Book Review of
Dunkirk and the Aftermath
Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives
Author: Stephen Wynn
Pen & Sword Image of War Series
ISBN:
9781526738691
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $ 26.95
ISBN:
9781526738691
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $ 26.95
HISTORY:
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France.
In a speech to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called this "a colossal military disaster", saying "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. In his "We shall fight on the beaches" speech on 4 June, he hailed their rescue as a "miracle of deliverance".
After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, France and the British Empire declared war on Germany and imposed an economic blockade. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was sent to help defend France. After the Phony War of October 1939 to April 1940, Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and France on 10 May 1940.
Three panzer corps attacked through the Ardennes and drove northwest to the English Channel. By 21 May, German forces had trapped the BEF, the remains of the Belgian forces, and three French field armies along the northern coast of France. BEF commander General Viscount Gort immediately saw evacuation across the Channel as the best course of action, and began planning a withdrawal to Dunkirk, the closest good port.
Late on 23 May, a halt order was issued by Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group A. Adolf Hitler approved this order the next day, and had the German High Command send confirmation to the front. Attacking the trapped
BEF, French, and Belgian armies were left to the Luftwaffe until the order was rescinded on 26 May. This gave Allied forces time to construct defensive works and pull back large numbers of troops to fight the Battle of Dunkirk. From 28 to 31 May, in the siege of Lille, the remaining 40,000 men of the French First Army fought a delaying action against seven German divisions, including three armoured divisions.
On the first day only 7,669 Allied soldiers were evacuated, but by the end of the eighth day, 338,226 had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 vessels. Many troops were able to embark from the harbor's protective mole onto 39 British Royal Navy destroyers, four Royal Canadian Navy destroyers, at least three French Navy destroyers, and a variety of civilian merchant ships.
Others had to wade out from the beaches, waiting for hours in shoulder-deep water. Some were ferried to the larger ships by what became known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats called into service from Britain. The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks, vehicles, and equipment.
In his 4 June speech, Churchill also reminded the country that "we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK
This book is soft-cover of 177 pages in 7 ¼” x 9 ¾” page format. Four pages are blank.
The cover art shows a large black and white wartime photo of the beach at Dunkirk, littered with damaged and destroyed Allied equipment.
Below on the left is a small black and white photo of vehicles on the streets of Dunkirk.
The second small black and white photo is of a British soldier’s grave, marked with a wood cross with his steel helmet atop.
The third small black and white photo is of a shot-down British Spitfire fighter with men around it.
The fourth small black and white photo shows Allied prisoners marching down a street in Dunkirk.
The back cover of the book shows 3 more small black and white photos.
The first one is of 3 British tanks abandoned when they ran out of gas on their way to Dunkirk.
The second one shows a downtown street in Dunkirk, with a wrecked car and German soldiers on it.
The third photo shows more British prisoners.
The book contains 46 black and white photos of Allied soldiers and 57 photos of German soldiers.
There is 9 data lists, photos of Prime Ministers Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill.
Photos of damaged buildings in Dunkirk, destroyed vehicles, tanks and military equipment on the beach. One map. Eleven black and white photos of British ships and small boats that were used to rescue and evacuate the Allied troops. German tanks and vehicles. There are 21 photos of the ships, a few are wrecked.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword Books and all their titles can be seen on Casemate’s website at:
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France.
In a speech to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called this "a colossal military disaster", saying "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. In his "We shall fight on the beaches" speech on 4 June, he hailed their rescue as a "miracle of deliverance".
After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, France and the British Empire declared war on Germany and imposed an economic blockade. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was sent to help defend France. After the Phony War of October 1939 to April 1940, Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and France on 10 May 1940.
Three panzer corps attacked through the Ardennes and drove northwest to the English Channel. By 21 May, German forces had trapped the BEF, the remains of the Belgian forces, and three French field armies along the northern coast of France. BEF commander General Viscount Gort immediately saw evacuation across the Channel as the best course of action, and began planning a withdrawal to Dunkirk, the closest good port.
Late on 23 May, a halt order was issued by Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group A. Adolf Hitler approved this order the next day, and had the German High Command send confirmation to the front. Attacking the trapped
BEF, French, and Belgian armies were left to the Luftwaffe until the order was rescinded on 26 May. This gave Allied forces time to construct defensive works and pull back large numbers of troops to fight the Battle of Dunkirk. From 28 to 31 May, in the siege of Lille, the remaining 40,000 men of the French First Army fought a delaying action against seven German divisions, including three armoured divisions.
On the first day only 7,669 Allied soldiers were evacuated, but by the end of the eighth day, 338,226 had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 vessels. Many troops were able to embark from the harbor's protective mole onto 39 British Royal Navy destroyers, four Royal Canadian Navy destroyers, at least three French Navy destroyers, and a variety of civilian merchant ships.
Others had to wade out from the beaches, waiting for hours in shoulder-deep water. Some were ferried to the larger ships by what became known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats called into service from Britain. The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks, vehicles, and equipment.
In his 4 June speech, Churchill also reminded the country that "we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK
This book is soft-cover of 177 pages in 7 ¼” x 9 ¾” page format. Four pages are blank.
The cover art shows a large black and white wartime photo of the beach at Dunkirk, littered with damaged and destroyed Allied equipment.
Below on the left is a small black and white photo of vehicles on the streets of Dunkirk.
The second small black and white photo is of a British soldier’s grave, marked with a wood cross with his steel helmet atop.
The third small black and white photo is of a shot-down British Spitfire fighter with men around it.
The fourth small black and white photo shows Allied prisoners marching down a street in Dunkirk.
The back cover of the book shows 3 more small black and white photos.
The first one is of 3 British tanks abandoned when they ran out of gas on their way to Dunkirk.
The second one shows a downtown street in Dunkirk, with a wrecked car and German soldiers on it.
The third photo shows more British prisoners.
The book contains 46 black and white photos of Allied soldiers and 57 photos of German soldiers.
There is 9 data lists, photos of Prime Ministers Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill.
Photos of damaged buildings in Dunkirk, destroyed vehicles, tanks and military equipment on the beach. One map. Eleven black and white photos of British ships and small boats that were used to rescue and evacuate the Allied troops. German tanks and vehicles. There are 21 photos of the ships, a few are wrecked.
This book will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword Books and all their titles can be seen on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.