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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... island supplied and usable as a base for offensive air and naval operations . Even at the worst point during the siege of Malta , the island never ceased to be a base of active naval operations against the enemy , although there were ...
... island given the threat of a Japanese carrier attack in early 1942 , to strengthen the island's role as a base for Indian Ocean operations , and for its use as an air base for offensive operations against Japanese forces in the Burma ...
... Island was part of the British Gilbert Islands . They were both important for their production of phosphates for use ... Island . ( HMAS Diamantina was the platform for the surrender of Ocean Island , the last outpost of the British ...