Dunkirk

David Boyle gives a day-by-day account of the crisis that trapped the British Expeditionary Force and Allied troops around Dunkirk in May and June 1940. The narrative combines the fighting retreat and defensive perimeter with the naval organisation of Operation Dynamo, the use of destroyers and civilian vessels, and the political decisions being taken in London as France collapsed.

Rather than treating Dunkirk simply as a national legend, the book emphasises exhaustion, confusion, casualties and the extraordinary logistical work required to evacuate hundreds of thousands of men. Admiral Bertram Ramsay’s headquarters at Dover provides one of the central organising perspectives, while the successful evacuation is placed within the larger military defeat in France.