It is gratifying to hear a young American give an accurate explanation about Dunkirk especially when he mentioned ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ and the vital French rearguard action. I grew up with men who were at Dunkirk in 1940 but who sadly are no longer with us. Cheers mate.
Well it's not a major part of our history, and it's not a particularly glamorous episode like the Battle of Britain. I don't expect British people to know what the Donner party was.
@Nathan Uncharted Drake: I'm British and was taught about the Donner parties winter eating habits, also the Baker-Fancher party, that last one would make a good film.
Also, the Piermaster of the East Mole, was a forgotten Canadian named James Campbell Clouston. He's not mentioned in the movie (Sir Kenneth Brannagh plays his part) but he worked that pier for 5 days straight and is credited with loading over 200,000 soldiers on boats. Sadly, he lost his life on the last day. A true hero of the Dunkirk evacuation, a Canadian who has never been given proper recognition for his efforts there. Look him up!
The thing no one wants to admit is the French were a lot better fighters than we think. I recall one British officer compared the French around the region of Dunkirk along the lines of the Spartan 300. One of the reason the Germans halted was because they still had to fight their way through the French lines. Moreover, the power of airpower could solely win a war was still toyed around at the time, so they thought that perhaps they felt their air force could destroy the allies evacuation. This my opinion but to me this makes sense a lot better than Hitler hoping they might get a chance to make peace with the Brits.
My uncle was at Dunkirk. He waited in line on the beach, was strafed by aircraft and blokes in front of him and behind were killed; he was eventually picked up by a boat which was subsequently blown out of the water; he started swimming for home and was picked up by another boat and brought home 'safely'. After which, he was put on a charge for losing his rifle and kit! He was on half pay until he had paid it back.
PAt, there was no such thing as the "English Navy" it was the Royal Navy and no, no one had to pay for lost weapons, that is myth, nonsense and apocrypha and sheer lies
Natasha Vonoskabaya It depends what beach. Some like Utah were met with relatively small resistance. However, Juno beach and especially Omaha beach were much worse.
The royal air force was actually fighting the Germans quite a bit during the evacuation, but they were fighting far away of shore so the soldiers on the beach couldn't see them.
I saw the movie last night. I must say that I was quite impressed with the obvious and painstaking attention to technical details. I'm ex-Canadian Army (not WW2 but after). I didn't see a single M1, Springfield 1903 or Enfield Mk IV in the bunch but rather all were equipped with the venerable Enfield Mk III which was historically accurate. The web gear was also period correct and worn properly which is rare to see in modern movies. Many times, due to the logistics and cost involved with being technically accurate, many production companies opt for the more cost-effective method of using what is available for the right price. Well done.
My grandfather was in Dunkirk. This movie successfully portrays the horror and bravery of these men. Like so many, he was older (39) when he was deployed with the British Expeditionary Force.
My great grandfather was older too when he deployed with the US Army. He was on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge until he took two bullets. He survived, but was out after that.
Might just add that it was not only the French who formed the rearguard at Dunkirk but elements of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as well. The opening scenes of the movie doesn't really give that impression, but also doesn't detract remembering the movie is fiction based on wider fact. The BEF was only 10% of the Allied forces, who were mostly French, and the fighting was going on across a much wider front than just Dunkirk. The Germans broke through the French army at Sedan and moved up behind the French and British to the Channel, encircling them. The BEF lost over 60,000 men in France out of a total force of around 280,000. The 60,000 included dead and POW's, most of whom had been attached to the rearguard action. During the evacuation Churchill sent two British divisions to France to shore up French resolve to continue the war, and form a second British Expeditionary Force. The French signed an armistice with Hitler. The evacuation rescued 340,000 soldiers of which over 100,000 were French. The British lost all their equipment in France but continued the war. The soldiers that were saved at Dunkirk formed the core of the British forces that contributed to the liberation of Europe and other places including in the Far East. The French forces saved by the evacuation formed the Free French forces under de Gaulle!
The french force evacuated during the evacuation were send back to France 48h after arriving to England and fought on french soil until the armistice. The free french was formed after the armistice late June 1940.
The 'Pearl Harbor' movie was a stench in the nostrils of good movies and has been an embarrassment to the United States every since it came out. Unfairly, as it was the personal schlock fantasy of Michael Bay, not particularly successful, and universally panned by critics.
Rudi Davies astro physics actually can cause an event that makes it seem like you can. Depending on the weather, you can see the reflection of land on the water, making England technically visible to the naked eye.
I went to watch Dunkirk in the cinema yesterday, and when the adverts and trailers started one of the first adverts was for world of warships and me and my friend just looked at each other and both said that was tasteless
Great little review of history here. Thanks for giving credit to the French for their role in defending the evacuation. Too many English-language versions of the story give almost no mention of it. Some small critiques: The allies built fortresses, not trenches; Your map of the German advance in 1940 is really a map of the German WWI plan; Your map showing German advances showed their maximum conquest. It might have been better to find a map that showed their 1940 situation. But that's just nit-picking. it's a very good video. Keep up the great work!
Some of your research isn't correct. The French and British knew that the Germans were going to attack through Belgium and the Netherlands so they put a huge amount of troops at the border of France and Belgium to defend against the impending German advance. While correct, they weakened the front lines around the ardennes forest and the Germans were able to spearhead through that weak point. Scattering to cover the front lines weakened the lines on the Belgium border causing the French and British to become unorganized and on constant retreat. They were then encircled on the beaches and city of Dunkirk.
