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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... South Africa was brought into the Second World War in the teeth of fierce resist- ance from Afrikaners who wanted no part in Britain's war . Many of them admired Germany , a country with which South Africa had enjoyed close links for ...
... Africa would lead to a push south , and bring closer the possi- bility of bombing from Axis bases . In an early manifestation of its role as a major regional power , South African leaders had for decades considered East Africa as their ...
... South Africa , as it was asked to turn its industry to the supply not just of its own forces but those of its Commonwealth allies . As a sacrifice for the general good , it was agreed that South Africa would receive raw material ...