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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... Ship His Majesty's Indian Ship His Majesty's New 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 ...
... ship building , the ratio of British to Japanese capital ships fell from 20:10 to 15 : 9 . Working with these figures , if Britain had to retain six battleships in home waters to deal with the German threat , there would only be nine to ...
... ships too precious to be risked and that might be needed at any moment to sail east in order to deter Japan . So Abyssinia was left to fend for itself because Britain - a military power of the first order - had too many impe- rial ...
... ships passing in or out of the Red Sea , just as Gibraltar with its guns and warships can stop ships using the Mediterranean . But Perim has got guns , and they are British guns ! Also , as our ship rounded the corner of the island ...
... ships were converted for offensive purposes – a cruiser laid down but not yet complete might become an escort carrier , or an existing merchant ship might find itself transformed into a weapon of war as naval guns were added to turn it ...
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 |