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. |
From inside the book
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... Britain's capacity to move food , goods , munitions and troops from one side of the world to the other . The campaigns in the Mediterranean and in Malaya were fought because of Britain's imperial heritage in these regions . Because of ...
... Britain and France , with an appointee of the King of Spain refereeing disputes between the two . Throughout the Middle East , Britain was the holder of certain League of Nations ' Mandates ' , territories of the defunct Ottoman Empire ...
... Britain was by no means alone : as one incoming telegram reassured the British public in September 1939 , ' Don't worry ; Barbados is with you ' . A Punch cartoon by Fougasse , published on 17 July 1940 , had a different take on Low's ...
... Britain , North America and the Empire's many overseas battle fronts . The Empire defined Britain's participation in a global war that was an experi- ence of profound significance for colonial societies and economies the world over ...
... Britain fought the war , it also dictated how Britain's enemies sought to defeat British power . Natu- rally , Britain's enemies furthered their cause against Britain by attacking its Empire . For Italy and Japan , if less so for ...
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 |