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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... ( German High Command ) Office of Strategic Services ( American ) Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force RAN Royal Australian Navy RAR Rhodesia Africa Rifles RAOC Royal XVI THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
... one . Britain's war cannot be properly understood without due weight being given to its imperial responsibilities and its imperial strategic vision and ambitions , and to the aid given by the 4 THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
... strategic vision - unlike their adversaries in Germany , Italy and Japan . British imperial forces , though stretched to the limit as a result of the Empire's overwhelming inter - war focus on peace , disarmament and the global status ...
... strategic asset , the rising power of America was invited into many parts of the world that until the outbreak of war had been exclusive British fiefs , and indigenous peoples were brought into closer contact than ever before with the ...
... strategically unless and until compelled to do so for the purposes of defence ' . It was therefore no surprise that ... strategic heritage and the role allotted to its army in times of war , its standing expeditionary force was designed ...
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 |