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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... responsibility and thus a part of the Colonial Empire . This Colonial Empire consisted primarily of Crown Colonies and ... responsible for maintaining numerous ' British ' interests in areas such as Burma , the Persian Gulf , Nepal and ...
... responsible for certain islands that had been transferred from British rule . Different again , there were some ... responsibility , grew significantly . This was either a result of enemy territory being conquered and held by British ...
... responsible for the reoccupation of the Dutch East Indies and French Indo - China . Population figures , where given , are taken from the Concise Oxford Atlas ( Oxford , 1958 ) , using figures taken from 1951 to 1955. Population figures ...
... responsible for the safety of millions , looked to by both Chiang Kai- shek and the Governor - General of the Dutch East Indies for succour in the face of Japanese hostility . Unlike its enemies , Britain was obliged to fight both a ...
... responsible for the Dutch East Indies and French Indo - China , as well as a sizeable chunk of Germany . Given the huge importance of imperial forces , resources and bases for the British war effort , the wartime alliance that defeated ...
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 |