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 1-5 of 94
... Mediterranean 197 8 Iraq , Iran and Syria 145 9 Sub - Saharan Africa 171 10 The Indian Ocean 269 11 The Islands of the Indian Ocean 307 12 2 3 4 India and Burma 351 13 South - East Asia and the Far East 405 14 Australia and New Zealand ...
... Mediterranean and in Malaya were fought because of Britain's imperial heritage in these regions . Because of the Empire , events in Europe , such as the fall of France and Italy's declaration of war , had ramifications for Britain ...
... Mediterranean , is also well known . The fall of Singapore remains perhaps the most widely remembered imperial feature of the Second World War , and the Fourteenth Army in Burma is paradoxically remembered as the ' Forgotten Army ...
... Mediterranean war , but it is equally valid to see them as the result of Britain's imperial status in the Middle East and the Far East . They are also illustrations of Britain's dependence upon imperial bases and resources in order to ...
... Mediterranean and Atlantic , was the scene of significant naval operations and was a major naval battlefield by virtue of its vital sea routes . These connected Britain to Australasia and the major theatres of conflict in the Middle ...
Contents
1 | |
11 | |
21 | |
41 | |
5 The Atlantic | 53 |
6 The Caribbean | 77 |
7 The Mediterranean | 97 |
8 Iraq Iran and Syria | 145 |
11 The Islands of the Indian Ocean | 307 |
12 India and Burma | 351 |
13 SouthEast Asia and the Far East | 405 |
14 Australia and New Zealand | 463 |
15 The Pacific | 513 |
16 Epilogue | 525 |
Notes | 535 |
Bibliography | 561 |