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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... attack on Ceylon on 5 April . The order had also been given to clear India's eastern harbours , for whilst Nagumo attacked Ceylon , Vice- Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo led Malaya Force - a light carrier , six cruisers and four destroyers ...
... attack better , including the instal- lation of anti - aircraft guns , torpedo booms in the main ports and minefields in the approaches . As well as acting as a base for military operations in the region , notably the naval and air ...
... attack , little was done to crack down on Japanese spies in the colony . Many British settlers , as in Malaya , refused to believe that the Japanese would dare to attack , others realized that there was little they could do whatever ...