and military power in Africa during ...
... Italians and Japanese still looked to Britain before anyone else for protection . Unfortunately , it was beyond ... Italy and Japan all wanted empire for reasons of prestige and economic gain , as well as to relieve domestic political ...
... Italy's blatantly illegal aggression . Britain could not respond effectively , however , simply for fear that Italian ill will would threaten prime imperial interests in the eastern Mediterranean , and perhaps lead to the loss of ...
Contents
1 | |
11 | |
21 | |
41 | |
5 The Atlantic | 53 |
6 The Caribbean | 77 |
7 The Mediterranean | 97 |
8 Iraq Iran and Syria | 145 |
11 The Islands of the Indian Ocean | 307 |
12 India and Burma | 351 |
13 SouthEast Asia and the Far East | 405 |
14 Australia and New Zealand | 463 |
15 The Pacific | 513 |
16 Epilogue | 525 |
Notes | 535 |
Bibliography | 561 |