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
Results 6-10 of 76
... Malaya , even as the Japanese transports made for the peninsula's eastern coast , reflected the sheer ignorance in the colonial world concerning the actual state of affairs . Churchill was completely wrong to believe that the sight of ...
... Malaya , and Italy cast covetous eyes on Britain's prime position in the Mediterranean and Middle East . To Germany's ambitions in eastern and western Europe must be added plans for a return to the international colonial stage ...
... Malaya the Chinese community had good reason to side with the British against the Japanese ; educated West Africans hoped that loyalty during the war would lead to political advances from which they would profit ; and the kings of ...
... Malaya to Britain's military fate in the region , and though many Britons were saddened by the oppo- sition of Indian political leaders to the war effort , British rule had at least created enough goodwill , political alliances and ...
... Malaya , corvettes riding like corks atop mountainous swells on Atlantic convoy duty or ancient monitors skulking in Malta's Grand Harbour - bore names that , among other things , betrayed the navy's global heritage and association with ...
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 |