
The evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk is one of the pivotal moments in the Second World War
- an astonishing endeavour that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Sent to help the Belgians & French hold back the German army the small British Expeditionary Force was ill-equipped & under-trained When Hitler attacked on 10 May 1940 & the French & Belgian armies collapsed in the face of Germany&s swift & brutal advance the British soldiers found themselves in mortal danger In Dunkirk Retreat to Victory Major General Julian Thompson recreates the action as the British fought hard for three desperate weeks conducting a successful fighting withdrawal in the face of a formidable foe He describes the individual acts of bravery & sacrifice & analyses the decisions of the commanders who made the choice to evacuate He also takes us to Dunkirk harbour & onto the beaches where the British army was trapped & under attack while the Royal Navy & the &little ships& raced against time to rescue them A masterly work of military history Dunkirk Retreat to Victory is also a tribute to the soldiers whose courage & self belief sustained them through their darkest hours