By examining Mauritius and the Indian Ocean, this unique synthesis of imperial and naval/military history, reveals the depths of colonial involvement in the Second World War and the role of colonies in British strategic planning from the eighteenth century. In the century of total war, the British Empire was fully mobilized. The Mauritian home front became regimented, troops were recruited for service overseas, the Eastern fleet guarded the Indian Ocean, and Mauritius became a base for SOE operations and intelligence-gathering for Bletchley.

Autorentext

ASHLEY JACKSON is a Research Fellow at Mansfield College, University of Oxford. He is the author of Botswana 1939-45: An African Country at War and he has written numerous articles on Africa and he Second World War.

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Acknowledgements Abbreviations Leading Characters Introduction: War and Empire; Mauritius, the Indian Ocean, and the Second World War Mauritius and the Indian Ocean in Imperial Wars and Imperial Strategy from the Eighteenth Century to the Inter-War Years Defence of Empire and the Sea Lanes: The Royal Navy and the British Indian Ocean World Defending the Home Front: Local and Imperial Defence Measures Colonial Military Labour in Europe and the Middle East The Mauritius Regiment and the Madagascar Mutiny The Secret War: Censorship, Propaganda, and Code-breaking The Effects of War on the Home Front The End of the War and the Strategic Transformation of the Indian Ocean Bibliography Index