Dunkirk 1940: Operation Dynamo

Osprey Campaign #219

by Douglas C. Dildy, Howard Gerrard (Illustrator)

During the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940, German forces successfully cut off several units of British, French and Canadian troops from supporting forces and supplies. Nearly 350,000 Allied troops were left stranded on the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in France, amounting to what Winston Churchill called "the whole root, core, and brain of the British Army." Between May 26 and June 4, 1940, in what was named Operation Dynamo, a total of 338,226 soldiers were rescued by hastily assembled boats to British destroyers and other large ships or directly back to England.

This book fills a gap in Osprey's coverage of World War II (1939-1945), as no Campaign titles have yet covered the Dunkirk evacuation, and, unlike previous treatments of the subject, provides a description and assessment of the operation from an operation perspective. Author Doug Dildy relates the various overlapping and interconnected struggles--land forces vs. land forces, air forces vs. air forces, air forces vs. naval forces, all in a race against time--and their operational impacts on one another in one coherent, coordinated volume.

Genres: Military History, World War II, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2010

About the author

Douglas C. Dildy is a US Air Force Academy graduate and retired US Air Force colonel with a degree in history. He attended the US Armed Forces Staff College and USAF Air War College and holds a Master's Degree in Political Science.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest thing it has going for it is the attention to the French side of operations, together with a light de-mythologising of the German attack, which was short on ideas. Nevertheless, the traditional points of dispute, that is the contribution of the Luftwaffe & Hitler's order for a tank stop, aren't settled clearly enough...the supplements (maps; further reading) are excellent.

[Al Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and concise, this book gives a solid, balanced view of Operation Dynamo, especially the troop, aircraft and naval dispositions and the losses that resulted from such as well as the defense of the the perimeter and its disposition. It is not a strictly British viewpoint, which is refreshing.