Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory

by Julian Thompson

A gripping account, this tale reveals the British Expeditionary Force's (BEF) brave stand against the German army and dramatic rescue of 338,000 British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in World War II. In May 1940, the small BEF was sent to help the Belgians and French against the advancing German army. Ill-equipped and under-trained, they conducted a fighting withdrawal in the face of the formidable German army. Churchill feared that nearly all of the BEF would be killed or captured, but most were rescued and a defeat was turned into a victory. Drawing on previously unpublished and rare material, General Julian Thompson recreates the action—from the misunderstandings between the British and French generals which continue to resonate to this day, to the experiences of the ordinary soldier. Unlike other books on the subject, this account gives full weight to the fighting inland as the BEF found itself in mortal danger thanks to the collapse of the Belgian army on one flank and the failure of the French on the other, and corrects popular myths about the evacuation.

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

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

Major General Julian Harold Atherdean Thompson, CB, OBE is a military historian and former Royal Marines officer who as a brigadier commanded 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands war.

Thompson, who was British commander on the islands during the final phase of the conflict has written extensively on the Falklands conflict and British military history. He is also a visiting professor at the department of War Studies, King's College, University of London.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julian Thompson's military background inspires him occasionally to compare 1940 to modern warfare, such as the incredulously poor state of radio communications, the low (or in the British case: improvised) degree of mechanisation... and a real zinger towards Liddell Hart's vision of free-roaming tank fleets : what if you were facing an enemy who's as smart as you, instead of a 14-18 mind ? It's an uncommonly deep insight into the Allied failure.

Ocassional brilliance aside, it's just Hugh Sebag-Montefiore at half size, with a Dunkirk title covering the entire Fall Gelb ...

Read this instead:
Dunkirk: Fight To The Last Man

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Other than the myth of the 'little ships' I had little knowledge of Dunkirk other than a general perception of a defeat claimed as a victory and lasting enmity with the French over their capitulation. This book did help in that there was more detail about the battles leading up to the evacuation at Dunkirk and it does cover the first few weeks of the war in France and Belgium, a largely neglected period other than the actual evacuation.
What should have been an exciting book was rendered dull by the author's obsession with trivial inconsequential minutiae. Being a military man he betrays his background by the description of divisions, battalions, brigades etc. as mere pawns moving around a map in general terms but with little mention of weather conditions and numbers involved, though never failing to mention Lord this or the Duke of that.
Strangely he is very short on the details that actually matter, many times he refers to brigades being 'cut to pieces' - numbers? Wounded? Dead? He also frequently says that so and so person or unit disappeared never to be heard of again - could he not be bothered to say if they were recorded as dead or missing? His attitude is as you'd expect from his class and military background, dispassionate to the point of callousnes, for example describing a group fighting to withdraw (p206 in the hardback edition) he says they got away safely 'except for a few who were drowned.' Oh dear, what bad luck. He is vague on casualties in describing actions and in describing the loss ('casualties') of around 50 soldiers (it's difficult to work out) but does specifically mention one officer killed.
His style is chauvinistic especially when describing the fighting abilities of the French, and in one example of breathtaking hypocrisy he calls the murder of surrendered German snipers justified and criticism as political correctness; and then later castigates rightly the Germans for murdering surrendered British soldiers.
This book is confusing because of all the minute detail of regiments etc. and his writing style; frequently he describes two people in a sentence and then refers to one of them as 'he' leaving the reader to guess which one he's referring to.
There is very little of the experience of the ordinary Tommy which when there are first hand accounts enliven the text no end, but mostly it's just strategy which renders this a tedious slog.
A shame really and I hope there's a better book out there not written by a dry pompous senior military bore.

[Jeff Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly researched and very detailed (a little too much for me as a matter-of-fact as after a while the various regiments/divisions etc began to merge into one) this is a very informative account of not just the evacuation from Dunkirk, but of the battles the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought in May and early June 1940.

It is not a book any Frenchman would necessarily like to read as it is far from complimentary about the performance of the French High Command in particular, but for anyone else interested in this extraordinary evacuation and the events leading up to it, it is a must read. I can't imagine there'd be too many books or authors more knowledgeable on the subject.

