The real heroes of Dunkirk never get the credit. It was the French 1st Army, France’s best unit, that fought it out inland with the German 6th Army so that the British would be able to get off the beaches at Dunkirk.
Absolutely, without them there wouldn’t be a story.
You are correct. The French and British rear guards are what saved the day. Without their sacrifices, the German infantry would have been in the British troops on the beaches.