Posted on 08/07/2017 4:35:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
The RAF could not afford to defend Dunkirk airspace. They had the Battle of Britain to get ready for.
RAF pilots shot down would be lost. Whereas during the Battle of Britain it was the German pilots lost when shot down due to the Brits’ controlling much of the English channel.
How do you portray soldiers, defeated in battle, and facing death, in a more favorable light than the calm order of waiting in line for their potential salvation?
Justa,
You are correct and have given another reason that the troops on the ground didn’t know.
Frank
Air support was absolutely limited as the RAF needed to hoard its supply of fighters to meet the certain Luftwaffe attacks and possible invasion. Warships larger than DDs were not sent to Dunkirk. The port was small andlarger ships could not maneuver to avoid the Stukas.
As for his portrayal of the Tommies I think it was very realistic. Men want to survive, especially those who have just been beaten six ways from Sunday. But there was still discipline among them as they stood in line.
The review echoes my feelings if this film.
But, lest we forget - on orders from on high, direct from Berlin - the panzers were stopped short.
I rarely go to movies, but I had to see this one. I went with some decidedly senior British friends. We all loved it. The movie was done very well, telling the story from the eyes of the soldiers trying to live through it - also from a pilot’s view - and that of a civilian.
Well done indeed.
If you didn’t know anything about Dunkirk, you won’t know much more afterwards. Waste of time.
Yes Churchill did withhold assets because the RN needed modern destroyers for the convoys and the big ships had to be ready to stop an invasion. The RAF had limited time over the beaches, 1 maybe 2 sorties per plane per day vs 4-5 sorties per plane for Luftwaffe. Also he needed enough to defend Britain. The French army lost more men defending France after Dunkirk than before Dunkirk
The area chosen for the evacuation was surrounded by marsh and was seperated by a canal that was flooded as the defensive lines were set up. Apparently very difficult to get tanks through the area.
So Hitler went with air power and lost a lot of aircraft to the spitfires. I think it was a logical decision on his part.
There were two or three world-changing events in the last century, and Dunkirk (and the time surrounding it) was one of them.
For instance, Guderian halted his Panzers, allowing the Brits and French to reinforce Dunkirk and the escape to happen. If he keeps pushing, it's likely that the pocket is more or less annihilated, and the Brits sue for peace. Or, are wiped out themselves. Either way, America and Germany likely arrive at a negotiated armistice, with America probably getting the worst of it.
IMO, and there's always room for discussion, Dunkirk was the moment in time that irrevocably changed the direction of world history.
“Dunkirk” has become controversial:
Why the lack of Indian and African faces in Dunkirk matters: The blockbuster purports to be a historical portrayal, but in fact it’s a whitewash. And these decisions help corrode societal attitudes — The Guardian, August 1, 2017
‘Dunkirk’ Sparks Debate in India Over Failure to Show Soldiers From the Country — Hollywood Reporter, July 28, 2017
Does Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk ignore the role of the Indian army? — BBC, July 27, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40724861
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk forgot the Indian soldiers’ contribution, but does it matter? — Hindustan Times, July 25, 2017
How Nolan forgot the desis at Dunkirk — The Times of India, July 23, 2017
At that time the German engineers, having prepared for the "low countries" had ample "bridging equipment." Not quite the Bailey bridges in 1944-45, but still easy-peasy.
“So Proudly We Hail” (1943) remains one of the best films to depict and honor the sacrifices of women during WWII. Starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake as front-line Army nurses in the opening months of the war in the Philippines who confront impossible odds, caring for ever-mounting casualties with every dwindling supplies and facilities.
The movie does include the requisite 40s-era romantic storylines, but tender moments are fleeting and depicted realistically. All the more to emphasize these nurses had to be tough and thorougly professional to cope with extraordinarily demanding circumstances for which no amount of training could have prepared them.
I though “So Proudly....” was as good as Mrs Miniver. Even though it didn’t win as many Oscars.
The later came to mind 1st because it included her civilian husband’s participation in the Dunkirk evacuation.
The sort of realism that totally eludes the dimwitted PC crusaders like the bitching Bonner critic.
I’ve got the 1958 version on DVD. Great movie! John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee (M).
"War is a series of calamities that result in victory."
The ending of "Katyn" is the one that most got to me. It's probably a good thing there weren't any Russians in my immediate vicinity after I saw it.
Six British and three French destroyers were sunk, along with nine other major vessels. In addition, 19 destroyers were damaged. Over 200 British and Allied sea craft were sunk, with a similar number damaged. The Royal Navy’s most significant losses in the operation were six destroyers:
Grafton, sunk by U-62 on 29 May
Grenade, sunk by air attack at Dunkirk on 29 May
Wakeful, sunk by a torpedo from the E-boat S-30 on 29 May
Basilisk, Havant, and Keith, sunk by air attack off the beaches on 1 June
The French Navy lost three destroyers:
Bourrasque, mined off Nieuport on 30 May
Sirocco, sunk by the E-boats S-23 and S-26 on 31 May
Le Foudroyant, sunk by air attack off the beaches on 1 June
The RAF lost 145 aircraft, of which at least 42 were Spitfires, while the Luftwaffe lost 156 aircraft in operations in the nine days of Operation Dynamo. The Royal Navy claimed the destruction of 35 Luftwaffe aircraft during the period from 27 May to 1 June and damage to another 21 aircraft. Aircraft losses from 10 May until the fall of France were 959 for the British and 1,279 for the Germans.
“People like this need to be subjugated, disempowered, and then forced to make a man a sandwich.”
Not a bad start.
L
I saw the film and simply I am satisfied, as it is a wonderful tribute. That after all these years, so much time and effort to remember this action.
Please excuse the ramble.
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