[George Kasnic · Rating 2 out of 5]

An extremely detailed book and liberally sprinkled with maps. Normally that is an automatic five star review. However, this book suffers from something I failed to note when I was younger and just processed books for the information they presented (not examining what they did not) and without regard to the viewpoint of the author.
General Thompson would have you believe that the British did this by themselves, valiantly opposing the oncoming Nazis and hindered by the horde of retreating French soldiers who were always in their way. On occasion the French, anonymous, appear to provide tertiary assistance to some beset British unit.
If I want to know how the 5/7 Surrey did, I will have multiple opportunities, or the Kings Own, or the Dorsetshire Light Infantry. But if I had any curiousity where those Souma tanks whose appearance bolstered the flank and saved a position, all I hear is that they retired, not where they were from. This Anglo-centrism is also reflected in repeated comments concerning French officers, the names of who are absent if they are below the rank of LTC, although we hear about the exploits (and they are brave, daring and deserving recognition) of British all ranks, privates to General Montgomery.
I think that the author did extensive research on British and German histories of the battle, then combining that with his genral knowledge of the campaign and threw in any details concerning the French only from German or British sources. Had he done the same level of research on the French and told their story also, this would have been a book wothy of its title. Sadly it is not.

[Mark Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, but the title is misleading. It's not about Dunkirk at all, but rather about the BEF in France in May/June 1940. It's terrifically detailed, and gives a wonderful sense of both the chaos and the plans involved. The writing is crisp, though not quite in the league of Ambrose or Beevor. It's written from a solider's perspective, so isn't too concerned about the political situation (or even the Navy or Air Force's view). Doctrinally, it places blame very clearly at the French door (Generals and politicians) and is surprisingly positive about both Gort and the Arras offensive. The condemnation of French tactics and more importantly focus on the BEF and leaves Thompson exposed to the charge of being anti-French, and it's certainly true that he is far more sympathetic with the British than the French. Thompson expects a fair amount of the reader: there's very frequent phrases like "the battalion was down to 200 men", and it's assumed the reader knows what a full strength battalion would be. Abbreviations are rarely explained, and the book would certainly benefit from both a glossary and an diagram showing the British Army structure from Army Group down to platoon level. But, having said all that, the book's strengths far outweigh it's weaknesses, and for those with more than a passing interest in WW2, is a must-read.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing at times. Written by a soldier, probably for people who understand military tactics. Hard to follow with all the different participants and unit names & unfamiliar French and Belgium locales. Definitely an interesting period of the war and a critical time for the Allies, but I was glad for the book to be over.

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but tedious.

[Brad Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but lacks great story telling.

[Loyalhistorian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overview: Though it is thoroughly detailed and the subject is interesting, the title is really a misrepresentation. It should be called Battle of France, 1940. It's predominately about the campaign that occurred before the Dunkirk evacuation. Yes, I realize that it was the break-down of this campaign in May 1940 that led to the retreat to Dunkirk, BUT the book is at least two-thirds about the campaign, then the last third is about the evacuation and the aftermath. Again, I know you can't have one without the other, I just assumed this book would be more in-depth about the evacuation aspect of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo) rather than the Battle of France campaign leading up to it.

I've had a slight fascination with Dunkirk since early high school. I remember my grandmother (who was a land-girl on the family farm in England during the war) mentioning the evacuation to me in one of her war stories. The sheer number of soldiers that England was able to save, transporting the multitude in a vast array of vessels, across the Channel in such a short amount of time was mind-boggling to me. I remember being the only one in my 10th grade World History class that could tell the teacher anything about Dunkirk when she asked. On a side note, I also can't help but think about those scenes in Mrs. Miniver when I think about it too.

Negatives: The writing is very cut-and-dry. So much so, that it kind of puts a damper on an interesting subject. Which is sad, because I truly do find this subject interesting, and even I was having a hard time wanting to keep pushing through the book. Though it is beyond encompassing in its information and research, the author does little to bring it to life. I also wish he had broken down each chapter into smaller chunks or subsections to better organize the book. Some times it's hard to keep up with everything he's mentioning in the book the way that he has it written. Most times it feels like he's listing everything he possibly can. Anyway, grew disappointed in the book, particularly the middle chapters.

Having been a book about Dunkirk, as mentioned before, I would have thought it would talk more about Dunkirk itself and Operation Dynamo. It is not brought into account until page 220. The actual events of Operation Dynamo only consist of 74 pages, and even some of that is taken up by the final engagements of the Battle of France. I would have expected that the events of Dunkirk would have made up at least half of the book's content, but it was not the case.

