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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... invasion was real for territories such as Malaya , Borneo , Hong Kong and Somaliland . For nearly two years Malta was a prime candidate for enemy invasion . If his strategic senses had served him better , Mussolini would have taken this ...
... invasion began , British forces in the south achieving considerable advantage through surprise . The Iranian forces that opposed the Allied invasion consisted of 67,000 men , with 200 vintage aircraft and naval forces amounting to seven ...
... invasion . In February 1944 MacArthur moved for Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands and made landings in northern New Guinea . Admiral Nimitz then began the massive American attack in the Marianas , involving fifteen carriers , 1000 ...