Research Catalog

Title

Dunkirk : nine days that saved an army : a day by day account of the greatest evacuation / John Grehan.

Author

Grehan, John

Publication

Barnsley, South Yorkshire : Frontline Books, 2018.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xi, 330 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 24 cm

Summary

"The epic of Dunkirk has been told many times, but the numerous accounts from surviving soldiers and sailors were often a blur of fear and fighting with the days mingling into each other, leaving what is, at times, a confusing picture. In this book, adopting a day by day approach, the authors provide a clear portrayal of the unfolding drama on the perimeter around Dunkirk, in the port itself and along the beaches to La Panne and the Belgian border. Reports from many of the captains of the vessels which took part in the great evacuation were submitted to the Admiralty immediately after the conclusion of Operation Dynamo. With access to these, and supported by the various records maintained by the Army and RAF, the authors have been able to finally piece together the movements and actions of the many of the squadrons, units and ships involved. With the Admiralty reports and a mass of other first-hand accounts, many of which have never been published before, the true tale of the heroism of the rescued and the rescuers is laid bare. Operation Dynamo saw civilian volunteers and Royal Navy personnel manning every type of craft from the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Calcutta to the cockle boats of the Thames Estuary. The accounts of the men who crewed these vessels tell of being bombed and strafed by the Luftwaffe or shelled from the shore. There are stories of collisions in the dark, chaos on the beaches and tragic losses as ships went down. Similar tales are told by the men waiting on the beaches, defending the perimeter or flying in the skies overhead in a valiant effort to hold the German Army and Luftwaffe at bay. Yet this is ultimately a story, as Churchill described it, of deliverance , for against all the predictions, the BEF was saved to fight again another day. With civilians and servicemen working without respite for days and nights on end under almost continual attack to rescue the army, the nation pulled together as never before. It truly was Britain s finest hour." --Publisher description.

Subjects

• 1940
• World War, 1939-1945 > Campaigns > France
• France > Dunkerque
• Dunkirk, Battle of, Dunkerque, France, 1940
• Dunkirk, Battle of (Dunkerque, France : 1940)

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-322) and index.

Contents

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 The British Expeditionary Force In France -- ch. 2 T̀he Greatest Battle Of History' -- ch. 3 Operation Dynamo: Day 1, Sunday 26 May -- ch. 4 Operation Dynamo: Day 2, Monday 27 May -- ch. 5 Operation Dynamo: Day 3, Tuesday 28 May -- ch. 6 Operation Dynamo: Day 4, Wednesday 29 May -- ch. 7 Operation Dynamo: Day 5, Thursday 30 May -- ch. 8 Operation Dynamo: Day 6, Friday 31 May -- ch. 9 Operation Dynamo: Day 7, Saturday 1 June -- ch. 10 Operation Dynamo: Day 8, Sunday 2 June -- ch. 11 Operation Dynamo: Day 9, Monday 3 June -- ch. 12 The Dunkirk Spirit.

Call Number

JFE 18-9018

ISBN

• 1526724847
• 9781526724847

LCCN

2018379161

OCLC

991188171

Author

Grehan, John, author.

Title

Dunkirk : nine days that saved an army : a day by day account of the greatest evacuation / John Grehan.

Publisher

Barnsley, South Yorkshire : Frontline Books, 2018.

Type of Content

text

still image

cartographic image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-322) and index.

Chronological Term

1940

Research Call Number

JFE 18-9018