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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... Vivienne Townshend One of the many millions of British women who worked in a war industry in a blitzed city whilst her fiancé fought with imperial forces overseas Preface The British Empire defined Britain's war between 1939 and.
... imperial theatres by imperial forces , all of which were dependent upon sea power and Britain's capacity to move food , goods , munitions and troops from one side of the world to the other . The campaigns in the Mediterranean and in ...
... imperial landmarks are not recognized . The fighting role of imperial forces such as the Canadians at Dieppe and the pan - Commonwealth Eighth Army are well remembered . The role of Malta , a tiny but priceless launch - pad for ...
... imperial status in the Middle East and the Far East . They are also ... forces . The Fourteenth Army , which consisted of Indians from every corner ... imperial war effort . * The Australians played a key role in the war against the ...
... imperial fruits overfilling the British basket . Mussolini could not realize ... forces engaged in espionage , sabo- tage and operations behind enemy lines ... imperial forces - properly so called because nowhere did British soldiers ...
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 |