Synopsis
The successful evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Belgium and northern France through the port of Dunkirk and across adjacent beaches is rightly regarded as one of the most significant episodes in the nation’s long history, although Winston Churchill sagely cautioned in Parliament on 4th June that the country “must be careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations”. Nevertheless, the Dunkirk evacuation, Operation “Dynamo”, was a victory and, like many others before it, it was a victory of sea power. The Royal Navy achieved what it set out to do, despite grievous losses, in the teeth of determined opposition. It denied an aggressive and ruthless continental power a potentially war-winning total victory that could have changed the direction of civilization for generations to come. The loss of the main British field army would have enfeebled the nation militarily and psychologically, prompting political upheaval, potentially resulting in a negotiated peace with Nazi Germany on unfavourable terms dictated by Adolf Hitler. The undeniable success of the evacuation was certainly a crucial naval and military achievement but its positive effect on the nation’s morale was just as important, instilling confidence in the eventual outcome of the war, whatever the immediate future might hold, and creating optimism in the face of adversity that added “the Dunkirk spirit” to the English language.This edition of Dunkirk, Operation “Dynamo” 26th May – 4th June 1940, An Epic of Gallantry, publishes the now declassified Battle Summary No 41, a document once classified as 'Restricted' and produced in small numbers only for official government purposes. This Summary, The Evacuation from Dunkirk, lodged in the archive at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, is one of the very few surviving copies in existence and records events in minute detail, being written soon after the evacuation using the words of the naval officers involved. This makes it a unique record and a primary source for the history of Operation “Dynamo” from mid-May 1940 until its conclusion on 4th June. The original document has been supplemented in this title by a Foreword written by Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, formerly the Royal Navy's Commander-in-Chief, Fleet, whose father commanded one of the destroyers sunk off Dunkirk when rescuing troops. In addition, there is a modern historical introduction and commentary, putting the evacuation into context and this edition is enhanced by the inclusion of a large number of previously unpublished photographs of the beaches, town, and harbour of Dunkirk taken immediately after the conclusion of the operation, together with others illustrating many of the ships that took part.
About the Author
Mike Pearce served with the Ministry of Defence (Navy) for nearly 40 years and was on the staff of the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth for 12 years. Closely involved with the Royal Navy throughout his career, he held management and planning roles within many different fields of MoD activity and on numerous projects for the Royal Navy in London, Hampshire and at the Naval Base at Devonport in addition to BRNC. As a naval historian, he has been a trustee of the Britannia Museum since its inception in 2008 and is a series editor for the Britannia Naval Histories of World War II; in 2012 he co-authored, with Dr Richard Porter, the introduction to Fight for the Fjords, and in 2013 wrote the introduction to Between Hostile Shores, Mediterranean Convoy Battles 1941-42, both in the series. Following the series re-launch in 2019, he wrote the introduction to Confronting Italy, Mediterranean Surface Actions in 1940. His particular area of expertise is the period 1860-1960 and he continues to undertake research, both on behalf of the Trust and in his own areas of interest. James Burnell-Nugent joined the Royal Navy at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in 1971 after the award of an Honours Degree in Mathematics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal while under naval general training and the Admiral Sir Max Horton Prize for excellence in submarine training. He commanded in every rank from Lieutenant to Admiral. After the "Perisher" qualifying course for submarine commanding officers, his first command was the conventional submarine HMS Olympus 1979-80. He then served on the staff at Dartmouth, teaching leadership, navigation and seamanship. This was followed, as a Lieutenant Commander, by command of the nuclear powered submarine HMS Conqueror 1984-86, carrying out many Cold War patrols hunting down Soviet ballistic missile submarines. After time in the MoD and the Joint Service Defence College, he had the triple command of the 2nd Frigate Squadron, the frigate HMS Brilliant and Captain Initial Sea Training 1992-93. As a Rear Admiral, Commander UK Maritime Forces 2001-02, he was in command of a large deployed RN Task Group at the time of the New York Twin Towers attack by Al Qaeda. Having opened his Headquarters alongside the US Navy in Bahrain, this then evolved into him being the Maritime Commander of the UK Joint Force and the Deputy Maritime Commander of the Coalition for the early stages of the campaign
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