A few weeks ago someone said something about Dunkirk of all places and today I saw something again about Dunkirk. I thought how odd something that happened so long ago can still cause anger, contempt and admiration.
Dunkirk was not much of a battle in a way I think it was fair warning of what would happen to all battles fought in the old traditional way of army meeting army and the last one standing wins. I don't think battles or entire wars are fought like that anymore.
Dunkirk was a huge British loss but that's not what made it special, what made it special was the way the defeat was handled because the defeat was handled brilliantly.
I don't know if the Royal Navy couldn't get their boats onto the beach my first thought is the Royal Navy damn well got the army there they could damn well bring them home again as indeed they did. But not before announcing to the British and the world that the British army had been defeated and was stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk and would any fishermen, yachtsmen, sailors on leave or anybody with a rowing boat kindly sail to Dunkirk pick up the stranded soldiers and take them to the Royal Navy ships which were further out and couldn't get into Dunkirk to rescue the soldiers.
And that was it. As far as I know hundreds of little boats sailed from the UK or nearby to rescue the soldiers. I believe there may have been one boat from Ireland I know I've heard, read and seen endless boasting about it.
It was a brilliant strategic idea hundreds of men in their forties or older, remember anyone younger would have been conscripted, got into their little boats and rescued the British army from the Nazis on the shores of Dunkirk.
Unlike some I don't think there was any attempt to disguise the huge defeat. As far as I know maximum effort was used to tell the British and the world that the British army had been defeated and was stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk and would anyone with a boat kindly go to Dunkirk and rescue them.
When I was young it seemed every year a fuss was made about the surviving little boats they're probably all gone now in any event the fuss has definitely gone.
Dunkirk was probably the start of early retirement for the odd admiral and general it was also the start of some rethinking of how to fight a war.
A year later the British Special Air Service was founded on July 1st 1941
The Spitfire was first used as a night fighter aeroplane during the summer of 1940
Dunkirk was a major defeat but it was not a surrender it was a change of plan
9/06/2019
I did a quick check and discovered that 850 little boats sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk
Dunkirk was not much of a battle in a way I think it was fair warning of what would happen to all battles fought in the old traditional way of army meeting army and the last one standing wins. I don't think battles or entire wars are fought like that anymore.
Dunkirk was a huge British loss but that's not what made it special, what made it special was the way the defeat was handled because the defeat was handled brilliantly.
I don't know if the Royal Navy couldn't get their boats onto the beach my first thought is the Royal Navy damn well got the army there they could damn well bring them home again as indeed they did. But not before announcing to the British and the world that the British army had been defeated and was stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk and would any fishermen, yachtsmen, sailors on leave or anybody with a rowing boat kindly sail to Dunkirk pick up the stranded soldiers and take them to the Royal Navy ships which were further out and couldn't get into Dunkirk to rescue the soldiers.
And that was it. As far as I know hundreds of little boats sailed from the UK or nearby to rescue the soldiers. I believe there may have been one boat from Ireland I know I've heard, read and seen endless boasting about it.
It was a brilliant strategic idea hundreds of men in their forties or older, remember anyone younger would have been conscripted, got into their little boats and rescued the British army from the Nazis on the shores of Dunkirk.
Unlike some I don't think there was any attempt to disguise the huge defeat. As far as I know maximum effort was used to tell the British and the world that the British army had been defeated and was stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk and would anyone with a boat kindly go to Dunkirk and rescue them.
When I was young it seemed every year a fuss was made about the surviving little boats they're probably all gone now in any event the fuss has definitely gone.
Dunkirk was probably the start of early retirement for the odd admiral and general it was also the start of some rethinking of how to fight a war.
A year later the British Special Air Service was founded on July 1st 1941
The Spitfire was first used as a night fighter aeroplane during the summer of 1940
Dunkirk was a major defeat but it was not a surrender it was a change of plan
9/06/2019
I did a quick check and discovered that 850 little boats sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk
