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 88
... Zealand Air Force RNZN Royal New Zealand Navy RNVR RWAFF SAAF SANF Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve RNVR - SA Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve South Africa RPC Royal Pioneer Corps Royal West African Frontier Force South African Air Force ...
... Zealand , South Africa and Southern Rhodesia , but also men from Basuto- land , Bechuanaland , Ceylon , Cyprus , the Gambia , the Gold Coast , Kenya , Mauritius , Nigeria , Palestine , Rodrigues , Sierra Leone , the Seychelles ...
... Zealand general Bernard Freyberg ( who nearly became Commander - in - Chief Middle East in August 1940 ) , and the New Zealand air marshals Arthur Coningham and Keith Park . The Empire was a global community embracing millions of people ...
... Zealand . America had also been unhappy about it , and put pressure on Britain not to renew the treaty . Britain duly obliged shortly after the First World War ; but it never redeployed sufficient naval strength in the region to make ...
... Zealand seemed happy to follow Britain's lead , even if this might mean war . The conference reinforced Neville Chamberlain's determination to pursue peace in Europe at almost any cost . ' Appeasement ' was a rational policy to pursue ...
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 |