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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... half in Kenya , three and a half in Aden , one and a third in Iraq and one in Gibraltar . Focused specifically on the war in the desert and cooperation with the army , the Western Desert Air Force was formed in October 1940 with a ...
... half a century of British rule.24 Deserted villages were a common sight , and upon reaching Mandalay it was only to see that four - fifths of the fabled city already lay in ruins as a result of Japanese bombing . The British added to ...
... half - baked segregationist measures ; black Americans , for example , not being allowed to cross the Victoria Bridge in Bris- bane to the north side of the river.15 Initially their deployment was resisted , but the American stance was ...