Figure 1.--Once Britain survived the NAZI onslught in 1940, it bought time for the enormous resources of the Empire to be mobilized. The contribution of the Dominions is well reported, but the coribution of the India much lss so. Some 2.5 million Indizans volunteered to serve in the Inmdfian Army. They played a critical role in East Africa and the Middkle East While most served in Asia fighgting the Jspanese some also served in Europe. Here a scout car crewed by Indian soldiers chat with boys in San Felice during 1943 after the Allied landings. They were part of the Bruitish Eighth Army. There are several San Felices in Italy, this one must have been in the outh. Source: Imperial War Museums .

The world's largest colonial power at the time of World War II was Britain. After Britain, the largest colonial powers were Japan and the Soviet Union. Blgium and the Netherlands also had colonial possessions. As did Portugal and Spain, but they leaned more toward the Axis. Their colonies provided fighting men as well as the resources needed to fight the War. The Germans in the first year of the War invaded and defeated France as well as Belgium and the Netherlands. The issue of colonialism was the major issue on which America and Britain disagreed. Churchill in fact believed strongly in the British Empire and only the German threat forced him to accept the wording the Americans wanted in the Atlantic Charter. It should be streseed that Churchill's vission of the Empire was more of a romantic one than a matter of colonial exploitation. He truly believed that colonial poeople benefitted from the Empire. Belgium and the Netherlands continued the War, bnut with little help from their colonies. The Dutch East Indies would play a central role in the Pacific War. The Indonesians generally allied wtrhenselves with the Japanese and the ol produced there was what Japsn needed to swage war. The Momiond in particular strongly supported the British war effort. The Briruish colonies played an unappreciated role in the War. While except for India, the combat role as limited, the economies of the British Empire was comparable to Britain itself, not of course in industry but in overall product.

Belgium

Belgium had a few African coilonies, the most important was the Belgian Congo. Belgian rule there had been the most horific in Africa. After the NAZI invasion, these colonies declared loyalty to the Belgian Government-in-exile in London. They did not play an importnt role in the War, but there was one interesting footnote. The Comgo had important mineral resources. Uranium was mined in the Congo--the Shinkolobwe Mine. Before the War it had no military significnce. The mine closed after the German invasion of Belgium. +Stockpiles were located in Belgium and seized by the Germans. But a Belgian mining expert in the United States on his own, purchased the stockpikes in the Congo and on his owned shipped them to the United States. This stocks were located in of all places a warehouse in New York. When the United States Manhattan Project was launched to build a bomb, the U.S. Army began looking around for uranium and they found it in New York City!

Britain

Britain was the world's largest colonial power. British colonies existed around the globe. Maps at the time showed Britain and British colonies in pink and were prominent featires of maps until the 1960s. The Empire played an important role in Britain's World War I victory. The Empire played an even more important role in World war II. The British Empire consisted of some 400 million people in the dominions and colonies. Some of the British Empire countries had obtained Dominion status (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa) and voluntarily joined Britain in the War, playing very important combat roles. India was not yet a domoninion, bnut had achieved a substanyial degree of home rule. Each of the Dominions were by themselves of only limited importance, but when considered as a whole became a major force. The econimies of the Empire equaled thst of Britain itself. Of course this was not in indutrial output (except Canada), but in agriculture, mining, and other sectors it was a huge input helping to sustrain the British war economy. Imperial possessions also played roles in the war. The Japanese victory in Burma brought them to the border of India. India played a huge role in the British war effort. The British Indian Army totaled some 2.5 million men and played a critical role in several camopzaigns. The Empire was a major source of raw materials for the British war effort, providing important resources that the Germans lacked. Iraqi oil fueled the British fleet based in Alexandria as well as the 8th Anny in the Western Desert. The British Indian Army played a key role in the Middle East. Two colonies were occupied by the Japanese (Burma and Malaya). The resources of the Empire was one of the reasons why the British were able to prevail when the Germans failed to win the war in the first 2 years. As in World War I, Germany was doomed to defeat once the War turned into a slow grinding war of attrition. Unlike World War I, food did not prove to be decisive. In World War II it proved to be oil which America had in large supply and the British had begun to extract in the Middle East.

France

France had the fourth largest colonial empire with some 85 million people. France fell to the Germans (June 1940), so the French Empire, unlike World War I, was unable to offer much support to the French war effort. After the fall of France, the Free French abnd Vichy vied for control of the empire. Most of the colonies declared allegiance to Vichy. And some even supported Axis military and covert activities to varying degrees. This gradually changed as the War progressed. The British Royal Navy and the American Navy were factors here. The British and Free French launched several campaigns to replace Vichy authorities. One such adventure at Dakar failed. The Brutish Arny had to liberate Madagascar. Gradully the colonines as itbecame clar that the War awas not over, shifted allignce to the Free French. German military reverses and expanding Allies naval power brought the remaining colonies over to the Free French after the Torch Landings in North Africa (November 1942). The Japanese seized control of Info-China (Septembe 1940), but allowed the Vichy officials to administrer it until the last year of the War. The French colonies covered a substantial area, much of it in Africa, especiall West Africa withnlkarge desolate areas. It had a much smaller population and economy than the British colonies. As a result they played a relatively minor role in the war. The first offensive Allied operatiins in the European theater occured in Vichy controlled North Africa (Morrocco and and Algeria)--Operation Torch (November 1942). French Islands in the Pacific (esprcially New Calaedonia) played an important role in the first year of the Pacific War and the fight for Gudalcanal.

Netherlands

The Dutch were neutral in World War I. Actully tyhere ws conuderble sympthy for the Germans. They wanted to remain neutral when Hitler launched World War II. This time Germany invaded the Netherlands as well as Belgium. The Dutch with only a tiny army fell within a few days (May 1940). The terror bombing of Rotterdam became a symbol of NAZI barbarity. Unlike France, hoewever, there would be no Dutch surrender. Queen Wilhelmina fled to London and set up a government in exile. The Dutch colonies remained loyal to that government. One was of critical importance--the Dutch East Indies (DEI) because of its substantial oil production. This was a key resource that ghe Japnese needed. Japan moved into southern Indochina providing bases within range of the British and Dutch colonies, what the Japanese called the Southern Resource Zone--SRO (July 1941). America which was Japan's major oil supplier cut off oil exports. This meant Japan had to either end its aggressive policy and withdraw from China or go to war. Japan would chose war. And the principal prize of the resulting Pacific War would be the oil fields of the DEI. The Dutch Eest Indies were lo important. Refineries there processed much of thre Venezueln oil that would play an important part in the Allied oil supply, especially the British oil supply.

United States

The issue of colonialism was one of the few major issues dividing America and Britain during the War. This was a topic on which President Roosevelt and Prime-Minister Churchill disagreed. It came up at their first meeting and Churchill objected to provisions proposed in the Atlantic Charter. (August 1941). And the issue of colonialism came up many times at War time conferences. It arroused Churchill to such a degree that Roosevelkt had to avoid raising the issue so that it did not ruin cooperation in the all important wae effort. America's only major colony was the Philippine Islands. The idea of empire proved controversial in America. American began a serious campaign to modernize the country. The Philippines under American tutelage became the only country other than Japan that at the time of World War II had free public education system. Along with the existing anti-colonial bias, it was soon eviudent that itv cost more to fund colonial administration than any economic value achieved. As a result , the United States moved toward home rule and independence. Well before the War, the United States had agreed to Philippine independence. In fact, the independence planned for 1943 was delayed only by the Japanese invasion (December 1941). The Philippines played a central role in the Pacific War. What the Japabnese wanted were the British abd Dutch colonies in the Southern Resource Zone. Located between the SRZ and the Home bIslabds, however, was the American Commonwealth of the Philippines. Japnese naval planners thus decided that to control the SRZ, the American Philippine Islands also had to be seized. Ironically while America, it would the Philippines that wiould draw Ametuica intio the war. The result was Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War.

Created: 3:50 AM 3/2/2023
Last updated: 3:51 AM 3/2/2023