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. |
From inside the book
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... close - support bombers , six Hurricane fighters , six Fury fighters and a Fairey Battle light bomber . Similarly , the South African Anti - Aircraft Brigade provided the only anti - aircraft cover available to defend the vital port of ...
... close at hand , and the civil authorities were not afraid to use them in a way that would have been almost unthinkable in peacetime . The British were ready when the ' Quit India ' movement was launched shortly after the rejection of ...
... close quarters and that intelligence reports about Japanese capabilities and intentions were not unknown , make this collective failure even more depressing to contemplate . For example , it was known that Japanese Zeros had been used ...