Posted on 05/27/2013 12:37:33 AM PDT by Ron C.
In the early days of May 1940 German panzer forces overran Belgium and France, trapping the bulk of the British army against the sea – effectively creating what could have become the greatest military disaster in British history.
But God heard the prayers of the people of England, and soon many of those same people participated in what has become known as 'The Miracle at Dunkirk.'
There are many places to read about this historical event – but too often most accounts leave out the strong evidence that the ‘Hand of God’ played a large part of the story.
That part of story is best told here by David E. Gardner... in the telling of three distinct and unlikely miracles.
Let me know what you think... and it would be very nice if you also let the Author (website owner, I assume) know that you appreciate his efforts to tell this great story.
Elegy for Dunkirk performed by Jeff Beck, 2010.
There are many good Dunkirk documentaries on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/results?filters=long&search_query=dunkirk&lclk=long
Hard to believe that the article was about the same Country that today is a shell of its former self.
England today has Muslims running what is essentially a Sharia Country within a Country, a Socialist Government, a Bankrupt Health System and a disarmed Citizenry and Military.
God is alive and well and living in the hearts of all men of light who believe the truth. I have seen and felt Him doing great things.
Those were terrible and wonderful days and I an told that the English still celebrate this event.
True indeed, but the same can be said about our own nation, perhaps even more so.
If you ever run across a book called, “The Snow Goose” read it. I can’t think of what happened at Dunkirk without remembering this book. Note the date it was published so soon after the miracle of Dunkirk.
The Snow Goose is a simple, short written parable on the regenerative power of friendship and love, set against a backdrop of the horror of war. It documents the growth of a friendship between Philip Rhayader, an artist living a solitary life in an abandoned lighthouse in the marshlands of wartime Essex because of his disabilities, and a young local girl, Fritha. The Snow Goose, symbolic of both Rhayader (Gallico) and the world itself, wounded by gunshot and many miles from home, is found by Fritha and, as the human friendship blossoms, the bird is nursed back to flight, and revisits the lighthouse in its migration for several years, as Fritha grows up. Rhayader and his small sailboat eventually are lost in the British retreat from Dunkirk, having saved several hundred men. The bird, which was with Rhayader, returns briefly to the grown Fritha on the marshes. She interprets this as Rhayader’s soul taking farewell of her (and realizes she had come to love him). Afterwards, a German pilot destroys Rhayader’s lighthouse and all of his work, except for one portrait Fritha saves after his death: a painting of her as Rhayader first saw her—a child, with the wounded snow goose in her arms.
First published on April 7, 1941, The Snow Goose was one of the O. Henry Prize Winners in 1941. Critic Robert van Gelder called it “It is a timeless legend that makes use of every timeless appeal that could be crowded into it.” A public library put it on a list of “tearjerkers”. Gallico made no apologies, saying that in the contest between sentiment and ‘slime’, “sentiment remains so far out in front, as it always has and always will among ordinary humans that the calamity-howlers and porn merchants have to increase the decibels of their lamentations, the hideousness of their violence and the mountainous piles of their filth to keep in the race at all.”
Then again, God does have a way of clogging the ears of the wicked and making them do foolish things.
bttt
In high school we read the poem “Sarah P.” about a boy & his sister who take their small sailboat across the Channel to do their part in the Dunkirk rescue.
Too bad the generation of 1940 is mostly gone in Britain.
The group “camel” has a musical interpetation of the story. Give it a listen.
The Dunkirk story also reminds me of what I believe to be a clear act of God at the Battle of Midway. That battle all but decided the war in the Pacific by our pilots finding and sinking four Japanese carriers.
As I am sure many of you know, that battle included the unbelievable courage and sacrifice on the part of American pilots. It includes the story of our decisive “luck” and advantage for intel in the fact that we were able to intercept and decrypt Japan’s military messages. It includes the incredible fortitude and stamina of the American worker to make enough repairs on the USS Yorktown carrier in order for it to take part in the battle.
It also includes the epic mistake (and this, in my opinion, is the “Act of God” that swayed the outcome of the battle) by the Japanese commander Nagumo to order the second wave of planes already armed with torpedoes, to be disarmed of those and rearmed with bombs - then, when he received news from a Japanese scout plane that it had spotted the American fleet, Nagumo reversed his rearmament order to change from torpedoes to bombs BACK to torpedoes.
All this vacillating on armaments took time. American torpedoe planes attacked during this rearmament, but failed to make even one hit (in fact, every single American torpedoe plane was shot down), but then - at just the right moment, American dive bombers who appeared and attacked Nagumo’s carriers while the decks where covered with bombs, torpedoes, and fuel lines. In less than six minutes, three of the four Japanese carriers were reduced to flaming wrecks. The remaining Japanese carrier launched a counter attack that severely damaged Yorktown, but in turn that fourth carrier was attacked and sunk by American dive bombers.
The aftermath of this battle destroyed Japan’s naval offensive carrier capability from which they never recovered. The Japanese defeat at Midway ultimately led to the long road of victory for our forces. A truly incredible story of American courage and just plain “good luck” (and by that what I believe to be God’s intervention - but, that’s just my opinion).
Sorry for the misspell of “torpedo” with “torpedoe” - I was into the moment you might say.
Thanks. A great instumental interpretation of the story. So I listened to the music as I read the poem and the story again. Thanks to all. This community is truly a special place.
The poem about the Sarah P is called Dunkirk by Robert Nathan. Here is a link to the poem
http://voiceseducation.org/content/poetry-about-dunkirk-evacuation
Here’s the story in the Saturday Evening Post from November 1940.
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/the_snow_goose_paul_gallico.pdf
Anyone remember Mrs. Miniver? How about the scene were they are praying in the church, opps I mean Mosque. Great movie.
Paul Gallico, son of an immigrant from Trieste, Austria, wrote a number of short stories that were made into movies, including "The Poseidon Adventure." He was also a lover of cats, the subject of many of his stories.
In about a week, we will be celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Midway.
While working for Nokia a few weeks ago, I was asked to interview a college intern who was interested in working over the summer.
As the interview started I realized I was talking to a transplant from England to New England. To break the ice of the interview I told her I knew little about England but had many questions I would like to ask her at a later time.
At the end of the interview I asked her if she had any more questions and she said just one. What would I like to know about England?
I said I had heard about the battle of Dunkirk and how courageous the people had been, banding together in a short time and taking all their little boats across the sea to save their soldiers and loved ones. And I asked was this still celebrated in England? Did they still make a big deal about it?
Her face lit up and she said, “Oh yes it is indeed. It’s a very wonderful story. My Grandfather had a small boat, but the engine was broken, but he still got to use it. They tugged it along with another larger boat.” I could feel a certain Spirit light up that room as she told her personal story about her Grandfather and the Miracle of Dunkirk.
Nice story. Thanks for sharing it with us.
So very many tales that prove that over and over again.
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