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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... early years of the war much of the produce of such African export industries had lost its export markets and was saved from ruin by British bulk purchasing . Bulk purchasing was hardly a wicked act , though it was indeed a fruit of ...
... early March 1942 the Eastern Fleet's 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 ...
... early 1942 was also given the dubious honour of commanding ABDA Command , the Allied rump based in Java . From there Wavell sent the War Office an urgent appeal for staff officers familiar with the East . He specifically asked for ...