After the Fall of France in 1940, nearly 340,000 allied troops were stranded at the French port of Dunkirk as the German military closed in. Churchill called what happened next a “miracle of deliverance.” Small civilian ships, along with military transports, brought the British army home. Of course, the story is now a blockbuster movie, which our guests say is pretty accurate. Thursday, historians John Broich and Matthew Booker join Doug to talk about the true story of Dunkirk.
Guests:
John Broich is a British Empire and World War II historian, and an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
- What's Fact and What's Fiction in Dunkirk, Slate.com
- Dunkirk survivors' terror didn't end when they were rescued, The Conversation.com
Matthew Booker is an Associate Professor of History at North Carolina State University
- Is Dunkirk Done Right? raleighco.com
Listen to oral histories of veterans of Dunkirk at the Imperial War Museums website:
- RAF Pilot Hugh Spencer Lisle Dundas, 616 Sqdn
- Alfred Tyers, Private, Durham Light Infantry
- Arthur William Joscelyne, Civilian who sailed for evacuation
- Harry Garrett, Gunner, 142 Bty 52nd Regt Royal Artillery
Find screenings of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk along the Wasatch Front.
