Dunkirk: The British Evacuation, 1940

by Robert Jackson

By late May 1940 the German Army had raced across Northern France cutting the Allied armies in two. The British Expeditionary Force ,and thousands of French and Belgian soldiers, found themselves squeezed into a ever smaller pocket by the Wehrmacht while the Luftwaffe pounded them from the sky. For nine terrible days they held their ground until ,eventually, they had to evacuate. A quarter of a million men battled their way across the bullet-swept beaches to ships - and escape. This is the heroic story of what is simultaneously a terrible defeat and a stirring victory.

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, Nonfiction, War, France, Military Fiction

206 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1976

About the author

Robert Jackson was born in 1941 in the North Yorkshire village of Melsonby. A former pilot and navigation instructor, his active involvement with aviation lasted many years. Following his retirement from the RAFVR in 1977 as a squadron leader, he became a full-time aviation writer and aerospace correspondent and lectured extensively on strategic issues. He speaks five languages, including Russian, and has written more than forty nonfiction works on military affairs. He is also the author of the popular Yeoman and SAS fiction series.

Reviews

[Russell Court · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very detailed history of the evacuation at Dunkirk. It takes a lot of reading and there are a lot of names of officers who had specific responsibilities and they make for difficult reading. But I'd stick with it. I enjoyed when the author quotes from people who were involved and I found their descriptions fascinating.

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aki a második világháborús szakmunkákat azért olvassa, mert a szövetségeseknek drukkol, annak Franciaország lerohanása meglehetősen deprimáló epizód. Adott egy stratégiailag és taktikailag csúcsra járatott német hadsereg, ami tökélyre vitte a páncélos és légi hadviselés együttműködését, és adott egy szervezetlen, egymással szemben is bizalmatlan, mentálisan a béka feneke alatt lévő francia-brit (és belga! a belgákat mindig kifelejtjük – mondjuk nem csoda) haderő, előbbi pedig olyan egyértelműséggel kapja szét utóbbit, mint Thanos tenné a magyar futballválogatottal. (Képzavar.) Ebben a rettenetben az egyetlen derengő fény Dunkerque, ahol az angoloknak legalább sikerül expedíciós haderejük zömét kimenteni a harapófogóból – erre fókuszál Jackson tanulmánya.

Tény, ami tény, a dunkerque-i evakuáció még akkor is hatalmas logisztikai bravúr volt, ha figyelembe vesszük a német baklövéseket, amelyek lehetővé tették*. A britek nemcsak hadseregük javát tudták átmenteni a háború jobb éveire, de önbecsülésüket és morális tartásukat is sikeresen megőrizték – ennek a londoni csata idején vélhetően nagy hasznát vették. Jelentőségét még úgy is el kell fogadni, hogy a szerző látványosan elfogult a britekkel szemben: amíg a hős angolok, skótok és írek mindig derekasan harcolnak, rendezetten vonulnak vissza és kihozzák a reménytelen helyzetből a legtöbbet, addig a francia tábornokok a horrorfilmek pomponlányaira emlékeztetnek: annyit sikongatnak, hisztiznek, jajonganak, szaladgálnak ide-oda ész nélkül, hogy szinte megkönnyebbülés, mikor végre valaki kibelezi őket. Jackson szemére vethető továbbá, hogy a front eseményeit helyenként zűrzavarosan ábrázolja, de ezt én inkább javára írom, mert hát valóban, a szövetségesek hadviselésének egyik központi jellemzője volt a zűrzavar: a kommunikáció teljes hiánya, az összevisszaság és a felkészületlenség, ami végtelenül megnehezítette a britek dolgát, a franciákat pedig konkrétan taccsra tette**. Az ebből fakadó elementáris káosz – ami szöges ellentéte volt a közmondásos német precizitásnak – ábrázolásában pedig ez a könyv igen plasztikus tud lenni.

A kötet legnagyobb negatívuma – bár pontot nem vonok le érte, végtére is nem Jackson sara – a szerkesztői előszó, amit senkinek nem ajánlanék elolvasásra. Ebben az előszóban a főszereplő a bölcs Sztálin, aki mindent előre lát, mindenre gondol és mindenre felkészül, tiszta zsenialitásból köt megnemtámadási egyezményt Hitlerrel, hogy később annál jobb pozícióból vegye fel vele a harcot. No most 1.) nem kéne esetleg megemlíteni, hogy eme egyezmény keretein belül a szovjetek hogyan rohanták le fegyveresen – persze tisztán elővigyázatosságból, nehogy a nácik tegyék ugyanezt – Kelet-Európa jó részét? 2.) ha Vörös Cár ilyen rohadt elővigyázatos volt, akkor pontosan hogy is kerültek a németek Sztálingrád alá, ami tudvalevőleg rohadt messze van a szovjet határtól? 3.) és egyáltalán: mit keres Sztálin egy Dunkerque-ről szóló monográfiában? Hisz ő akkor éppenséggel Hitler szövetségese volt!

Különben meg viszonylag helyre kis könyv.