I rather think, Bf 109D or E models are no longer in flying condition unless still used in Spain, cf "Battle of Britain", movie, 1969. P-51 one however are still flyable unless these are CGG (computer generated) but then one would use the Bf 109 with the correct configuration for May , 1940 (and squadron markings:) Cheers
Definitely P-51D's in that shot in this video. They were definitely Bf-109's in the movie. Which were either Hispano Buchon HA-1112 (Spanish Bf-109s with Merlin Engines that were CGI out to look like DB-605 engines) or completely CGI like the HE-111's and Stukas
I think the P-51Ds in German markings are from the 1948 movie Fighter Squadron, where they're made up to presumably look like Me-109s fighting USAAF P-47s.
Dad went to France on the 2nd of April 1940 with the 1/5 Queens Royal West Surreys After marching 30 miles a day to Dunkirk and after standing in the sea Dad thought it was pointless and went back to the beach .and on the 31st May 1940 Dad got off the mole onto HMS Malcolm,HMS MALCOLM sustained damage to her bow when she collided with the pier at Dunkirk. HMS Malcolm was one of the ships that Granddad was on in the 1920s Dad was put on a train to anywhere ,but it stopped at Woking station , he said he thought he could have got off and walked home.never to be seen again , but he stayed on and ended up on Salisbury
My dad too, he was in the Queens Own West Kents, at Doullens they were cut off and surrounded by the first armoured division and the best weapon they had was a bren gun which was not very effective against tanks so had to retreat. Unfortunately he did not make it to Dunkirk he ran into a luger when he was exiting a French farmhouse so became a prisoner for the rest of the war, 5 years of forced marches in the depth of winter, forced labour and starvation, but at least he survived which is more then can be said for many thousands of others in WWII.
And a population explosion of 12 million forced labourers abducted from conquered countries did not help, one things for sure the stalag personnel were not starving.
has a ex member of the rnr (royal Navy Reserve) i was looking forward to seeing it has i had watched the original one with John Mills i only watched 5 min's of the film on tv turned it off
I saw Dunkirk and I would recommend it to anyone. Very touching account of what happened. I wish the movie had shown German Navy Vessels but I understand the budget would have been blown out of the water. GO SEE THE MOVIE!
Hitler ordering a halt at Dunkirk and sparing 400,000 allied troops is a testament to the fact that he was NOTHING like the way he's portrayed in conventional history books (which of course was written by the victors- ie. the Allies). It proves that in fact he wasn't the worst monster that ever lived, but rather that he was incredibly humane and compassionate. Simply becuase, such a generous gesture of kindness was totally against German interests during the war. If we were to believe the official narrative of course, such a decision would have been nothing short of imbecility of epic proportions! We should all question the official version of WW2 history instead of swallowing it hook, line and sinker people!
Omg, I love how this was sponsored by world of tanks! Genius! I'm glad you guys did the background story. I saw the trailer on the theater and was like "dunkirk!" 5 seconds in. I'm glad you guys are explaining it much better than I can, i can just forward your video lol. Bonus points for no settler references
Nolan clearly said that, with regards to authenticity, his intention was to convey a feeling of authenticity, and not focus on practical details, the kind that tear the innernet apart.
Often overlooked hero of Dunkirk: The task of pier-master was given to James Campbell Clouston. He was born and raised in Montreal, attended McGill and joined the Royal Navy in 1918. By 1940 he had risen to the rank of commander and was highly regarded by both his subordinates and fellow officers. Since his own ship was under repair, Clouston offered to help with the catastrophic situation unfolding at Dunkirk. He assumed the role of pier-master on Day 3 and remained at his post near the tip of the mole for the next five days and nights. Armed only with a loud-hailer and a pistol (which he had to employ at least once to restore order) Clouston ushered more than 200,000 onto ships moored next to the precarious mole. A CBC film crew interviewed many evacuees for a 50th anniversary documentary film in 1990. Multiple survivors recalled a remarkable Navy officer who spoke with a Canadian accent and had an uncanny ability to keep everyone calm.
The French definitely formed a Rearguard, but it should be pointed out that The Oxford & Bucks light Infantry and the Durham Fusiliers were also part of the rearguard, and were captured. The members of the Oxford & Bucks that captured Pegasus Bridge on D-Day, and the elements of the Durham Fusiliers that formed part of !st Airborne on the Bridge at Arnhem in 1944, were all recruited after Dunkirk. 38% of those evacuated were French.
Again... Dunkirk was not a fuckin miracle. Nolan's movie isn't even close the real truth. French were outnumbered 1 to 20, and they stood their ground until mission was accomplished. Saving the english army. British officers saluted the french soldiers when they landed in english ports.
Someone else may have noted this, but the photo at 1:14 where Mr. Voss' voiceover mentions "German commanders", the accompanying photo is actually of members of the allied military leadership, not German. Also, I could swear one of the photos of German aircraft are actually American P51 Mustangs with Luftwaffe markings applied (They couldn't have even used captured aircraft since the US didn't enter the fighting in Europe until July 1943, and I doubt Germany would put American equipment into line service). I know it can be hard to get live action shots for films that cover older wars, but when the crew choose to use incorrect equipment, it really pulls one out of the suspension of disbelief, provided one knows the equipment is improper. Likewise with uniform wear and insignia. "Saving Private Ryan" was actually better in that regard... still looking forward to seeing this film though.
