Calais: A Fight to the Finish - May 1940

by Jon Cooksey, E.G.B. Davies-Scourfield

This is the story of the Battle of Calais, a short but bloody struggle to delay the German advance in May 1940. It is a story of uncertainty, of taut nerves, of heat, dust, raging thirst and hand-to-hand fighting in the narrow streets of the channel port now known to millions of Britons as a gateway to the Continent. The guide will take the visitor beyond the ferry terminal and hypermarkets to reveal the hidden Calais and the actions of individuals and units.

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jon Cooksey is a leading military historian who takes a special interest in the history of the world wars. He is the editor of Stand To!, the journal of the Western Front Association, and an experienced battlefield guide. His books include The Barnsley Pals, Calais, Harry’s War and, as editor, Blood and Iron.

Reviews

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid book retelling the harrowing experiences of the Allied defenders of Calais in 1940, though primarily from the view of British soldiers. I was hoping for a little more on the French participation, and some more accounts taken from the Germans performing the attack. These are sadly thin in details.

The book is well written for the most part, and is lavishly illustrated with many maps and photos from both the period and today. These were extremely useful and helped me get a real sense of the battle as it unfolded. Multiple grim scenes of death however, so be forewarned.

A quaint section in the book even lays out some suggested tours for both walking and car to visit key battle locations. This is a rarity that I really thought was a nice touch to include.

The bibliography was a bit thin, and my banging on the drums for getting more reference material listed will get no quieter here. While much of the work is based upon interviews, I am sure a great deal more came from materials not documented as well as they could be. This all said, I do feel there was an honest effort made to give the reader as much information as possible, albeit being mainly unverifiable.

I learned a great deal here, and this book surely can help folks understand the tough situation faced by BEF forces in France during the attacks of 1940. Solid 3 Stars.