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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... East Africa , East Africa and British Central Africa . It was created in September 1941 to relieve pressure on the overstretched Middle East Command . Its headquarters were in Nairobi , and it was responsible for secu- rity ...
Ashley Jackson. for infantry service in the region as well as overseas . East African waters were strategically ... Africa . SOE and SIS agents operated in Portuguese East Africa , a notorious location for Axis spies . Malcolm Muggeridge ...
... East Africa ) . The main use of this enormous African army was for fighting and rear echelon duties in East Africa and Madagascar ( including the provision of garrisons for Madagascar , Mauritius , Réunion and the Seychelles ) , as rear ...