Official numbers from Operation Dynamo based on Churchill's account of WWII: 338,226 men rescued from Dunkirk, including 26,175 French just on June 4. Over May 31 and June 1, more than 132,000 men were rescued from Dunkirk, and one third of those by civilian ships. By June 2, all the British were evacuated, yet Operation Dynamo continued for two more days in order to rescue as many French as possible.
One detail I found impressive was Nolan's handling of the Little Ships' story. Some sources say that they were mostly comandeered by the Royal Navy and crewed by navy men; other sources say they were mostly crewed by the boats' owners. I have been unable to determine which is true. Mr. Dawson's 'escape' from Ramsgate let that detail be ambiguous, and still let us see civilians' bravery.
some were manned rn personel has the navy did not want the cicies to put them selves in danger but eventually allows the civies go with their boats after filling out a form for civilain worked under rn regs
Powerful. There weren't any specific characters by name. I interpreted this to mean no one was any more or less important than another. Sound effects via movie and theater were incredible. My headrest shook and I held on to my seat. I appreciated how the movie showed the frustration and flaws of emerging from a dire situation. I intend to see it again. I'm also looking forward to Darkest Hour coming this November which is about Winston Churchill.
There were heros on three sides of those beaches; the great private fleet retrieving the BEF to the north, the heroic French rear guards to the south, and the fighter pilots of the RAF above.
the raf were never over the beach but miles in land led by a south african officer called malarie who would later form the big wing in the battle of britan
There are some details that are missing like the capitulation of the Belgians that opened up a massive hole in teh allied lines. Even with the mistakes made by the BEF and French in that portion of the line.. the killer was losing the 20 mile section that the Belgians were responsible for. Further, Army Group A was held off pretty well by the the French Army regulars. They had a chance but were let down by their leaders in the end. Army Group B blew right through that aforementioned gap that was opened up and cut the allied lines in half. The more I learn about what happened the more I think the German Blitzkrieg was no where near unstoppable but heavily relied on poor leadership of their enemy and quite honestly.. some good old fashioned luck.
Forgot to mention soldiers of colonies Like Indian soldiers who were used as a scapegoat but still survived and managed to hold German forces so that ungrateful Britishers could go home.
at 4:10 P51 Mustangs in the German air force? At the end of the move as the spitfire burns, the bonnet burns off and....theres no engine inside, just a rod connected to the propeller.
Nolan, in my personal opinion, is the greatest director of all time. From his first film, The Following, to Dunkirk. Each one has played an incredible part in his career. In Memento, he told the story in a non-linear format which made the film so much more interesting than just another average movie. He used non-linear storytelling in Dunkirk which made this story even more intriguing. But all in all, Dunkirk like all other Christopher Nolan films, was a masterpiece!
Very nice work, with diligent research. I'm no expert, but I've read that U-boats weren't much of a factor. Over 200 British/French vessels sunk, but the culprits were mostly Luftwaffe and E-boats.
He did confuse things there, lol. The English Channel is plenty deep enough for U-boats and Destroyers. I think he meant the channel into Dunkirk it's self. They had to load troops from The Mole as there was a deep water channel for big ships. The big ships could not get close enough to the beaches because the water became too shallow and they couldn't risk grounding (like the trawler the soldiers climbed into). There were not enough small boats to ferry troops from the beach out to the waiting ships. There were stories of soldiers drowning trying to swim out to them. Once the 'small ship' fleet arrived, many could get in close to the men, some made several trips taking men back to England, some stayed as long as they could, going to and from the beach and larger ship waiting further out. I hope my rambling comments have made this clearer. :-)
I always find it so cute and funny when someone who doesn’t speak German says Luftwaffe or Blitzkrieg or anything else (I’m from Germany btw haha) you did a great job explaining everything and the movie was just amazing loved it
Darkest Hour vs. Dunkirk - Two different approaches to script writing and directing, but same epic historical narrative. Gary Oldman's finest performance as Winston Churchill - Oscar material.
The movie was incredibly intense, from the first minute until the last. The only thing missing for me was that there should have been a little more story told of how the troops ended up in that corner of France.
The only thing missing in that movie are the French! 35 00 brave french soldiers who stood alone against 150 000 germans,and the only characters in this movie are british waiting on a beach... Such a joke,a very bad one!
I only wish Nolan would give a few minutes to set the stage for movie goers that do not have the historical background of, "The Miracle of Dunkirk". Nothing was said of King George VI calling for a national day of prayer when the annihilation of the British troops seemed inevitable. The country prayed followed by three "coincidental" events: (1) Hitler stopped his advancing troops, (2) A storm of unprecedented fury broke over Flanders on Tuesday, 28 May, (1940) grounding the German Luftwaffe squadrons and enabling the British army formations, now eight to twelve miles from Dunkirk, to move up on foot to the coast in the darkness of the storm and the violence of the rain, with scarcely any interruption from aircraft, which were unable to operate in such turbulent conditions. (3) Despite the storm in Flanders, a great calm-such as has rarely been experienced-settled over the English Channel during the days which followed, and its waters became as still as a mill pond. The movie showed only about 25 private boats coming for 400,000 troops. A spitfire pilot said that, from the sky, it looked like so many boats were in the channel that a person could have walked across the channel without getting wet!
