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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... Australian participation in the Greece campaign without consulting his Cabinet back at home . The Australian Lieutenant - General Sir Thomas Blamey claimed that he was not adequately consulted by senior British commanders before ...
... Australia's representative to the War Office in London . In 1940 he was given command of the 1st Australian Imperial Force , and took them to the Middle East . Whilst there he supervised the withdrawal of impe- rial forces from Crete ...
... Australian brains had been important in pre - war codebreaking . An Australian contingent had been attached to the Bletchley Park outstation at Hong Kong since 1937 , and early in 1940 the Australian General Staff established its own ...