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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... March 1942 , saw warships concentrate on Mauritius for the operation against the supply ship . HMS Kenya , Newcastle and Suffolk arrived from Ceylon , Canton and Nepal from Durban , and the escort carriers Bann and Battler from the ...
... March 1942 as a Japanese attack was anticipated , so that by the end of March the garrison was equivalent to two divisions . 5000 East African troops were also in Ceylon by September 1942 , as well as the 34th Indian Division . The 16th ...
... March 1942 respectively , to find a confused situation and little chance of escape . The Dutch authorities surrendered formally on 9 March , and the two reunited columns of the 2/15 Punjab Regiment discussed the possi- bility of ...