The Nolan movie was an artistic presentation, with a focus on portraying the bleak experience of the Brits on the beach. It was reserved in not trying to go beyond that. I found it a very aesthetically effective movie but I prefer more meticulous, accurate historical movies like Tora! Tora! Tora!. If there is one thing I feel everyone should take from the Nolan movie, it is to learn more about the war; taken together with the rest of the memory we have of the war, I think it was a great movie.
The 1958 version, with John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee, is better in terms of the overall scope of Dunkirk. Unfortunately it has been forgotten about for quite awhile now.
No one else think it's weird how this video is sponsored by a war game? "Learn the history then re-enact it yourself with tanks that kill and destroy! Yay!!"
Does anyone have a good explanation as to why Hardy's character landed his plane on enemy ground and let himself get captured? I mean he fought so hard and well and could have ditched his plane in the sea and hoped for a rescue...
There is a brief mentioning of why the tanks arent in the movie. I think the real reason is that Christopher Nolan blew most of the budget on the U-Boat explosions and the Dogfights.
Pretty cool how the commander in Dunkirk just so happened to be Sator in Nolan's Tenet movie, just like Sir Micheal Cain was in it :) watch Tenet if you haven't it's great.
It is gratifying to hear a young American give an accurate explanation about Dunkirk especially when he mentioned ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ and the vital French rearguard action. I grew up with men who were at Dunkirk in 1940 but who sadly are no longer with us. Cheers mate.
John R I'm really amazed that the stars have to explain the history of the thing on US chat shows.
Well it's not a major part of our history, and it's not a particularly glamorous episode like the Battle of Britain. I don't expect British people to know what the Donner party was.
It is for Canadian history
@Nathan Uncharted Drake: I'm British and was taught about the Donner parties winter eating habits, also the Baker-Fancher party, that last one would make a good film.
Well said John.
My great grandfather spoiled the movie for me by saying "I'll tell how the movie ends I live".
Average grandpa lore. Love it!
That’s cold
That's hilarious,
Also, the Piermaster of the East Mole, was a forgotten Canadian named James Campbell Clouston. He's not mentioned in the movie (Sir Kenneth Brannagh plays his part) but he worked that pier for 5 days straight and is credited with loading over 200,000 soldiers on boats. Sadly, he lost his life on the last day. A true hero of the Dunkirk evacuation, a Canadian who has never been given proper recognition for his efforts there. Look him up!
Also worth mentioning - the French Army comprised most of the rear-guard protecting the beaches at Dunkirk.-
and that's the main point : around 20000 french die to allow the english to return to england and the english said "it's a miracle"....disgusting
The thing no one wants to admit is the French were a lot better fighters than we think. I recall one British officer compared the French around the region of Dunkirk along the lines of the Spartan 300. One of the reason the Germans halted was because they still had to fight their way through the French lines. Moreover, the power of airpower could solely win a war was still toyed around at the time, so they thought that perhaps they felt their air force could destroy the allies evacuation. This my opinion but to me this makes sense a lot better than Hitler hoping they might get a chance to make peace with the Brits.
Yes some French units gave all! but some are forgetting the Battle of Arras which made the Germans think twice!
The greatest fucked up military miracles of the war.
The speech at the end had me in tears.
Georges death hit me hard being 16 and him being 17, I teared up after that amazing movie
Alex didn't even seem to care what Tommy is saying.
MrJJuK ikr the films ending is really touching
"We shall never surrender"
MrJJuK No miracle,only some 35000 Frenchmen defending the perimeter...
My uncle was at Dunkirk. He waited in line on the beach, was strafed by aircraft and blokes in front of him and behind were killed; he was eventually picked up by a boat which was subsequently blown out of the water; he started swimming for home and was picked up by another boat and brought home 'safely'.
After which, he was put on a charge for losing his rifle and kit! He was on half pay until he had paid it back.
graceygrumble did he also shot lighting out of his ass to???
These bastards at the top are really something aren't they?
Unbelievable. Glad he made it back.
Wow. Miracle he made it out.
Was D Day as bad as Hollywood made it out to be?
PAt, there was no such thing as the "English Navy" it was the Royal Navy and no, no one had to pay for lost weapons, that is myth, nonsense and apocrypha and sheer lies
Natasha Vonoskabaya It depends what beach. Some like Utah were met with relatively small resistance. However, Juno beach and especially Omaha beach were much worse.
Von Manstein :" In Dunkirk, the British fought to the last standing Frenchman." Says it all
History class with Eric Voss
the British army ran away from the German army and this somehow is portrayed as a victory. lol
Good effort but as a 'history class' which it isn't
The royal air force was actually fighting the Germans quite a bit during the evacuation, but they were fighting far away of shore so the soldiers on the beach couldn't see them.
I'm a history teacher, and I'll be showing this in my class! Perfectly concise.
John McNeill u cool
U are the history teacher we all need
As a history major, I was so happy to see this notification
thedarlingdiva same. military major
thedarlingdiva same major major
I saw the movie last night. I must say that I was quite impressed with the obvious and painstaking attention to technical details. I'm ex-Canadian Army (not WW2 but after). I didn't see a single M1, Springfield 1903 or Enfield Mk IV in the bunch but rather all were equipped with the venerable Enfield Mk III which was historically accurate. The web gear was also period correct and worn properly which is rare to see in modern movies. Many times, due to the logistics and cost involved with being technically accurate, many production companies opt for the more cost-effective method of using what is available for the right price. Well done.
My grandfather was in Dunkirk. This movie successfully portrays the horror and bravery of these men. Like so many, he was older (39) when he was deployed with the British Expeditionary Force.
My great grandfather was older too when he deployed with the US Army. He was on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge until he took two bullets. He survived, but was out after that.
What bravery they ran like chicken
Might just add that it was not only the French who formed the rearguard at Dunkirk but elements of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as well. The opening scenes of the movie doesn't really give that impression, but also doesn't detract remembering the movie is fiction based on wider fact.
The BEF was only 10% of the Allied forces, who were mostly French, and the fighting was going on across a much wider front than just Dunkirk. The Germans broke through the French army at Sedan and moved up behind the French and British to the Channel, encircling them. The BEF lost over 60,000 men in France out of a total force of around 280,000. The 60,000 included dead and POW's, most of whom had been attached to the rearguard action.
During the evacuation Churchill sent two British divisions to France to shore up French resolve to continue the war, and form a second British Expeditionary Force. The French signed an armistice with Hitler.
The evacuation rescued 340,000 soldiers of which over 100,000 were French. The British lost all their equipment in France but continued the war. The soldiers that were saved at Dunkirk formed the core of the British forces that contributed to the liberation of Europe and other places including in the Far East.
The French forces saved by the evacuation formed the Free French forces under de Gaulle!
Don't forget the rear-guard included Canadians in those "British divisions".
Nor forget the Scottish 51st Highland Division, 10,000 of whom surrendered at St. Valery after Dunkirk.
The french force evacuated during the evacuation were send back to France 48h after arriving to England and fought on french soil until the armistice. The free french was formed after the armistice late June 1940.
Sounds more faithful than Pearl Harbor...
Ha! Pearl Harbor has nothing on Dunkirk.
My ex girlfriend was more faithful than Pearl Harbor.
The 'Pearl Harbor' movie was a stench in the nostrils of good movies and has been an embarrassment to the United States every since it came out. Unfairly, as it was the personal schlock fantasy of Michael Bay, not particularly successful, and universally panned by critics.
Everette Bradfute The Micheal Bay one?
watch "Tora, Tora, Tora" or red "Day of Infamy" by Walter Lord or "At Dawn We Slept" Gordon Prange good starting material:) Cheers
Two new rockstars posts in one day?
Must be my lucky day
Pranav Kumar it should be three with the walking dead season 8 comicon trailer analysis being the third post
Ha! We wish! Takes us a few days to turn them around, but it's definitely coming!
New Rockstars replied! This is awesome! Early Congrats on getting to 1 million!
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U cant see England from Dunkirk no matter the weather
Rudi Davies astro physics actually can cause an event that makes it seem like you can. Depending on the weather, you can see the reflection of land on the water, making England technically visible to the naked eye.
He never said it was visible in the movie he said. We can almost see it
I went to watch Dunkirk in the cinema yesterday, and when the adverts and trailers started one of the first adverts was for world of warships and me and my friend just looked at each other and both said that was tasteless
Great little review of history here. Thanks for giving credit to the French for their role in defending the evacuation. Too many English-language versions of the story give almost no mention of it.
Some small critiques: The allies built fortresses, not trenches; Your map of the German advance in 1940 is really a map of the German WWI plan; Your map showing German advances showed their maximum conquest. It might have been better to find a map that showed their 1940 situation.
But that's just nit-picking. it's a very good video. Keep up the great work!
Some of your research isn't correct. The French and British knew that the Germans were going to attack through Belgium and the Netherlands so they put a huge amount of troops at the border of France and Belgium to defend against the impending German advance. While correct, they weakened the front lines around the ardennes forest and the Germans were able to spearhead through that weak point. Scattering to cover the front lines weakened the lines on the Belgium border causing the French and British to become unorganized and on constant retreat. They were then encircled on the beaches and city of Dunkirk.
some? you mean alot
So amazing that this is still so vital!
at 4:09 the picture of the planes are P-51 Mustangs (an American fighter) in German markings
I rather think, Bf 109D or E models are no longer in flying condition unless still used in Spain, cf "Battle of Britain", movie, 1969. P-51 one however are still flyable unless these are CGG (computer generated) but then one would use the Bf 109 with the correct configuration for May , 1940 (and squadron markings:) Cheers
The picture depicts captured P-51s which were pressed into service by the Germans.
I saw that as well. Definitely the North American P-51 with German markings
Definitely P-51D's in that shot in this video. They were definitely Bf-109's in the movie. Which were either Hispano Buchon HA-1112 (Spanish Bf-109s with Merlin Engines that were CGI out to look like DB-605 engines) or completely CGI like the HE-111's and Stukas
I think the P-51Ds in German markings are from the 1948 movie Fighter Squadron, where they're made up to presumably look like Me-109s fighting USAAF P-47s.
Dad went to France on the 2nd of April 1940 with the 1/5 Queens Royal West Surreys
After marching 30 miles a day to Dunkirk and after standing in the sea Dad thought it was pointless and went back to the beach .and on the
31st May 1940
Dad got off the mole onto HMS Malcolm,HMS MALCOLM sustained damage to her bow when she collided with the pier at Dunkirk.
