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
Results 1-3 of 11
... ( Malayan iron mines were also largely owned and operated by Japanese ) . Singapore's posi- tion as a regional ... campaign makes grim reading on every count . Conversely it must be a favourite of Japanese readers thrilled by stirring stories ...
... Malayan campaign . The British alternative , defensive lines established around Jitra , was not ordered until after the Japanese made their first landfall on Malayan soil . Intelligence author- ities at Singapore's Far East Combined ...
... Malay peninsula . It was unfortunate therefore that the Japanese decided that , as a subsidiary to their Malayan campaign , they would attack Borneo in order to gain its oilfields , to guard their flank and to help prosecute their campaign ...