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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... formed in October 1940 with a strength of three Wellington , five Blenheim , three Hurricane , one Gladiator and three Lysander squadrons , and developed a successful method of providing tactical air support to the troops on the ground ...
... formed part of an ANZAC Squadron in early 1942 , and thereafter came under SPA when it was formed in April 1942. HMNZS Leander sunk an Italian auxiliary cruiser in the Indian Ocean , and served for a time with the Mediter- ranean Fleet ...
... formed to direct labour towards war - related construction projects . There was also a Civil Construction Corps which by June 1943 numbered 53,500 men , 16,600 of whom were conscripts . The construction of military installations was ...