The true story of the World War II evacuation portrayed in the Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Day of Infamy.
On May 24, 1940, Hitler's armies were on the brink of a shattering military victory. Only ten miles away, 400,000 Allied troops were pinned against the coast of Dunkirk. But just eleven days later, 338,000 men had been successfully evacuated to England. How did it happen?
Walter Lord's remarkable account of how "the miracle of Dunkirk" came about is based on hundreds of interviews with survivors of all nations who fought among the sand dunes of northern France.
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"May 1940 10 franks for bucket of water, strain of defeat agony of retreat, lethal kites, hidden by smoke and weather, 1/4M British soldiers, 338K total including French, ordinary people with ordinary boats with ordinary women caring for those who made the journey."
— Don (4 out of 5 stars)
“Lord’s captivating work…places readers deep into the heart of events…Lord excels at immersive, fact-based storytelling to create a vivid history. Here, he guides readers through the intensity, heroism, danger, violence, and loss of Dunkirk, generating a sense of the multiplicity of events. This account is informed by the hundreds of interviews Lord had with survivors, which gives his work a vibrant sense of verisimilitude.”
— Library Journal“Walter Lord is a master of historical narration, compelling his reader to feel as if he were present…as a participant in the events described.”
— Wall Street Journal“It gives an effective new polish to the golden legend.”
— Times (London)“Stirring…The difference between the Lord technique and that of any number of academic historians is the originality of his reportage.”
— New York Times“Lively and interesting…A good tale, skillfully told…the most complete and readable account yet to appear.”
— Christian Science Monitor“Amazing and unexpected heroism…Well worth reading.”
— Milwaukee Sentinel" Too much detail for me. Got distracted from the over-all story because of too much clutter - namely - naming every single person involved in whatever little way. "
— Linda, 9/24/2013" The reader should be familiar with the events prior to reading the book. Otherwise the book will appear to be a random collection of personal accounts. "
— Sergio, 8/17/2011" A great addition to the history of WWII. This book is superbly researched (too much detail for me, actually). What I was most drawn to were the stories of individuals, which are very well told. "
— Joyce, 2/11/2011" I really like books with a lot of historical facts from the guys who were actually there. "
— Frank, 11/9/2009Walter Lord (1917–2002), American author of numerous nonfiction books, was a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, served in the OSS during World War II, and became an editor and advertising copywriter. He is the author of Day of Infamy, a #1 New York Times bestseller. He also wrote A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the Titanic, and served as consultant in the making of the movie Titanic.
Jeff Cummings, as an audiobook narrator, has won both an Earphones Award and the prestigious Audie Award in 2015 for Best Narration in Science and Technology. He is also a twenty-year veteran of the stage, having worked at many regional theaters across the country, from A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and the International Mystery Writers’ Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky. He also spent seven seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.