Dunkirk: The Epic Story of History's Most Extraordinary Evacuation

By John Harris

How the miracle on the beaches saved a nation. A gripping account of one of the most famous episodes of the Second World War

In May 1940 British and Allied troops on mainland Europe were in a perilous situation: cut off and surrounded, at the conclusion of the bloody Battle of France they faced complete annihilation. It would be 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 total destruction of the army and hundreds of thousands of soldiers lives. It was a pivotal and defining moment in the war, one Churchill described as a ‘miracle’ in his ‘we shall fight them on the beaches’ speech.

Bestselling author John Harris describes in vivid detail how the evacuation developed on a day-by-day basis, and destroys more than one myth associated with Dunkirk. Packed with authentic atmosphere and first-hand recollections, the retreat and the desperate lifting of the weary British expeditionary force is seen in its tragic but spirited entirety, an epic of courage and confusion without parallel.

Perfect for readers of James Holland and Guy Walters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Canelo History
• Release date: Oct 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781800325609

John Harris

John Harris, author of Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock, has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q, The Independent, NME, Select, and New Statesmen. He lives in Hay on Wye, England.