This book is the first comprehensive study of the British Commonwealth in the Second World War. Britain and its Dominions, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, formed the most durable, cooperative and interchangeable alliance of the war. Iain E. Johnston-White looks in depth at how the Commonwealth war effort was financed, the training of airmen for the air war, the problems of seaborne supply and the battles fought in North Africa. Fully one third of the 'British' effort originated in the Dominions, a contribution that was only possible through the symbiotic relationship that Britain maintained with its former settler-colonies. This cooperation was based upon a mutual self-interest that was largely maintained throughout the war. In this book, Johnston-White offers a fundamental reorientation in our understanding of British grand strategy in the Second World War.
"As someone who also works on transnational and comparative history I can personally testify to how difficult it is to accomplish, but Johnston-White achieves it well. His book is based on extensive archival research in five different countries across four different continents, which is an incredible feat. I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers, both expert and general." (Jatinder Mann, British Journal of Canadian Studies, Vol. 33 (1), 2021)
"Reading The British Commonwealth and Victory in the Second World War would be more beneficial to those who are studying the decline of the British Empire than to those who want to learn about the Second World War. The strengths of the work lay in its insights into the relationships between the UK and the Dominions." (Brad, Canadian Military History, Vol. 28 (1), 2019)
"Reading The British Commonwealth and Victory in the Second World War would be more beneficial to those who are studying the decline of the British Empire than to those who want to learn about the Second World War. The strengths of the work lay in its insights into the relationships between the UK and the Dominions." (Brad, Canadian Military History, Vol. 28 (1), 2019)