Customer Reviews

The Miracle of Dunkirk (Wordsworth Collection)

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I've read several histories of the Dunkirk campaign and evacuation, this one is by far the clearest and most interesting of them. Lord tells the story so that you can see what happened, in every part of the field, to all sorts of folks. There may be accounts by military historians that give more detail on troop movements, but for sheer readability this has them all beat. Read Lord's account first, then use academic accounts to fill out the fine print if you feel you need to.

This book has great insight to the Dunkirk evacuation. Well researched and well written. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject. For WWII history buffs, this book is must reading.

My father who died 2 years ago was at Dunkirk serving in an RN minesweeper. Of those 5/6 days tied up at the eastern mole he always said they were the most frightening days of the whole War but of which he was most proud (he later survived both Anzio and the Pacific war ) . I now understand those sentiments. Walter Lord encapsulates a thousand individual stories and forms them into an impressive whole.

There have been few books on this subject (at least those available in the U.S.), and this book describes this crisis well. Over 300,000 troops escaped envolopement from the Germans by evacuating from Dunkirk. Lord does his capable best in writing how the British and French were outflanked and almost destroyed, but the Germans turned a great victory into a minor one. Goring and his Luftwaffe did inflict terrible damage and caused much death, but the fact is the greater part of the British Expedionary Force was allowed to escape and fight again another day.
One thing I like about Lord's writings are his personalization of the conflicts. We hear from soldiers who actually fought and escaped through Dunkirk. His writings also tell the story through a description of what went on and the military strategy involved. Lord is one of my favored authors. He devoted much time (2 years) for each book he has written. It is a shame we no longer have him here to write great books.

The evacuation of Dunkirk after the Nazi blitzkreig of 1940 has always amazed me. This is a period and event that don't figure too prominently into most textbooks, even though it was one of the most crucial times in World War II (just because Pearl Harbor wasn't bombed yet, after all, doesn't mean there wasn't a war on).

I was quite pleased with the way Walter Lord was able to pull together all of the information about the evacuation and the events leading up to it. The story is complex. Columns of refugees heading to the coast, the British plan for evacuation, the Belgian surrender nearly dooming the effort, resistance to keep a pocket around Dunkirk and the beaches, weather conditions and how they affected air battles, the use of the mole...Lord has managed to fit it all in and more.

The book is very good in presenting a general account of how events occurred. Lord has also managed to find several personal stories and tidbits, from the acts of officers in helping the evacuation to the unsuccessful attempt to use kites as barrage balloons at the harbor.

Walter Lord weaves an exciting tale as he relates the British 'evacuation' (i.e. retreat) of Dunkirk. The Brits were aided by several 'miracles' that are closely examined by Lord: Hitler's decision to stop his tanks from annihilating the escaping British (he was saving the tanks for France), 9 days of calm seas on the English Channel, and literally thousands of small private English boats that aided in the escape of some 338,000 troops - essentially the entire British Expeditionary Force and a sizeable force of French soldiers. Lord describes the Churchhill's efforts to keep the French happy as they were left alone on the Continent.

In his "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech of June 4, 1940, Churchhill acknowledged to the House of Commons, "We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. But there was a victory inside this deliverance, which should be noted."

The escape from Belgium encouraged Churchill: "We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."

Lord interviewed some 500 survivors of Dunkirk to write his book, which informs the telling with an immediacy and verite missing from more academic treatments.

Highly recommended for the general reader of history, especially WW II.

"The Miracle of Dunkirk" is a view of the incredible rescue of the British Expeditionary Force from France in 1940. Dubbed Operation Dynamo, its story is mostly told from the perspective of the individual soldiers and sailors involved without neglecting the big picture. Author Walter Lord tells the story of the collapse of the Allied lines, the alternative lines of withdrawal and the ultimate retreat into the Dunkirk perimeter along with the strategies devised in London, Paris and Berlin. Once the option of fighting to join the French forces to the south closed, the development of the sealift began to materialize with the call for all types of vessels to assemble for sailing to France.

This book, as any book dealing with Dunkirk, addresses the question of why Hitler held back the land assault for three days. Was he making a political overture to the British? Did he really believe that the Luftwaffe could do the job alone? Was he holding the tanks for other tasks later? Read the book to find Lord's conclusion.

As I mentioned, this story is largely seen through the eyes of the individuals involved, and they had quite a story to tell. The accounts of the fighting along the perimeter, the relentless bombing of land and sea, the gaps in air cover and the harrowing crossings give the reader some insight into the heroism and horror of those eight days of deliverance. Walter Lord is a master story teller who holds the reader's interest and is never boring. This book belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in World War II.

The book shows you not just the human courage of the evacuation itself but it also sets the scene admirably and explains why the British Army did what it did and how the Admiralty rose to the challenge that it was handed. The work of the Royal Navy (and indeed the civilian volunteers int he little ships) is absolutely astounding.

Dunkirk was obviously a place of contrasts. Some units show an amazing level of discipline and initiative. Others appear to be a rabble, and the book captures this in a way that is very plausible and understandable. It paints a very good protriat of the BEF in May and June 1940. It also gives an interesting insight into the French High Command problems.

The book is very readable and should appeal to the casual reader as well as the scholar, especially since the notes on sources are pretty comprehensive which is just what the academic is looking for, no matter how readable.

This is an excellent book for readers who wish to know, day by day, the lead up to Dunkirk, from the English, French and German side. One of the best written and best researched.

Typical of Walter Lord, this book is assiduously researched and also has a gripping narrative. He also manages to capture the human aspect: the description of the remaining French soldiers silently watching the last British and French troops leaving is quite haunting.

Lord's research covers not only the development of the withdrawal very well, but also the political maneouvering. Easy to read and a great introduction to a very complex undertaking. It will rate highly alongside some of the other, higher-profile accounts of the withdrawal.