The Sands of Dunkirk

by Richard Collier

For the first time we have a Dunkirk narrative based not on military history but on personal experience. Richard Collier's stark, brutally honest report of what it was like to be there!

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

256 pages, PB

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Richard Collier, was born in London, England in 1924. He joined the Royal Air Force at eighteen after that, as a war correspondent, he traveled throughout the Far East.

He worked on numerous British and American magazines and wrote more than half a dozen books about the Second World War.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gripping read. The view is micro-focused on the personal experiences of men (and a few women) involved in the British Expeditionary Force’s evacuation from Dunkirk in May 1940, including: British soldiers and officers fighting the Germans as they slowly fall back through Belgium, the British High Command in London and the Naval command in Dover, the B.F.E. command, the French command, the German high command, a flight officer with the Luftwaffe and his commander, the crews of Her Majesties Ships going back and forth across the Channel, and the state of the men on the beach, awaiting a way off. And the narration breathlessly cris-crosses among these groups repeatedly until the end of the evacuation.

I found that the reality of Dunkirk was not far off from the 2017 film by Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”. The RAF coverage was thin, the RAF and Royal Navy losses were heavy, there were long delays in getting the soldiers off the beach, the behavior of the troops was not always good natured or orderly, but there were innumerable acts of heroism, particularly among the Brits holding the Jerries at bay on the long perimeter.

And when the evacuees made it back to Britain, they really did feel ashamed, and, dammit it’s getting dusty in here.

And let’s not forget the 30,000 French, many of who were not evacuated, holding the perimeter to the last so the rest could go. This is what Allies do!

The writing is a bit older style (1960), and British, but it is a wonderful tale.

Da*ned good show!

[Shaun Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warts and all tale, made even more amazing because it took so long to be told. There is an Incredible level of detail and accuracy throughout the book, however that is also it's undoing. The story is told too fast and too many of the interesting or defining stories are told too quickly or too briefly to be satisfying or to properly illustrate the scale, horror and amazement of what took place on those beaches 75 years ago.

[Will Staton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written narrative of the Dunkirk evacuation, but told as a series of anecdotes. Though it is nonfiction, it is not an academic study of the campaign from a tactical and strategic standpoint. Very well told and entertaining, but not an introductory read; rather a collection of personal stories. Recommended for readers who already have an understanding of the battle in the context of WWII.

[Summer Magyar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never thought I would love and devour a war novel as I did with this. The story of the men and women of the Dunkirk evacuation was riveting and kept me engaged. So much history and pain.

[Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming into reading this book, I didn't know much about Dunkirk. I knew there was a large operation that removed a lot of men back to England. But as far as the details, I never knew. This book captures a lot of personal story from those who survived the event. It captures the heroism, courage, cowardice, brilliance, ingenuity, and strength of those there. War allows us to see the evil in man, but also many sides worth fighting for. This book gave me so much detail it was hard emotionally to get through. I was at times feeling the triumph and then the lows. I recommend this to all who enjoy WW2 stories and want to know more.

[Charlotte De koninck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sands of Dunkirk is a history about the fabled retreat from dunkirk in the opening stages of World War II. It does so by focusing on the stories of the people on the ground in emotional detail, but by doing so, it misses some of the big history. It is easy to get confused why decisions are being made or to not see the big picture in all the amazing details.

[Patti Morgan]

This was an excellent book with personal anecdotes of Dunkirk. Many survivors were alive and able to contribute their stories. If you are interested in the evaluation of Dunkirk, I highly recommend this book.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought everyone jumped in little boats and ferried the soldiers to safety. Unlike what I thought, it was not glamorous. It was not simple. There were a lot of needless deaths. There were many killed "in action," but more like sitting ducks. It was bloody and desperate.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this in a 2nd hand bookstore after watching Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan. Worth a read

[Simon Tyldesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every page of this book.

[Philip S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short vignettes woven together to present an overall picture of how chaotic the Dunkirk retreat was, almost entirely from the British perspective. It was very reminiscent to "The Longest Day" in its style. There is virtually no strategic or tactical overview, and one can only loosely intuit the general situation among the chaos of the individual stories. Both land and sea vignettes are included, as well as many stories of people back in Britain. Some perspective from the point of view of the German Stuka pilots is also included. This book is, no doubt, a wonderful addition to the history of Dunkirk, but requires some background of the German invasion of France in 1940 to be fully appreciated.

[Luis Belisario · Rating 4 out of 5]

He querido leer este libro en preparación para la película de Cristopher Nolan "Dunkirk".
El libro no es mas que una recopilación de anécdotas de primera mano de personas que protagonizaron y vivieron la evacuación. Creo que el libro no tiene pretensiones de contarnos con exactitud los hechos históricos de movimientos de tropas, tácticas, estrategia o logística implementada por los distintos estados mayores involucrados. Sin embargo es entretenido saber lo que vivieron esas personas en uno de los momentos de quiebre de la historia humana.

[Gena Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and riveting story about the second World War attack that took place at Dunkirk. Sad and full of the terrors of war, the book is well written and brings the reader into the action.

[Alessandro Persiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bel libro molto completo sui 9 giorni relativi all'evacuazione di Dunkerque, circa 400 pagine ma si legge molto rapidamente.