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
... battle fleet to operate from it did not exist . In the light of these insuper- able force dispersal dilemmas , appeasement was an obvious diplomatic policy seeking to keep the peace and keep Britain's global interests out of the mire ...
... battle fleets and fortress bases . Since the end of the First World War the Dominions had also shown a marked reluctance to back Britain on policies that might lead to another European war . Though the Dominions supported the British ...
... battle zones themselves , and the galaxy of islands and enclaves over which the Union Flag flew in the Pacific , the Indian Ocean , the Mediterranean , the Caribbean and the Atlantic all put men into British uniforms and dug for victory ...
... Battle of Britain raging in the skies above , Churchill said that upon the outcome of the Battle of Britain ' depends our own British life and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire ... If the British Empire and its ...
... battle- cruisers ( five having been lost during the war , but five having been launched ) , seven fleet carriers , four light fleet carriers , forty - one escort carriers , sixty - two cruisers , 131 submarines , 846 destroyers ...
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 |