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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... largest army commands were India Command and Middle East Command ( MEC ) , with headquarters in Delhi and Cairo . There were other commands , such as East Africa Command , Far East Command , Persia and Iraq Command and South East Asia ...
... Command recruited 200,000 soldiers and supervised the transforma- tion of the region into one capable of providing support for frontline theatres further east whilst defending itself from potential Vichy aggression . East Africa Command ...
... command structure centred on Delhi , which disposed of forces spread over a massive area . India Command's responsibilities included Burma , though Far East Command ( FEC ) in Singapore assumed this role in 1940. This was an ill ...