Positives: I felt the best parts of the book, writing-wise, were the chapters where he was able to be succinct and summative of the events as a whole: Chapter 1, "Twenty Wasted Years"; Chapter 2, "Into Belgium: First Shocks"; Chapter 9, "Comings and Goings at Dunkirk"; Chapter 10, "The End at Dunkirk"; and Chapter 12, "The Reckoning." He also did that at the ends of several chapters, and that part was enjoyable, too.

The last chapter I found particularly interesting and is well worth a read even if you get bored with the middle chapters. I especially liked the part where he outlines the pros and cons of the defeat of the Battle of France. The fact that he included the blessings-in-disguise was interesting, and truly brought up points in a way I had not thought of before.

Conclusion: Because the last chapters were so good (combined with the first couple chapters), it upped my originally thought rating of 2 stars to a 3 star rating. Again, research, content, and information were not a problem in this book at all. In some places, you might could say that there was too much information, actually. It was just an issue with a slightly misleading title, dryly expressed information in the middle chapters, and a lack of focus on Operation Dynamo overall.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very detailed work about the military campaign that necessitated the evacuation of the "BEF" (British Expeditionary Force) from the French coast in late May/June 1940. I say the French coast because there were a number of places other than Dunkirk that allowed British and Allied forces to embark for England though not in the numbers that escaped through the port of Dunkirk.
The author points out the contributions of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy in taking off these troops rather than giving all the credit to the "little ships." In his opinion the story of the "little ships" was and has been milked for all its worth to boost national morale. In fact almost 1/3 of the troops evacuated were taken off by the 56 British destroyers involved in Operation Dynamo. (296) But giving credit where it was due the "little ships" were essential in ferrying troops off the beaches and out to larger vessels as well as braving the trip across the channel again and again.
A few other things that were pointed out, one of a technical nature. We're so used to instant communication in our day and age. But at the time of this campaign radio and telecommunications were sparse in their use by the military. Both the British and French forces lacked good radios for communication between higher levels of command and units in the field. Both British and French forces relied on couriers and motorcycle dispatch riders to carry orders and messages. Using radios between fighting vehicles and inside said vehicles was also uncommon. In some British tanks, the tank commander had to reach and down and kick his driver to change direction!
The other point, the lack of willingness and determination on the part of the French high command was made evident. The book gives a sense of defeatism on the part of French commanders very early on in the game The author asks the question, "Whatever excuses one might offer, in the end one has to ask how it was that the French army, with better tanks and more of them than the Germans, was so utterly defeated in so short a space of time." (302) It appears the French failed to learn their lesson from World War I the same way they failed to learn after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Defense or "static war" was not the way the next war was going to be fought. The shock of Blitzkrieg to the French army was too much.
The author, a former Major General of 34 years of service in Her Majesty's Royal Marines, provides a thorough detailed, depiction of the campaign. He provides a useful glossary of those never ending military acronyms as well as a few good maps. You just have to get past all the names: Green Howards, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Coldstream Guards, the Sherwood Foresters, Black Watch, Durham Light Infantry, et.al.

[Bhargav Indurthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A profoundly expounded detailed account of all decisions, events, battles and actions leading to the the hasty evacuation. This is my first military history book and I really loved it - A must read for the buffs. Few Readers might find that there is only one chapter for the actual evacuation, lowering their expectations. However, I think the chase was engaging.

The author gives an exact inventory of all companies, battalions, divisions and Corps including their positions and movement as well as terrain and everything that could be taken vantage of during a battle. The views presented are both at the executive level (Generals) and where required delves deep to give a first hand account of a soldiers view. This gives on insight on how it is very tough to make decisions (and even the disagreement) at high level which can lead to saving lives or losing them such as the decision to send 51st Division into a losing battle only to surrender later. There are certain thought-provoking phrases that compare mental challenges faced by the Army compared to other forces which are indeed enjoyable. The author being a very senior officer in the Army has a keen insight into the decision making processes and their pitfalls (A fighting soldier's worst enemy is not the directive to fight but rather when changes are made to the same directives which affects their morale). The reading gives one an insight into the might of the German Military - Wehrmacht during that period as well as their savage strategy.

