When the United Kingdom declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939 at the start of World War II, it controlled to varying degrees numerous crown colonies, protectorates, and India. It also maintained strong political ties … See more

On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, on 3 September, after a British ultimatum to Germany to cease military operations was ignored, Britain and France … See more

While the war was initially intended to be limited, resources were mobilized quickly, and the first shots were fired almost immediately. Just … See more

The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Japanese Empire invaded British Malaya and its stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in South East Asia and nicknamed the See more

From 1923, defence of British colonies and protectorates in East Asia and Southeast Asia was centred on the "Singapore strategy". This made the assumption that Britain could send a … See more

In June 1940, France surrendered to invading German forces, and Italy joined the war on the Axis side, causing a reversal of the … See more

Africa was a large continent whose geography gave it strategic importance during the war. North Africa was the scene of See more