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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... territories including northern New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago . The Dominions in the Pacific were also responsible for certain islands that had been transferred from British rule . Different again , there were some territories ...
... territories of the Empire and Commonwealth played a notable part in fighting the Japanese and aiding American forces . The Fourteenth Army , which consisted of Indians from every corner of the Raj , Gurkhas from Nepal , Kenyans ...
... territories of the Empire in its prosecution . Not only did Empire dictate where and how Britain fought the war , it also dictated how Britain's enemies sought to defeat British power . Natu- rally , Britain's enemies furthered their ...
... territories supported Britain's declaration of war because of the imperial nexus , and contributed during six years of global struggle to the defeat of Germany , Italy , Japan and their allies . * The war dramatically affected home ...
... territories , and at a stroke , on the fall of France in June 1940 , Britain's West African colonies were surrounded by hostile Vichy territory requiring a massive defensive concentration . The Second World War , notwithstanding the ...
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 |