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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... Zealand members of the Long Range Desert Group , March 1941 10 Our Allies the Colonies Between Pages 366 and 367 11 The Royal Indian Army Service Corps on guard in England , July 1942 12 The South African Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve ...
... Zealand . The Irish Free State was also a Dominion , though not one usually bracketed with Britain and the other Dominions in discussions about imperial defence and imperial policy . It was a reluctant member of the Commonwealth and ...
... Zealand Ship His Majesty's Ship His Majesty's South African Ship Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Indian Civil Service ILL Indian Independence League INA Indian National Army INC Indian National Congress ISLD Inter - Service ...
... Zealand Air Force RNZN Royal New Zealand Navy RNVR RWAFF SAAF SANF Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve RNVR - SA Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve South Africa RPC Royal Pioneer Corps Royal West African Frontier Force South African Air Force ...
... Zealand , South Africa and Southern Rhodesia , but also men from Basuto- land , Bechuanaland , Ceylon , Cyprus , the Gambia , the Gold Coast , Kenya , Mauritius , Nigeria , Palestine , Rodrigues , Sierra Leone , the Seychelles ...
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 |