* A német baklövéseknek amúgy Jackson nem tulajdonít olyan nagy jelentőséget. Bár ismerteti a legnagyobbat – a német csapatok nem törtek előre Dunkerque felé, hanem egy kulcsfontosságú pillanatban megtorpantak, részben Göring miatt, aki bebeszélte Hitlernek, hogy pusztán a légierővel fel tudja számolni a bekerített briteket –, de hangsúlyozza, hogy a németek eredeti terveiben is ez szerepelt, és amúgy is okkal félhettek attól, hogy elvesztegetik páncélosaikat, ha túl messzire nyúlnak utánpótlási vonalaik. Meg hát simán feltételezhették, hogy a szövetségesek úgysem tudnak elszökni onnan, ahol vannak.
** Pedig – Jackson ezt is meglebegteti – Franciaország német lerohanása abszolút nem volt eleve sikerre ítélve. Kellő agresszivitással és jó időzítéssel a szövetségesek elvághatták volna az előretörő páncélosokat a főerőtől, és ezzel rövidre zárták volna Hitler diadalmas pályafutását. Kár, hogy erre a kommunikáció hiányosságai, illetve a franciák teszetoszasága miatt reális esély nem volt.

[Tamás Lehoczky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found this book on the flea market in a somewhat old edition from 1980-something, so well in the WARPAC era. Maybe an important addition seeing how my country, Hungary was still under Soviet occupation back then, but they've let such a book get released here. The book begins with a "word from the editor", where he discussed the events leading up to Dunkirk mostly from the perspective of the Soviet Union - how Stalin was a genius, how he saw through everything, how he warned the Allies about the Germans and so forth. Interestingly it makes no word of the Soviet occupation of Poland at the same time as the Germans', and Jackson gratuiously forgets this fact when he discusses how the Germans attacked Poland before turning to France. But ah well, thankfully besides 1-2 footnotes, no more party ordered commentary was put into the book.

The actual book written by Jackson briefly summerizes the events leading up to Dunkirk and then the evacuation itself. Approximately the first half of the book describes the invasion of France and Belgium, how the frontlines slowly but surely collapsed and how the Belgians had to surrender which created a gap for the Germans to pour through. I said briefly summerizes, as I suspect a lot more could be written about both events, and I'm sure others have written thousand pages long tomes of it, but the account Jackson gives is rather good as he doesn't go into the details too much, but is enough to keep the reader interested. It's also sprinkled with first-hand accounts of soldiers who were there, but these are much more prominent in the second half of the book about the evacuation than of the retreat.

The writing style is good, although some of this can be attributed to the translation too - I'm not sure about the original, but the Hungarian translation reads well, and the only annoying thing was how for 80% of the time the book referred to the Germans as "Nazis" or "Fascists" even when it was not warranted (i.e.: "the fascist tanks started to roll up to Calais"). I think this could be the work of the translator that they felt the need to reinforce the Germans=Evil narrative, which was in case of the atrocities comitted by the SS around Dunkirk is warranted, but in certain cases like when the German artillerymen found the wounded British and French soldiers in a mansion, is entirely false.

Also, one further thing - I saw a bunch of negative reviews that said the book was boring because they expected the novelization of the movie Dunkirk after seeing it. But like...ladies and gentlemen, let me break it to you, but this is an actual history book that is, indeed, boring for those who are not interested about the actual historical events that happened on the shores of France. Please don't give a false rating just because it was not what you expected it to be.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt this book lacked a proper introduction and after finishing it I was still confused as to what made Dunkirk so significant compared to other battles I just felt that the information was not surmised properly especially for the layman reader. There was no real flow to the story.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Jackson is a writer of histories and adventure fiction- so it is not surprising that he presents us a taut package on the Fall of France and the Battle of Dunkirk. This book was written in the mid 1970s , so there are a few elements that we know more about now- but it still works as a tick-tock explanation of an Army caught out- then able to sneak away in the face of enemy attacks. It's very good about maps/diagrams of actions - so the reader can really follow along - understanding each tactical challenge face by the British Expeditionary Force as it realized the situation - and then ran for its its life. Knowing the enormity of the implication of Nazi Victory for Europe and Europeans, Jackson captures the panic of some officers, the calm of others as they solve the intricate puzzle of how best to save their army.

Jackson goes back and forth between Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force , each facing a potentially existential crisis with its own solutions. The Navy, risking its destroyers to take hundreds at a time off the piers, the Army attempting to save its men-while losing almost all their equipment, and the RAF finally committing their precious Spitfires to try and fight the Luftwaffe on even terms. Jackson does not waste time - flitting from one scene to another as the Nazi noose tightens. As someone whose Dutch family members fell under the Nazi heel- to their peril- in the early stages of this battle-I really felt the urgency Jackson is trying to impart. I think the general audience reader will feel this as much as the military history buff.

