Introduction: The Second World War marked one of the most important eras in the history of the British Empire. Never before had the British isles faced a threat quite like the Nazi menace across the English Channel. Yet, Britain’s situation could be viewed as even more precarious once one considers the state of Britain’s economy, but more importantly war machine, at the outbreak of the war. Years of austerity during the Great Depression had left her armies in serious decay, while Germany had built arguably the strongest military in the world. Yet, Winston Churchill’s famous “Their Finest Hour” speech illustrates a level of confidence in victory that many Brits carried. And, this was in no small part due to the fact that they knew that they had the rest of the British Empire supporting their cause. Through the empire’s contribution of both materials and …show more content…
Over the course of the war close to 3.5 million Britons had enlisted in the armed forces, with an additional 1.5 million men enlisting in the Home Guard. However, these forces alone would have been terribly outmatched if Britain had been alone in the conflict, as the German military had close to 18 million participants over the course of the war. And, these figures do not include the additional troops fighting for Japan and Italy. Yet, Britain was able to wage war quite effectively regardless due to millions of soldiers participating from their colonies. India sent close to 2.5 million soldiers, Canada sent an additional 1.1 million participants, and at its peak Australia had 300,000 regulars and an additional 500,000 thousand militia participating in the Pacific theater. Without delving into the specific numbers for smaller contributors, we can clearly see that the Commonwealth made up a very large portion of the British Armed
Australia (as a counry) felt a loyalty towards the 'mother country', Britaain and that the war would be a good opportunity to improve Ausrtalia's international reputation. Many individual Australians also joined the war for a variety of reasons. Some felt a strong loyalty to Britain who had supported Australia, and now, they felt, was the time for them to 'do their bit'. Others enlsted simply to prove they were brave enough to fight, but some enlisted because their friends had. Some simply enlisted because they needed a job, pay, and regular meals, but many enlisted in the army for an adventure, not knowing the true horrors of war. Private A.J. McSparrow (former railway worker from Parramatta, NSW), was one of the many men whwo enlisted because he felt that it was his duty to support the 'mother country' ..."I have (enlisted) ... and I don't regret it in the very least. I believe that it is every young fellow's duty" and "... we are the sort of men who should go."Private Antill enlisted because he needed the money, clothes and food and also because it was easier work than cabinet making ..."I tell you what I have just joined the Australan army ... it's not bad money here 5/- a day and clothes and food that's nearly as good as cabinet making and not half as hard."Lieutenant D.G. Armstrong (former bank clerk from Kyneton, Victoria), thought that the war would be great opportunity to prove his strength and to show that he was not a coward..."I am going to have a try for the war ... I think I ought to go, they want all they can get and ... I think it's the greatest opportunity for a chap to make a man of himself, those that come back from this war will be men of the right sort that anybody would be proud of.
The men rushed to enlist. In the first two weeks 7000 Victorian men volunteered for the first Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and 10,000 in Sydney.” It was a man’s duty to go to war. Most people who lived in Australia felt an obligation to England. England was at war, so Australians wanted to go and help them.
In this essay I will explain the battle between Germany and Britain, discuss how important winning this battle was, what Britain had that the Germans did not have, and what could have happened if Britain would have lost. It is known cleverly as “the Battle of Britain”.
In World War 1 (WW1), 1914-1918, Australian troops became involved in order to give support to the "Mother Country". Great Britain only became involved after Germany did not respect the neutrality of Belgium. In the first world war, Australian soldiers participated in some of the bloodiest and most enduring battles known to man, and soon developed a courageous name for themselves. Of the 330 000 Aussie soldiers who took part in WW1, there were 211 500 casualties and over 60 000 deaths, a casualty rate much higher than that of several other participants.
Adams, Michael C. C. The "Best War Ever: America and World War II" Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 1994. Bailey, Ronald H. The Home Front, U.S.A. Time-Life Publishing, Chicago, IL. 1978 Bard, Mitchell G.
Geoffrey Megargee The Army Before Last: British Military Policy 1919-1939 and Its Relevance for The U.S. Army Today accessed on the internet at http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA379001 on 31 December 2014.