HMS Malcolm was one of the ships that Granddad was on in the 1920s
Dad was put on a train to anywhere ,but it stopped at Woking station , he said he thought he could have got off and walked home.never to be seen again , but he stayed on and ended up on Salisbury
rodden1953 p
My dad too, he was in the Queens Own West Kents, at Doullens they were cut off and surrounded by the first armoured division and the best weapon they had was a bren gun which was not very effective against tanks so had to retreat.
Unfortunately he did not make it to Dunkirk he ran into a luger when he was exiting a French farmhouse so became a prisoner for the rest of the war, 5 years of forced marches in the depth of winter, forced labour and starvation, but at least he survived which is more then can be said for many thousands of others in WWII.
Starvation due to our allied bombers.
Made it impossible to feed anyone.
Even the Germans.
And a population explosion of 12 million forced labourers abducted from conquered countries did not help, one things for sure the stalag personnel were not starving.
Damn, he was lucky to get away. It's good to hear small, personal stories like this- that's why I like comments like these. Respect.
I saw Dunkirk! It was awesome! Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan did amazing
Michael Greenwald it was a masterpiece. It was Nolan best work.
Hitler could have used the tanks or his planes to easily destroy the British army. He chose not to
Michael Greenwald i saw it today it brings tons of history but the ending is pretty touching
@@hushhush461 What about the French resistance to protect Dunkerque and the Battle of Arras?
This film is awesome for uneducated stupid people
Not too shabby, good video.
this movie might just be the best movie out this year
Movie was incredible
has a ex member of the rnr (royal Navy Reserve) i was looking forward to seeing it has i had watched the original one with John Mills i only watched 5 min's of the film on tv turned it off
Uh, the "Luftwaffe" planes shown at 4:08 are actually P-51 Mustangs. What's up with that?
The used a clip from a movie made in the 50s or 60s...I cant recall the name right now.
Got any BF 109s they could use?
poor research
I saw too the German's used capture aircraft
@@orangelion03 one is john mills dunkirk movie a much better version than nolan's version
This is how history class should go
LAVO T ikr I honwscouldnt tell u one thing I learned this year in school
LAVO T it really depends on the teacher. I took AP world and loved it, I just wish my school had other classes about history other than Civil War
LAVO...Excellent thought; maybe if it did, our governments wouldn't be repeating so many of the same mistakes...
I saw Dunkirk and I would recommend it to anyone. Very touching account of what happened. I wish the movie had shown German Navy Vessels but I understand the budget would have been blown out of the water. GO SEE THE MOVIE!
Hitler ordering a halt at Dunkirk and sparing 400,000 allied troops is a testament to the fact that he was NOTHING like the way he's portrayed in conventional history books (which of course was written by the victors- ie. the Allies). It proves that in fact he wasn't the worst monster that ever lived, but rather that he was incredibly humane and compassionate. Simply becuase, such a generous gesture of kindness was totally against German interests during the war. If we were to believe the official narrative of course, such a decision would have been nothing short of imbecility of epic proportions! We should all question the official version of WW2 history instead of swallowing it hook, line and sinker people!
Great stuff!
I just realized a Gustavo artillery shell could of ended the British French soldiers and wiped them out
I am REALLY liking the number of videos coming out! Keep up with good content!!! Thank you for the hard work!!!
Omg, I love how this was sponsored by world of tanks! Genius! I'm glad you guys did the background story. I saw the trailer on the theater and was like "dunkirk!" 5 seconds in. I'm glad you guys are explaining it much better than I can, i can just forward your video lol. Bonus points for no settler references
Your picture of "the German commanders" is a picture of the American commanders! Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley....
WVMADMAN1 there's no difference lol
The picture at 4:09 of the "German airforce'; depicts a photoshopped group of American P51 Mustang fighter planes. Great work!
Nolan clearly said that, with regards to authenticity, his intention was to convey a feeling of authenticity, and not focus on practical details, the kind that tear the innernet apart.
Often overlooked hero of Dunkirk:
The task of pier-master was given to James Campbell Clouston. He was born and raised in Montreal, attended McGill and joined the Royal Navy in 1918. By 1940 he had risen to the rank of commander and was highly regarded by both his subordinates and fellow officers. Since his own ship was under repair, Clouston offered to help with the catastrophic situation unfolding at Dunkirk.
He assumed the role of pier-master on Day 3 and remained at his post near the tip of the mole for the next five days and nights. Armed only with a loud-hailer and a pistol (which he had to employ at least once to restore order) Clouston ushered more than 200,000 onto ships moored next to the precarious mole. A CBC film crew interviewed many evacuees for a 50th anniversary documentary film in 1990. Multiple survivors recalled a remarkable Navy officer who spoke with a Canadian accent and had an uncanny ability to keep everyone calm.
Queuing up on beaches to wait for an evacuation during massive air attacks has got to be the most British thing in the history of warfare.
My great-grandfather was at Dunkirk beaches for 5 days
I appreciated the enthusiasm, for almost the first 5 minutes.
