Dunkirk from the Other Side of the Hill,

Much has been written about the epic evacuation of some 330,000 British and French troops from Dunkirk after the collapse of Allied fortunes in northern France and Belgium under the German “blitzkrieg” in May 1940. But those many works focus on events as seen by the Allies, and particularly by the British. In Dünkirchen, former British parachute officer and military analyst Kershaw covers the events as experienced from the German perspective, while also giving more coverage of the French and Belgians than is usual in English language treatments.

Kershaw drew heavily on official documents letters, memoirs, and diaries of participants from all the armies. We get an excellent look at German decision making, including Hitler’s controversial “Stop Order” that supposedly prevented the panzers from overrunning the Allied positions, as well as some other, usually over-looked German blunders, notably their failure to anticipate and plan for the Belgian collapse. There are many very good, often grim, battle pieces, often shifting easily from one side to the other so that we get a good idea of how each perceived various actions from the soldier’s perspective right up to that of the commander's and even political leaders. Often neither side understood the events or their implications, reminding us of the proverbial “fog of war”.

This is an excellent read for anyone interested in the war in Europe, and in particular the events leading to and during the great evacuation.

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Note: Dünkirchen 1940is also available in e-editions.

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