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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... Mediterranean , the Suez Canal and the Red Sea for British shipping ; and to encourage and build up resist- ance in Turkey , Greece and the Balkans as defences against the invasion of the Middle East and ultimately India . Furthermore ...
... Mediterranean Fleet in heavy cruisers , submarines and destroyers . During the most crucial years in the Mediterranean the fleet was commanded by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham , widely regarded as Britain's finest sailor since Nelson ...
... Mediterranean had been reorganized . Known as Mediterranean Allied Air Forces , it comprised the Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force and the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force . This latter force was an umbrella for the Desert ...