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. |
From inside the book
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... learned their trade at the Empire Central Flying School at Hullavington in Wiltshire . One of the Empire and Commonwealth's major contributions to the war in the air was the British Empire Air Training Scheme ( BEATS ) . This remarkable ...
... learned to use air mail letter cards in order to keep in touch with her husband . She joined the African Women's War Workers , a territory- wide network of women who knitted balaclavas , socks and gloves for the soldiers overseas ...
... learned by the racially - blinkered whites of the western world , in both hemispheres . - Australia's situation was made more difficult by three factors . First , senior politicians were determined to transform the imperial relationship ...