Dunkirk 1940: Operation Dynamo (Campaign) [Paperback]

This book follows on from the same author's previously well received title covering the German attacks against Denmark & Norway in 1940. I was hoping for something of the same standard or with new insights but I'm afraid I was disappointed. Partly this is a result of the subject itself which is not nearly as dynamic as the previous campaign, but nor is it helped by the fact that the subject is well covered in numerous other publications that have the scope for far greater detail than the Osprey format allows.

On the positive side, the author - who is American - quickly gets down to the business of recounting the campaign with only a very few pages set aside for background. The author's nationality perhaps helps as he isn't tinged with being brought up with all the British mythology and iconography that surrounds Dunkirk. For once, the significant part played by the French is not treated as a sideshow and the German perspective is also given reasonable coverage. In addition, there is equal focus on the roles of the navies and air forces involved and to this extent one is often shocked by the shipping losses (along with their `rescued' soldiers). It certainly puts the casualties of current conflicts into perspective when hundreds of men would be lost with the sinking of a single vessel.

After setting the scene, the author proceeds to deliver a day-by-day account. Here though the narrative often becomes a list of statistics. Number of missions flow, aircraft and ship losses, vessels dispatched, men rescued. All very good and detailed but lacking that human element to bring this account alive. In the end I have to conclude that the subject was perhaps a little too big for the limits of Osprey's 96 pages. The battles on the Dunkirk perimeter are mentioned but there is not the space to cover them in any real depth as well as all the other action going on.

The original artwork is of the usual high standard we expect from Howard Gerrard and the photos are well chosen and labelled. The maps are somewhat confusing to read and it would have been an enormous help to have had the British, French and Belgium units use different colours.

This work is far from a failure and sits nicely in the Osprey Campaign series, but with so many other works out there covering this battle and the evacuation in much greater detail then I'm unsure who this is aimed at other than Osprey collectors.

In the opening chapter. "Origins", the author briefly explains how Kuchler captures Holland in five days and how Guderian took four days to travel through the Ardennes to reach the fortress town of Sedan, then quickly capturing it before turning toward the coast in order to enclose the Allies in a pocket when Army Group B also reaches the French border. Once informed of the Sedan penetration, General Gort quickly recognizes the danger and disregarding the French orders and safety, orders the BEF to fall back from the Dyle River to beyond the Senne line in a phased withdrawal that eventually take his people back to the Dunkirk Perimeter. This chapter filled only two pages, providing the bare essentials but more details would have been preferred.
There was a two page Chronology that ranged from 9/1/39 with the Polish invasion to 6/22/40 with the signing of the Armistice. It was very good.

Opposing Commanders was another chapter found wanting. The profiles of Gort, Ramsey, Abrial and Fagalde were nice but profiles of Brooke, Dill, Montgomery, Alexander are absent though they are mentioned in the campaign. Billotte, Gamlin, Weygand, Reynaud and Churchill aren't mentioned in the campaign but a few words are included in the Chronology. On the German side Kuchler and Richthofen are profiled but Runstedt, Guderian and Kluge aren't.
Opposing Plans and Opposing Forces are very good and helps the reader follow the Campaign. Plans for Operation Dynamo are spelled out clearly, so showing the difficulties of evacuation of the difficult French coast while under fire. On the German side, a good explanation of what the Germans will try to do once they see the Allies were falling back to the Dunkirk-Lille area. The forces for both sides are also clearly provided, ending in a detailed Order of Battle for all three countries for the Army, Navy and Air Force. The author gives equal weight to the action on land, sea and air. Goring's boast of his Luffwaffe and Hitler's halt order is discussed as well as the spoiling counterattack by the BEF at Arras.

The Campaign is laid out in typical "Dunkirk" fashion on a daily basis ranging from May 26th when Operation Dynamo was enacted to June 4th when the survivors of the pocket surrendered. Though page limitations prevented the coverage of every event, all the key events were well covered. The conflict at sea and in the air was also nicely done. The British and to a lesser extent the French lost or had damaged a large number of ships and planes caused by the Luftwaffe or from their coastal artillery. The evacuation of the British Air Force back to England is covered. The Belgian surrender on May 28th was covered. The failed attempt by the British to stop the Norway invasion is also mentioned.

There were five 2-D maps that were excellent that were serialized to show the shrinking pocket starting on May 26th and working to June 4th. The maps showed detailed troop dispositions and the many towns and canals the combatants had to fight through as the days past by. One of the maps shows the evacuation routes used by the British to evacuate over 300,000 men as well as the difficult maneuvering of the tricky waters off northern France and Belgium.
There were three 3-D maps. Two of which were of the Dunkirk pocket, one dated 5/30 and the other for the period of 6/2-6/4. Both maps had helpful commentary to assist the reader in following the battle. The other 3-D map was not as helpful. It was a rendition of the sinking of the Wakeful and the Grafton when it moved in to rescue the survivors on May 28/29 after they left the harbor.
There were also three two-page illustrations. They included the Battle for Cassel, the major Luftwaffe raid on 5/29; the major dogfight over Dunkirk on 5/31. All were nicely done.
The many photos were good and added to the narrative. There were many photos of men and equipment on the ground, ships at sea as well as many aerial photos.

In Aftermath, the achievements are succinctly mentioned as well as the costs in men, ships and planes to both side. The author believes Operation Dynamo was a successful evacuation but not a major victory that some historians passionately claim.
I would say the author is well versed on this campaign and was highly focused. This premise is confirmed when you look at the impressive reading list that is provided. If further reading is desired, this list will definitely help.

If you haven't read about Dunkirk before, this book would be a good starting point. Its also a nice complement to the recently published book "Maginot Line 1940" by Romanych and Rupp. They're both freely recommended.

Another great publication from Osprey about an military operation that strikes an emotional chord with us Brits along with the Battle of Britain.