The French definitely formed a Rearguard, but it should be pointed out that The Oxford & Bucks light Infantry and the Durham Fusiliers were also part of the rearguard, and were captured. The members of the Oxford & Bucks that captured Pegasus Bridge on D-Day, and the elements of the Durham Fusiliers that formed part of !st Airborne on the Bridge at Arnhem in 1944, were all recruited after Dunkirk. 38% of those evacuated were French.
And how many % about the dead or soldiers directly implicated in the fight?
This movie was so intense, I through my popcorn in the air literally 5 times
Again... Dunkirk was not a fuckin miracle. Nolan's movie isn't even close the real truth. French were outnumbered 1 to 20, and they stood their ground until mission was accomplished. Saving the english army. British officers saluted the french soldiers when they landed in english ports.
Really wish they included French defensive effort but other than that, great movie!
Iggy3 so true, without them thousands more would've died
It was such a good film, it made me realise how thankful I am of not being in the war. but also makes me scared of if we break into war
Nolan is honestly THE BEST director ever.
Alyanna Kusella have u consider kubrick as the best director comparing to nolan?
B i d e they're both geniuses
yeah i guess
Don't push it
....Spielberg.
Someone else may have noted this, but the photo at 1:14 where Mr. Voss' voiceover mentions "German commanders", the accompanying photo is actually of members of the allied military leadership, not German. Also, I could swear one of the photos of German aircraft are actually American P51 Mustangs with Luftwaffe markings applied (They couldn't have even used captured aircraft since the US didn't enter the fighting in Europe until July 1943, and I doubt Germany would put American equipment into line service). I know it can be hard to get live action shots for films that cover older wars, but when the crew choose to use incorrect equipment, it really pulls one out of the suspension of disbelief, provided one knows the equipment is improper. Likewise with uniform wear and insignia. "Saving Private Ryan" was actually better in that regard... still looking forward to seeing this film though.
There was a British Rear Guard as well... my Great Granddad was part of the British Rear Guard!!
This was a great video!
Awesome video👍🏻
You guys are so close to one million subs:D
Great video!
It was kind of a snooze feat, yet Nolan'a sound and visuals were top notch!
In Dunkirk, the english soldiers fought until the last french soldier
After hearing this video, I think Nolan was even more accurate than I thought in the first place, which was pretty accurate.
Excellent Video
I'm just glad a British director is telling this story so the historical facts don't get all americanised like films like U-571!
Just Waiting on you guys to breakdown the NEW DEFENDERS AND JUSTICE LEAGE TRAILERS.....
Official numbers from Operation Dynamo based on Churchill's account of WWII: 338,226 men rescued from Dunkirk, including 26,175 French just on June 4. Over May 31 and June 1, more than 132,000 men were rescued from Dunkirk, and one third of those by civilian ships. By June 2, all the British were evacuated, yet Operation Dynamo continued for two more days in order to rescue as many French as possible.
Well done. Thanks for explaining "The Mole" especially. :) I was a bit confused by that.
These are very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
One detail I found impressive was Nolan's handling of the Little Ships' story. Some sources say that they were mostly comandeered by the Royal Navy and crewed by navy men; other sources say they were mostly crewed by the boats' owners. I have been unable to determine which is true. Mr. Dawson's 'escape' from Ramsgate let that detail be ambiguous, and still let us see civilians' bravery.
some were manned rn personel has the navy did not want the cicies to put them selves in danger but eventually allows the civies go with their boats after filling out a form for civilain worked under rn regs
Powerful. There weren't any specific characters by name. I interpreted this to mean no one was any more or less important than another. Sound effects via movie and theater were incredible. My headrest shook and I held on to my seat. I appreciated how the movie showed the frustration and flaws of emerging from a dire situation. I intend to see it again. I'm also looking forward to Darkest Hour coming this November which is about Winston Churchill.
There were heros on three sides of those beaches; the great private fleet retrieving the BEF to the north, the heroic French rear guards to the south, and the fighter pilots of the RAF above.
the raf were never over the beach but miles in land led by a south african officer called malarie who would later form the big wing in the battle of britan
Well a soldier who was at Dunkirk said that the movie accurately depicted what it was like so I think Nolan did a great job.
There are some details that are missing like the capitulation of the Belgians that opened up a massive hole in teh allied lines. Even with the mistakes made by the BEF and French in that portion of the line.. the killer was losing the 20 mile section that the Belgians were responsible for.
Further, Army Group A was held off pretty well by the the French Army regulars. They had a chance but were let down by their leaders in the end. Army Group B blew right through that aforementioned gap that was opened up and cut the allied lines in half.
The more I learn about what happened the more I think the German Blitzkrieg was no where near unstoppable but heavily relied on poor leadership of their enemy and quite honestly.. some good old fashioned luck.
Amazing how the French bravely held off the Germans.
Forgot to mention soldiers of colonies Like Indian soldiers who were used as a scapegoat but still survived and managed to hold German forces so that ungrateful Britishers could go home.
LAST TIME I WAS THIS EARLY MY CAPS LOCK BUTTON WASNT STUCK
at 4:10 P51 Mustangs in the German air force? At the end of the move as the spitfire burns, the bonnet burns off and....theres no engine inside, just a rod connected to the propeller.
Nolan, in my personal opinion, is the greatest director of all time. From his first film, The Following, to Dunkirk. Each one has played an incredible part in his career. In Memento, he told the story in a non-linear format which made the film so much more interesting than just another average movie. He used non-linear storytelling in Dunkirk which made this story even more intriguing. But all in all, Dunkirk like all other Christopher Nolan films, was a masterpiece!