However, there is a very vocal barrage of criticism about the glaring ineptitude of the French Military Commanders to make the right decisions or exhibit leadership. This might be a one side argument. No doubt the French lost in a dramatic fashion, but so would have anyone that stood against one of the greatest armies in history. The argument here is that had the British been given ample time, equipment and training things might have been different. So may reason everyone else. Since the events were changing so rapidly on the ground in order to follow one would have to keeping referring to the corresponding map for the Chapter and keep flipping back to the reading page to correctly follow. Sometimes it is hard to find the location on the map. But most of these inconveniences can largely be ignored as the limitations of book reading (A map can't be put up in every page).

For those with a background in the forces this is a must read.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thompson certainly gives a meticulous account of the evacuation of Dunkirk and the events leading up to it, and I do commend him for that, but the book has two major issues.

For one, it is in desperate need of editing. Many sentences and paragraphs are far too long, and there were many instances of awkward phrasing. I often found myself re-reading sentences just to make sense of what Thompson was saying, and I mentally edited the book as I went along - usually cutting certain words or messing around with the sentence structure. These technical problems made the book very dense and difficult to read.

What bothers me more, though, is Thompson's attitude. When I saw the word "Anglophobe" on page 2, I knew that this would not be a good reading experience. While I respect that Thompson wanted to chronicle the deeds of the BEF before and during Dunkirk, I wish he had done so without making the BEF out to be an unjustly maligned victim. There is also a real double standard with Thompson's depictions of the British and French Armies. He is all too quick to excuse or forgive the British Army's failures while single-mindedly condemning the French Army for its failures. It is, of course, justified to point out the French Army's shortcomings, but Thompson seems to think that France is solely responsible for this large-scale international military defeat. I wish that he could have written this book without such an obvious bias.

This book frustrated me more than anything else. I read it because I wanted to learn more about this event, and I got a poorly executed, impossibly dense book with an almost self-victimizing tone. It's a shame.

[TomB922 · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading about WWII actions, most will gravitate towards the very popular way the action is presented. The German invasion of Belgium and France in 1940 was very decisive, but much of the popular views presented the Belgians and French Armies as inept. It was not “the armies” that were inept. It was the French and Belgium Leadership who used old thinking in their decision making. They were never in touch with the front line Officers who knew exactly what was happening in their areas.
This book clarifies that the battles during the fall back to Dunkirk and the coast were fought bravely and ferociously by the SOLDIERS of Belgium, France, and the UK. These individuals bought precious time for the embarkation of many, if not most, of those who got away to fight another day. Many fought to the last bullet or shell before succumbing to the overwhelming German force. Many paid with their lives or ended up in prisoner of war camps.
Also, not to minimize the efforts of “The Little Ships” who made an important contribution, the British Navy organized and led the operation, but never gets a lot of credit for their efforts.
This is a very good read for those who thirst for derailed WWII History. Enjoy!

[Nick Paulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dunkirk, Retreat to Victory by Julian Thompson. This book provides the British perspective of the battle at Dunkirk to save the retreating Allied armies during the start of WWII. The detail of many minor engagements, at the soldier level, is described, and this helps to understand this event more than simply the movements of the armies. However, there were three other armies involved at Dunkirk to varying degrees, but only the British side was developed. Derision of the French effort seems to be excessive and possibly based on the journals, memoirs, or diaries of British officers that may contain content and commentary reflective of personal biases. However, after a few rounds of insults to the French effort, further assaults were amusing. The maps help understand the flow of the combatants, and the glossary was helpful.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book about from when the English sent forces to France in 1939 until the final evacuation in June of 1940. Gen Thompson writes like he is talking to you, very down to earth. He is also very detailed as to what units were where, when and why. The military and civilian leaders strengths and weaknesses are covered as well as the forces involved. One of the fun things he adds are asides, like the nicknames of some of the English officers from WW1, and other personal things he's picked up. My wife got me this book to accompany the movie Dunkirk. They go together well. The evacuation of over 338,000 men while under attack, is one of the wonders of WW2. If it had gone differently, we might be living in a very different world. As the song goes---Bless'em all

