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
Results 1-3 of 14
... night against the bright lights of the undarkened American coastline . The sea battle began in earnest on 13 January 1942 when Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz signalled the codeword ' Drumbeat ' . Before the month was out five U- boats had ...
... night of 8 November 1942 personnel from the SBS and the Combined Operations Pilotage Party provided navigational guidance for the landing craft bound for the beaches used by the British in the vicinity of Oran and Algiers . The Combined ...
... night fighter squadrons , two Beaufort torpedo bomber squadrons , one Beaufort night fighter squadron , a Liberator long - range reconnaissance squadron and three Catalina squadrons . Spitfires were beginning to arrive , and in April ...