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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... Empire stands more united and more effectively powerful than at any time in its long romantic history ' . This was indeed true , though the effort to reach that pitch of power , led ultimately to the Empire's demise . The British Empire ...
... Empire from Amer- ican encroachment and to persuade Americans that the British Empire was not a nefarious threat ... Empire's future . Winston Churchill was acutely aware of the imperial nature of Britain's fight , and the Empire was ...
... Empire's commerce was the main task of the Royal Navy , along with dealing with enemy battlefleets , transporting military forces and blockading enemy territories . The system of imperial trade defined the British Empire and sustained ...
... Empire's trade and nourishing the war theatres with fresh drafts of men , mail , rifles , tanks , bully beef and beer . Major ports in Ceylon , Egypt , Gibraltar , Sierra Leone , South Africa , the Sudan and Trinidad became assembly ...
... Empire's population in 1939 was in no way engaged in activities calculated to cast off British rule , and lived lives in which the direct , quotidian British presence was strictly limited . For the British , of course , this had its ...
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 |