There are some adult themes, and some graphic injury and violence passages, so this is best for the Junior Reader over 12/13 years with a historical interest. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this book is a useful reference, but not a single source. For the Gamer, the many maps and diagrams will really help put scenarios or campaigns together- but a colour source would also be needed. The Modeler does get a few diorama/build ideas from this narrative and the black and white photo sections- but again- you will need to find colour guides elsewhere. For the Military Enthusiast, getting a day by day- move by move account of the Fall of France is a useful thing- and Jackson's sense of urgency adds to the book's compelling nature.

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book just before going to see the 2017 film about the evacuation. This history book starts off feeling very much like a novel describing the almost leisurely paced panic setting in amongst the French and British military commanders in northeastern France as the the German Army is steamrolling toward them. From there, the book becomes describes the increasingly chaotic state of affairs as the attempt to evacuate British and French soldiers from Dunkirk progresses. On the one hand, I found most of the book extremely dense and hard to follow. However, I can give Jackson a fair degree of leniency in this regard as the military operation he os attempting to describe and make sense of was a supremely complex and chaotic. I believe that ultimately Jackson successfully gets across to the reader the complexity of the evacuation. There are two major areas that I fault the book. Firstly, it sorely needs better maps. In the edition I have, the maps are located at the back of the book and I did not even realize they were there until I was about one-third finished, but even after discovering the maps I found them to be not very helpful - towns and villages mentioned on the text are not shown of the maps and the positions of the armies are vaguely drawn. However, the book does clarify some of the common misconceptions about the evacuation Secondly, i think the book is trapped between being an academic work and one aimed at a general audience. The writing is a bit too dense to appeal to most non-academic audiences and there is a lack of citations and references that would make it attractive to academics and military history aficionados. Overall, it is a good book to read if one is interested in understanding the Dunkirk evacuations, but it may be a bit much for readers not already familiar with the subject matter.

[Bill38silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a concise military acount so it is understandable that there are many references to regiments and where they were located at different times ( but this does little to assist the readability of the book of 188 pages of text plus maps etc). It is the detail of personal accounts of particular incidents that bring sharper focus to events.

The book conveys well the chaos, and determined rearguard action as the BEF retreated towards the coast, fighting of Bren guns and rifles versus swiftly moving panzer tanks, and so many troops and civilians being battered by the Stukas and other planes of the Luftwaffe. It also conveys well the inter-action of the British, French and Belgian soldiers, not always in a positive light.

The book is at its most interesting as the story reaches its climax when it covers the plight of so many people trapped near the beaches and the heroic efforts to evacuate. Unlike the 2017 film, "Dunkirk" (a version of events I disliked) the book portrays the exhaustion, the rag tag state of what was left of the British forces, the dirt death and destruction and finally the escape of so many soldiers to fight another day.
I preferred to read "Forgotten Voices" by Joshua Levine.

[Sandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the reader is interested in the details of the battles and chaos in France preceding and during the eventual evacuation of British, Belgian and French soldiers from Dunkirk, then this is the book for him/her. The information regarding specific generals and what they and their soldiers faced necessarily needed to be recorded accurately for history, but may not be interesting for non-historians. I found my eyes glazing over as I plowed through the particulars of each battle. The value Mr. Jackson's book held for me was immersing me in the nightmare of attempting to escape by water the deadly bombing and strafing by the Luftwaffe above and the mowing down by German machine guns and rifles below. The statistics for death and maiming of the Allies are absolutely heartbreaking, but the number of men rescued and taken to Dover across the Channel is heartwarming. Overall, I'm glad I read the book, but perhaps a reading of the evacuation of Dunkirk on Wikipedia would have been enough for me.

[David Vernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a balance is non-fiction war books between telling dryly that X Regiment moved to Y position and held it under heavy fire and allowing the soldiers and civilians to tell their story in their own words. Get the balance wrong and the book can be tedious (there is only a certain amount of Regimental detail one needs to know) or inaccurate (eye-witness accounts give flavour but are usually inaccurate). This book, unfortunately, goes overboard with the dry technical description of the evacuation with not nearly enough eye-witness accounts to bring the event to life. I cannot fault his research, but I do fault his writing style that verges on the somnambulant.

[Alistair Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a pretty dull account of the Dunkirk evacuation and the events leading up to it. There is some decent use of source material and examination of Anglo-French relations but really this book fails to hold the attention is distinctly underwhelming.
Not recommended

[John Ollerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed account which required the use of the internet to look up copious acronyms but also very moving.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dunkirk: The British Evacuation, 1940, first published in 1976, tells the story of the British defeat in the Battle of France and the resultant retreat and evacuation at Dunkirk. Some mention is made of additional evacuations of British forces from other French ports, but the short length of the book means that the story must be told succinctly and without any embellishment, and this is achieved to some extent. There are a few glaring errors in the text, some that may be typos missed during proof reading and others that are just sloppy writing. Nevertheless, informative and a good introduction to the subject.

[Chris Shepheard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very full and thorough description of the Dunkirk evacuation that also covers the factors that led up to it. It's not just a story dominated by the heroic efforts of the "little ships". The efforts of all the allies to try to stop the German advance is recorded as is the handling of the tattered remnants of the BEF once they had got back to home shores.

[Annette Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and engaging read about the events leading up to, during and directly after Dunkirk.