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Evacuation of Dunkirk.
Over nine dramatic days from May 27th to June 4th 1940, a third of a million British and Allied
service men had to be rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk. It is debateable whether or not
the evacuation of Dunkirk should be seen as a triumph because although the future of the
British army had been preserved, the military was overpowered and forced to evacuate.
There are many reasons why Dunkirk could be seen as a triumph. The main one being
because of how many civilians rallied together to rescue the stranded BEF. Source B4 shows
the chaotic scene of the evacuation and the dangers the men and the resources faced in this
operation. It supports the idea of Dunkirk to be seen as a miracle because despite all the
dangers we see, a vast majority of men were saved. It also highlights how heroic the little
ships were in taking the men back to safety. The painting was completed after the
evacuation which could reduce the reliability because the artist had to use his impression of
the event to complete the painting, which may make some of the images exaggerated or
more dramatic. It was also produced by the government which could affect the reliability of
it.
For many, Dunkirk was also seen as a triumph because despite what the soldiers had been
through, the moral of the soldiers that had been rescued from Dunkirk remained high. This is
highlighted in source B6 which was written by Anthony Eden, a senior army officer and later
British Prime Minister. The source is useful because it tells us that the spirit of the rescued
troops was high and that they showed no sign of an army that had been defeated. The
source also shows us that the men never lost faith and given the right equipment they
would be able to win the war. The source shows us the spirit and optimism of the men in, a
contrast to the politicians regarding their chances of winning the war. Because it is a primary
source, details may have been forgotten and he is writing with the benefit of hindsight.
Another source that supports the idea that Dunkirk was a triumph is source B5 because
despite the military defeat the government and press at the time were successfully able to
portray Dunkirk as a miracle. Source B5 is useful because it shows us how Dunkirk was
portrayed to the British public at the time. It emphasises Dunkirk as a miracle highlighting
the bravery of the little ships when they say ‘ships of all sizes dare the German guns’, and
how the British forces worked together to deliver ‘one of the most magnificent operations
in history’. It also tells us about the kinds of messages about Dunkirk that were printed in the
press, however its reliability can be questioned because it was written for a newspaper it
could have been biased and used for propaganda.
Overall Dunkirk can be seen as a triumph because of the way everyone rallied together in
order to rescue the stranded soldiers. Despite early predictions of only about forty, fifty
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thousand soldiers being saved they managed to bring back a third of a million men. Source
B1 supports this because it says ‘the escape captured the minds and hearts of the British
people at a time when it looked probable that we too would soon be invaded. It seemed like
a victory in just getting the troops back to fight another day’. This is useful because it tells us
about how the troops were rescued and how the rescue captured the hearts of the people.
Because the source is written by a historian you would assume he had done a lot of research
and may increase the reliability.
Despite all this, Dunkirk may be seen to as a defeat to many because of the loss of life,
military strength of the Germans, the fact the British were forced into a retreat, the loss of
military equipment, the fall of France and because of the followed invasion of Britain. Source
B9 is a secondary source, and tells us about the loss of men, equipment and the fall of
France. It tells us that even Winston Churchill called Dunkirk ‘the greatest military defeat for
many centuries’. This source was produced by a historian so you would assume that this
person has done a lot of research into the topic, however the reliability may be affected
because we don’t know where he got the statistics from, because it is a secondary source
and how he can be able to comment on Churchchills private views on Dunkirk. This source is
useful because it explains the losses of the British forces and what how it led to the fall of
France.
In source B12, a BBC news reporter said on a broadcast his opinions on the events of
Dunkirk. This source explains how victory was taken from this defeat by newspapers and the
government playing on the miracle of the numbers of men rescues and the heroic spirit of
the little ships. He says ‘victory was being plucked from defeat’ by the newspapers and
government showing that they were making it look like a miracle so moral stayed high.
However it described Dunkirk as a disaster and ‘military defeat but a propaganda victory’.
The source is also produced with the benefit of hindsight, and because it is secondary it can
be questioned because details may have been left out.
The source B16 appears to be attempting to undermine British confidence when it says ‘how
many of the BEF, British Navy and the RAF were sacrificed on the beaches of Dunkirk so that
your Prime Minister could tell you that you now stand alone?’. The sources questions
Dunkirk, it questions whether the loss of life was worth it and it mocks Churchill and the
British Government. The British public would have been able to hear such broadcast which
tried and failed to undermine their interpretation of Dunkirk. The reliability of this source can
also be questioned because it could seen as German propaganda which could mean that
they have exaggerated things to make Britain look bad, or Germany good.
Overall the events of Dunkirk have been seen to divide people’s opinions when it comes to
declaring it a triumph or failure. In hindsight the events can be viewed as disastrous by the
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loss of life, the forced retreat of the British and subsequent the loss of military equipment
and invasion of Britain. Sources B9, B12, B16 take this general view point. On the other hand,
it can be viewed as a triumph because of the amount of people rescued, the dedication of
the fellow British public to bring their men home and the moral high that followed from the
portrayal of the events being a miracle. This view point is taken in sources B1, B5 and B6. In
my opinion the events of Dunkirk were generally negative, but the damage limitation that
followed the initial defeat was able to allow a positive spin to be put on it. The fact that such
a positive feeling among the public was established following such a defeat highlights the
unity of the nation and credit must be given to the way Britain made the best of a bad
situation.