D u n k i r k - Reality vs Film

Reality

The Fall of France lasted for six weeks from 10 May 1940

Port of Dunkirk before the Battle - May 1940

The Battle of Dunkirk - 26 May – 4 June 1940

Embed from Getty Images

French Refugees

Winston Churchill had only been British Prime Minister for 16 days at the time of this event.

Casualties and losses
British 68,111 killed, wounded or captured (~3,500 killed) 63,879 vehicles including tanks and motorcycles 2,472 field guns 6 destroyers over 200 marine vessels over 100 aircraft[5][6] French 18 000 killed 35,000 captured 3 destroyers[7][8][9]	(Estimated) German  20,000 killed and wounded 100 tanks 156 aircraft[10]
Civilian casualties: 1,000 civilians killed during air raids

                               (source: Wikipedia)

Date	Evacuated from beaches	Evacuated Dunkirk Harbour	Total

27 May	–	7,669	7,669

28 May	5,390	11,874	17,804

29 May	13,752	33,558	47,310

30 May	29,512	24,311	53,823

31 May	22,942	45,072	68,014

1 June	17,348	47,081	64,429

2 June	6,695	19,561	26,256

3 June	1,870	24,876	26,746

4 June	622	25,553	26,175

Totals    98,671                 239,555          338,226

source: (Knickerbocker, H.R. (1941). Is Tomorrow Hitler's? 200 Questions On the Battle of Mankind. New York: Reynal & Hitchcock. OCLC 1246282.

                               

2017 Film

                                            *No Spoilers

After first-hand accounts of the Dunkirk evacuation revealed to Christopher Nolan how young and inexperienced the soldiers were, he decided to cast young and unknown actors for the beach setting.

The movie used over 50 boats on the sea. The most that's ever been put on film.

In creating of this film, director Christopher Nolan focused on the "real" of every aspect: putting an IMAX camera on the cockpit and wing of an actual Spitfire plane, floating cameramen around in the water with actors.

Director Christopher Nolan actually rode in the Spitfire shown in the movie in order to get a sense of the aerial feel of the fighter plane; with the purpose being to help him shoot and provide an authentically realistic experience of the dogfights for the audience.

In regards to the Battle of Dunkirk's importance, Christopher Nolan stated: "This is an essential moment in the history of the Second World War. If this evacuation had not been a success, Great Britain would have been obliged to capitulate. And the whole world would have been lost, or would have known a different fate: the Germans would undoubtedly have conquered Europe, the US would not have returned to war. It is a true point of rupture in war and in history of the world. A decisive moment. And the success of the evacuation allowed Churchill to impose the idea of a moral victory, which allowed him to galvanize his troops like civilians and to impose a spirit of resistance while the logic of this sequence should have been that of surrender. Militarily it is a defeat; on the human plane it is a colossal victory."

Do yourself the old favour.

An absolutely exceptional piece of film-making. 

More of an experience than a movie.

Dunkirk is literally flawless. It's tense throughout from the first second. No schmaltz. No traditional narrative.

No heroes. No villains. Merely human beings caught up in horrendous circumstances. 

I suggest you see it on the big screen, or on BluRay on the biggest screen possible. 

For further reading, look up Hitler's Halt Order. 

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