[Selby · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book does give a view on the high level politics, and manouevres of the events leading up to the evacuation from Dunkirk. It is however drowing in minutae that ranges from interactions between commanders, the movement and make-up of army corps / divisions / battalions, where particular companies where assigned in detail, and what happened to Privates Tom, Dick and Harry Smith. The presentation is such that you just start skimming over much of the text because the few maps that exist do not provide enough context for all the minutae. I did learn some new things about the BEF and it's French/Belgian allies, and also about the other British forces in France at the time. I will not however be keeping the book

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good research and some unknown facts and anecdotes, but on the whole a dreary read. Only got halfway through before I gave up, I started with real enthusiasm for the topic but after a few chapters couldn’t give a toss what happened to the BEF as I couldn’t work out what, why, where or how. The author has tried to illuminate a dark period in Britain’s military history but the facts are overwhelming against him. The BEF was poor in France in 1940 and in Singapore in 1941, in fact it never achieved the military pinnacle of the last days of 1918. In WW2 wherever we met the Wehrmacht with equal Forces, we lost. A sad tale of imperial decline.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Major General Julian Thompson’s book Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory is a scathing indictment of the French during World War II. Churchill and others noted that the French troops, early on in the war, “were occupied growing roses to pretty up the Maginot Line and painting the steps white and seemed to have plenty of time for football instead of training.”

While I rather enjoyed Thompson’s trashing of the French, for the most part Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory, was 302 pages of dry statistical facts that sucked all the spectacle and drama out of one of history’s most famous events.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“May 1940. France has fallen. The German Army advances. 320,000 Allied troops Trapped on the beach at Dunkirk. The most dramatic rescue in military history.”

I’m genuinely surprised that this was written by a soldier, given the sheer amount of detail and minutiae this book contains. Most of the book deals with the general failure of the French, the political failures and interference, comparing WWI technology and style with that of WWII, and the events leading up to than Dunkirk itself.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Very much more than a book on the evacuation from Dunkirk, this is an excellent account of the British fighting retreat from the first days of the blitzkrieg to final embarkations from cherbourg, showing enormous resolve and skill while the French army crumbled around them. As a retired soldier, Julian Thompson's account shows an expert appreciation and analysis of the weapons and tactics involved, as well as competently organising the narrative of very chaotic and fluid battlefield situations.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most exciting and inspirational stories of the second World War is told in the dullest way possible. This is a play by play of the acts leading up to the Dunkirk evacuation that is weighed down in technical jargon and an inability to discern what actually constitutes an interesting anecdote. The mention of the civilian participation is reduced to two sentences in the one chapter that actually takes place during Operation Dynamo. Very disappointing read.

[Carlton Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read on Dunkirk

If you're the type of person who loves military history look no further.
This book outlines the battle movements of both sides and shows the winners and losers of each battle fought.
Taken from the diaries of the men who fought and the men who were involved in planning the battles.
Not once did the author saved his blame or his praise.

[Kevin Coaker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe military history is not for me. A hard trawl through regiment names, moving around French fields for two thirds of this book. Indeed the title is misleading. It's not about Dunkirk at all, but rather about the BEF in France in May/ June 1940. It's terrifically detailed, and gives a sense of both the chaos and the limited plans involved.

[Wai Zin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of BEF’s fights in Belgium and France during Blitzkrieg.

Writing is crisp, maps are provided in sufficient numbers. And Julian Thompson tell the story for each sector which make this book easy to understand.

However you will not learned much about what the German, France and Belgium armies were up to .

A must read for a military history enthusiasts.

[Maryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives an excellent account of how the BEF found itself evacuating almost as soon as they started to fight. It is a military history, not light reading. I thought it gave me a much better picture of the start of the war than just panders and small boats.

[Craig Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much detail for me - but obviously heavily researched - is opinionated, but that is what makes a non-fiction yarn hard-hitting as this one is - ample blame to go around - interesting fact that I was not aware of: Germans tended to quit at night

[Andrew Scholes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a lot of detail but was an excruciating read. The title is misleading since he doesn’t get to Dunkirk until the last couple chapters of the book and then just seems to give it a passing acknowledgement.

[Mike Fracasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. It is always nice taking a trip back into history and read about heroes who fought against and defeated evil. Great insight into the decisions right and wrong that made Dunkirk a part of history.

[Ian Willey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good level of detail, was a little OTT on attitude to French command

[MS · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 starz