What Is ‘Dunkirk’? Everything You Need To Know About the World War II Battle- NY Post

[Iceland12]

For those of you planning on seeing the movie.


Christopher Nolan is back with a brand new film this weekend and it’s already earning rave reviews from critics. Dunkirk is a tightly constructed ode to the soldiers and civilians impacted by the epic “Miracle at Dunkirk.” The film follows three intersecting narratives — one young British soldier’s week struggling to evacuate France, one day on a small yacht headed into the fray to rescue the soldiers, and one hour in the cockpit of an RAF pilot played by an especially laconic Tom Hardy — that help illustrate the scope and the severity of the situation. Some are already hailing it as Nolan’s masterpiece. Only there’s one thing that might be giving you pause before you buy a ticket…you don’t really know that much about Dunkirk.

Take a deep breath. You’re not alone. The Battle of Dunkirk and its ensuing evacuation happened a full year and a half before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, so it often only merits a passing mention in most American history textbooks. Heck, I took a course on 20th Century British History at Oxford University and we didn’t really go too deep into it. Nevertheless, it marks an important moment in both British history and in World War II.

So what exactly happened? Why was it such a big deal? And why do people call it a “miracle?” Here’s everything you need to know about Dunkirk before you see Dunkirk.

So what is Dunkirk?

Dunkirk is a city on the coast of Northwest France that’s conveniently close to both Belgium (only 10 kilometers away) and Great Britain (it’s less than 39 miles across the English Channel). In late May 1940, the Nazis had pushed back huge numbers of British, French, Belgian, and Canadian troops to this small town. Among the pinned troops? Pretty much the entire British Expeditionary Force (or the BEF), aka the 394,165 men sent to act as Britain’s army in the Western European theater. Here is a visual aid to help you see why this was a big, scary deal:..

http://decider.com/2017/07/19/what-...5.1817391005.1500478473-1476236221.1500478473

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

Nolan is the man. Love his style. Makes sense that the film follows three intersecting narratives; that has Nolan written all over it.

 

[GoodasGold]

Dunkirk represented the most successful defeat of the entire war in The ETO.

 

[Iceland12]

Dunkirk represented the most successful defeat of the entire war in The ETO.

Yep.

"You’re right. Many, many men were lost. The BEF alone lost about 68,000 soldiers (most of whom were captured as prisoners of war). Hitler declared Dunkirk as a resounding German victory, but Churchill found a clever way to spin it for Great Britain. In one of his epic speeches, Churchill dubbed it a “miracle.” Though he warned Brits not to look at it as an actually victory, it felt like a reprieve. They literally could have lost the entire army in one fell swoop — and by that measure, the war. The United States was still continuing an isolationist stance in the international conflict, so there’s an argument to be made that if that had been the end of the British Army, it would have been the end of a free Europe. History would look altogether different."