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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... 351 13 South - East Asia and the Far East 405 14 Australia and New Zealand 463 15 The Pacific 513 16 Epilogue 525 Notes 535 Bibliography 561 Index 593 This page intentionally left blank Illustrations Between Pages 174 and Contents.
... Zealand members of the Long Range Desert Group , March 1941 10 Our Allies the Colonies Between Pages 366 and 367 11 The Royal Indian Army Service Corps on guard in England , July 1942 12 The South African Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve ...
... Zealand . The Irish Free State was also a Dominion , though not one usually bracketed with Britain and the other Dominions in discussions about imperial defence and imperial policy . It was a reluctant member of the Commonwealth and ...
... Zealand Army Corps Air Officer Commanding African Pioneer Corps APL Aden Protectorate Levies ARP Air Raid Precautions BAAG British Army Aid Group BEATS British Empire Air Training Scheme BNA Burma National Army BPF British Pacific Fleet ...
... Zealand Ship His Majesty's Ship His Majesty's South African Ship Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Indian Civil Service ILL Indian Independence League INA Indian National Army INC Indian National Congress ISLD Inter - Service ...
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 |