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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... Escort Force ( NEF ) , then in turn handed over to the Iceland Escort Force , and finally handed over to the Royal Navy for the final stages of the voyage . The NEF ( later the Mid - Ocean Escort Force ) was a Canadian - led unit formed ...
... escort vessels to give all of the Empire's convoys proper cover , and the offensive potential of larger warships could be nullified if the destroyers that were used to provide their screen were removed for escort duties . This was a ...
... escort carriers Bann and Battler from the Arabian Sea . Catalinas were flown from East Africa to Mauritian bases , and fuel oil had already arrived courtesy of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Olynthus . In March 1944 intercepted intelligence ...