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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... battleships HMS Nelson , Rodney and Renown operating from Ceylon with the carriers HMS Hermes and Ark Royal and supporting cruisers and destroyers , while the four surviving ' R ' class battleships ( the fifth , Royal Oak , had been ...
... battleships in Home waters given the threat of the Tirpitz breaking out and bringing death and disruption to Britain's vital transatlantic supply route . But the Admiralty's real objections were that it wanted to send a larger force of ...
... battleships that formed the core of Admiral Nagumo's fleet which had raided Pearl Harbor . Four of Somerville's five battleships were of First World War vintage ( the ' R ' class vessels HMS Ramillies , Resolution , Revenge and Royal ...