The Origins of the Second World War, by A.J.P. Taylor, proposes and investigates unconventional and widely unaccepted theories as to the underlying causes of World War Two. Taylor is a British historian who specialized in 20th century diplomacy, and in his book claims that as a historian his job is to “state the truth” (pg. xi) as he sees it, even if it means disagreeing with existing prejudices. The book was published in 1961, a relatively short time after the war, and as a result of his extreme unbias the work became subject to controversy for many years. Studying history through his lens of objectivism, Taylor’s theory is that Hitler’s design wasn’t one of world dominance; rather his methods, especially his foreign policies, didn’t differ from his predecessors.
Defeat! Words that are never welcomed during war. Great Britain has always been considered a powerhouse in military confrontations. Winston Churchill has stated, ?Never 'worry' about action, but only about inaction.? Although the British Empire has faced many wars with success, they have faced failure in the Revolutionary War with the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Crimean War, and during World War II in the Battle of Britain.
Nick: Britain joined the war in hopes to take down “the bully of Europe,” led by Kaiser Wilhelm, but the Germans were quickly developing battleships and larger armies,
Rankin, Nicholas. "Overlord and Fortitude." Churchill's wizards: the British genius for deception 1914-1945. London: Faber and Faber, 2008. 392. Print.
The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the extent to which the Allied success in overcoming German submarine warfare and land invasions in the first world war can be attributed to Britain’s military tactics and resources. The method in this investigation is to first explain what Britain had that could have led it to contribute to Allied success. This includes an evaluation of different British tactical procedures such as ship camouflage, cartography and early naval operations in particular events from the war. Then, Britain’s contribution will be compared against an economic and military viewpoint of the success of the Allies in World War One. This investigation will not discuss all of Germany’s land invasions during the war nor will it discuss the situation of all of Britain’s allies. Instead, Britain’s contribution to the war will be compared with that of the United States.
Dr. David Livingstone gave this speech in 1857 at the University of Cambridge in the speech he passionately argues that the British nation find a balance or a center to their imperialist policies in the African continent. Livingstone was born on March 19, 1813, in Blantyre, South Lanark shire, Scotland (Cannon), Dr. David Livingstone pursued training in medicine and missionary work before moving to Africa in 1841. He crossed the continent from east to west and would ultimately come across many bodies of water previously uncharted by Europeans, including the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. He was a staunch abolitionist after witnessing the horrors of the African slave trade, and returned to the region twice after his first voyage. He called
O’Neill, William L. World War II A Student Companion. 1 ed. William H. Chafe. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
In the summer of 1940, World War II had been in progress for nearly a year. Adolf Hitler was victorious and planning an invasion of England to seal Europe’s fate. Everyone in the United States of America knew it. The Germans were too powerful. Hitler's Luftwaffe had too many planes, too many pilots and too many bombs and since Hitler was Europe's problem, the United States claimed to be a neutral country (Neutrality Act of 1939). Seven Americans, however, did not remain neutral and that’s what this book is about. They joined Britain's Royal Air Force to help save Britain in its darkest hour to fight off the skilled pilots of Germany's Luftwaffe in the blue skies over England, the English Channel, and North Europe. By October 1940, they had helped England succeed in one of the greatest air battles in the history of aviation, the Battle of Britain. This book helps to show the impact of the few Americans who joined the Battle of Britain to fight off an evil that the United States didn’t acknowledge at the time. The name of Kershaw’s book was inspired from the quote, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to sow few,” which was said by British Officer and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Winston Churchill was perhaps one of the greatest public speakers in history. Some of the best speeches have come from being in life or death situations, Winston was known best for this. His small sound clips like, “this was their finest hour”, and “this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”, encourage his troops and his people that they will win this war and will overcome the greatest odds. Although Churchill told many speeches, his speech on June 18, 1940 showed the most emotion and courage of any other speech he told. In this speech he explained that the war in France is over and the war in Britain would begin. He said that if we fail then the world sink into an abyss. This emotion that he shows would give Britain hope, courage and most of all determination.