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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... fighting branches of the British Army . The Middle East and Mediterranean campaigns of fighting formations like the Eighth Army were founded upon a shadow army of military workers , most notably in the form of the Royal Pioneer Corps ...
... fighting fronts . The continent was also the scene of numerous imperial campaigns and skir- mishes , as well as the pivotal actions fought in North Africa from Cairo in the east to Tunis in the west . Finally , sea routes vital for the ...
... fighting when Allied forces arrived , were nevertheless extremely disruptive and opened insular communities to all manner of intrusions from the Western world , including its desire to maximize resource exploitation.2 The nine Ellice ...