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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... South Africa , Australia and New Zealand . The Irish Free State was also a Dominion , though not one usually ... Africa , Bechuanaland , Basutoland and Swaziland were run like colonies but were in fact the responsibility of the Dominions ...
... South Africa ruled South - West Africa , and Australia ruled former German territories including northern New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago . The Dominions in the Pacific were also responsible for certain islands that had been ...
... South Africa RPC Royal Pioneer Corps Royal West African Frontier Force South African Air Force South African Naval Force SAS Special Air Service SBS Special Boat Service SCC Somali Camel Corps SDF Seaward Defence Force ( South Africa ) ...
... South African , and the Eighth Army of which it was a part was the most ... Africa and Southern Rhodesia , but also men from Basuto- land , Bechuanaland ... South East Asia Command's personnel were Indian , and 25 per cent were African ...
... South Asia . The air and naval forces of the Dominions , India and the ... African minesweepers , bombers and fighter aircraft . The Royal Canadian Navy expanded ... Africa and Southern Rhodesia . Places such as Assam and the Gold Coast ...
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 |