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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... aircraft in , the second time at Churchill's personal request , when it deliv- ered forty - seven Spitfires . Churchill was determined not to let the island fall . By the time USS Wasp and the carrier HMS Eagle delivered another ...
... aircraft from Habbaniya were flown over the Iraqi positions on the plateau overlooking the base , together with the Wellingtons from Shaiba . Smart's tactics were to mount continuous strafing and bombing missions with as many aircraft ...
... aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable flew off two squadrons of Hurricanes ( Nos 30 and 261 ) , brought from North Africa and initially earmarked for Java . Eight Hurricanes had arrived on 23 February after being assembled in Karachi , and ...