I’m pretty sad to see the people didn’t think the Air Force was there but it was it was actually miles away but still covering the retreat
So far you are the only eglish speaker i know to pronounce Luftwaffe right.
Very nice work, with diligent research. I'm no expert, but I've read that U-boats weren't much of a factor. Over 200 British/French vessels sunk, but the culprits were mostly Luftwaffe and E-boats.
just watched this movie tonight. so amazing.
how could large destroyers not be able to enter the channel but fully submerged U-boats?
He did confuse things there, lol. The English Channel is plenty deep enough for U-boats and Destroyers. I think he meant the channel into Dunkirk it's self. They had to load troops from The Mole as there was a deep water channel for big ships. The big ships could not get close enough to the beaches because the water became too shallow and they couldn't risk grounding (like the trawler the soldiers climbed into). There were not enough small boats to ferry troops from the beach out to the waiting ships. There were stories of soldiers drowning trying to swim out to them. Once the 'small ship' fleet arrived, many could get in close to the men, some made several trips taking men back to England, some stayed as long as they could, going to and from the beach and larger ship waiting further out. I hope my rambling comments have made this clearer. :-)
We need a Nolan remake of The Battle Of Britain now.
I love when the British Naval Officer said "I'm staying for the French".
I always find it so cute and funny when someone who doesn’t speak German says Luftwaffe or Blitzkrieg or anything else (I’m from Germany btw haha) you did a great job explaining everything and the movie was just amazing loved it
went to see it yesterday, stink with the 1958 version with John Mills
Britsh: PLEASE BOATS COME EVCUATE USE!!!
French and Belgium: your getting evacuated?
Darkest Hour vs. Dunkirk - Two different approaches to script writing and directing, but same epic historical narrative. Gary Oldman's finest performance as Winston Churchill - Oscar material.
Cheers from across the pond. As a brit myself, I am proud of the Dunkirk film. I think it does it justice - well, mostly, anyway.
The movie was incredibly intense, from the first minute until the last. The only thing missing for me was that there should have been a little more story told of how the troops ended up in that corner of France.
The only thing missing in that movie are the French! 35 00 brave french soldiers who stood alone against 150 000 germans,and the only characters in this movie are british waiting on a beach... Such a joke,a very bad one!
I only wish Nolan would give a few minutes to set the stage for movie goers that do not have the historical background of, "The Miracle of Dunkirk". Nothing was said of King George VI calling for a national day of prayer when the annihilation of the British troops seemed inevitable. The country prayed followed by three "coincidental" events: (1) Hitler stopped his advancing troops, (2) A storm of unprecedented fury broke over Flanders on Tuesday, 28 May,
(1940) grounding the German Luftwaffe squadrons and enabling the British
army formations, now eight to twelve miles from Dunkirk, to move up on
foot to the coast in the darkness of
the storm and the violence of the rain, with scarcely any interruption
from aircraft, which were unable to operate in such turbulent conditions. (3) Despite the storm in Flanders, a great calm-such as has rarely been experienced-settled over the English Channel during the days which followed, and its waters became as still as a mill pond.
The movie showed only about 25 private boats coming for 400,000 troops. A spitfire pilot said that, from the sky, it looked like so many boats were in the channel that a person could have walked across the channel without getting wet!
Dear George Fotinakes. I believe in the power of prayer from personal experience. So who knows? Maybe.....
What about the French fighting until the evacuation was complete? Have you erased us from your history books?
The Nolan movie was an artistic presentation, with a focus on portraying the bleak experience of the Brits on the beach. It was reserved in not trying to go beyond that. I found it a very aesthetically effective movie but I prefer more meticulous, accurate historical movies like Tora! Tora! Tora!. If there is one thing I feel everyone should take from the Nolan movie, it is to learn more about the war; taken together with the rest of the memory we have of the war, I think it was a great movie.
The 1958 version, with John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee, is better in terms of the overall scope of Dunkirk. Unfortunately it has been forgotten about for quite awhile now.
@@greentriumph1643 that one is better than nolan's film
No one else think it's weird how this video is sponsored by a war game? "Learn the history then re-enact it yourself with tanks that kill and destroy! Yay!!"
4:10
Why are there P-51 M>ustangs with Axis decals? ...
Nolan's movie completely forgets the role played by French troops. Thanks a lot for pointing that out.
1:48 This is not map of Europe in 1940.
My grand dad who was their kept on complaiming that it wasnt as real as he was hoping
Does anyone have a good explanation as to why Hardy's character landed his plane on enemy ground and let himself get captured? I mean he fought so hard and well and could have ditched his plane in the sea and hoped for a rescue...
There is a brief mentioning of why the tanks arent in the movie. I think the real reason is that Christopher Nolan blew most of the budget on the U-Boat explosions and the Dogfights.
This movie touched my heart.
Pretty cool how the commander in Dunkirk just so happened to be Sator in Nolan's Tenet movie, just like Sir Micheal Cain was in it :) watch Tenet if you haven't it's great.
awsome vid :D
It was von Rundstedt who ordered the troops to stop. Hitler merely acknowledged it.
4:08 Shows captured P-51s as their representation for the Luftwaffe... nice..
..Mustangs are from the film "Fighter Squadron" 1948......