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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... 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 defence and imperial policy . It was a reluctant member of the Commonwealth and insisted on remaining neutral during the war . The ' Empire and Commonwealth ' refers , therefore , to the four older Dominions together with India ...
... 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 illustrations of Britain's dependence upon imperial bases and resources in order to fight the war . Malta had been a British colony since the Revolutionary and ...
... Imperial ports and naval shore bases provided a global network for the warships of the fleets and squadrons that had historically policed the world , from the South Atlantic Station to the Mediterranean Fleet and from the China Station ...
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 |