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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... major commodities , bauxite , diamonds , manganese and rubber.34 The colony's bauxite industry was particularly valued , as British aircraft production demanded the maximum aluminium output from imperial sources . There were two ...
... Major - General R. G. Sturges of the Royal Marines . The major naval component was to be provided by the Gibraltar - based Force H and came under Rear - Admiral E. N. Syfret . The land and sea commanders had their first chance to ...
... major supplier of troops and military resources for the fighting in East Africa , the Western Desert and even Italy . India was also charged with building and supplying a major new army command formed to prevent Iran and Iraq from ...