DUNKIRK

'The Epic Story of History's Most Extraordinary Evacuation' this now classic book was first published in 1980 and we are delighted to have this 2021 paperback reprint about how the miracle on the beaches saved a nation. It is the gripping account of one of the most famous episodes of the Second World War when, in May 1940, British and Allied troops on mainland Europe were in a perilous situation. Cut off and surrounded, they faced complete annihilation. It would have been a devastating blow, handing Europe to the Nazis, but over a few frantic days, the greatest evacuation in history managed to salvage hope, saving the army and hundreds of thousands of soldiers' lives. It was a pivotal and defining moment in the War, one Winston Churchill described as a 'miracle' in his 'We shall fight them on the beaches' speech. It was due in part to the calamitous government policy of the 1930s which cut armed forces to very low levels. John Harris interviewed Dunkirk and BEF veterans living near him on the south coast, now all gone, but never to be forgotten; these are the memories of those ordinary soldiers who lived through the Battle of France in 1940 and for some were part of the evacuation of Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk. In vivid detail Harris describes the evacuation on a day-by-day basis and destroys more than one myth associated with Dunkirk. Authentic atmosphere, first-hand recollections, the entire episode is seen in its tragic but spirited entirety. 267 page paperback, large print.