The Miracle of Dunkirk
by Walter Lord
Author's Description:
“In May 1940, the remnants of the French and British armies, broken by Hitler’s blitzkrieg, retreated to Dunkirk. Hemmed in by overwhelming Nazi strength, the 338,000 men gathered on the beach were all that stood between Hitler and Western Europe. Crush them, and the path to Paris and London was clear.
Unable to retreat any farther, the Allied soldiers set up defense positions and prayed for deliverance. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an evacuation on May 26, expecting to save no more than a handful of his men. But Britain would not let its soldiers down. Hundreds of fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and commercial vessels streamed into the Channel to back up the Royal Navy, and in a week nearly the entire army was ferried safely back to England.
Based on interviews with hundreds of survivors and told by “a master narrator,” The Miracle of Dunkirk is a striking history of a week when the outcome of World War II hung in the balance (Arthur Schlesinger Jr.).”
Unable to retreat any farther, the Allied soldiers set up defense positions and prayed for deliverance. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an evacuation on May 26, expecting to save no more than a handful of his men. But Britain would not let its soldiers down. Hundreds of fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and commercial vessels streamed into the Channel to back up the Royal Navy, and in a week nearly the entire army was ferried safely back to England.
Based on interviews with hundreds of survivors and told by “a master narrator,” The Miracle of Dunkirk is a striking history of a week when the outcome of World War II hung in the balance (Arthur Schlesinger Jr.).”
My Review - Rating - 9/10
The Miracle of Dunkirk is a gripping and informative account of the evacuation of the BEF and Allies from Dunkirk, and one of the few history books told in the engaging and fast style necessary to garner a wide audience without compromising historical accuracy or detail. The book plunges the reader right into the action, and does an excellent job of conveying the chaos, randomness, and emotions throughout the evacuation, from the chaos and disbelief at the start of the book when the Germans pushed through the Ardennes; to the bittersweet relief of the exhausted Englishmen when the evacuation was finally over; and the bitter anger of the French, abandoned by the British and facing the prospect of German occupation. I was thoroughly engaged throughout the book - something rare for me in history books with so many different accounts woven in, and no clear individual protagonist. I’d highly recommend this to history fans, but emphasize that you don’t need a background or significant interest in history to enjoy this book.
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