DUNKIRK - The TRUE STORY Explained! - Nolan Fact vs. Fiction 

My great grandfather spoiled the movie for me by saying "I'll tell how the movie ends I live".

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.

The greatest fucked up military miracles of the war. The speech at the end had me in tears.

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.

Also worth mentioning - the French Army comprised most of the rear-guard protecting the beaches at Dunkirk.-

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.

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.

Sounds more faithful than Pearl Harbor...

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!

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.

Von Manstein :" In Dunkirk, the British fought to the last standing Frenchman." Says it all

U cant see England from Dunkirk no matter the weather

I'm a history teacher, and I'll be showing this in my class! Perfectly concise.

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!

History class with Eric Voss

Two new rockstars posts in one day? Must be my lucky day

As a history major, I was so happy to see this notification

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.

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

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

I am REALLY liking the number of videos coming out! Keep up with good content!!! Thank you for the hard work!!!

Your picture of "the German commanders" is a picture of the American commanders! Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley....

this movie might just be the best movie out this year

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

Uh, the "Luftwaffe" planes shown at 4:08 are actually P-51 Mustangs. What's up with that?

I saw Dunkirk! It was awesome! Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan did amazing

at 4:09 the picture of the planes are P-51 Mustangs (an American fighter) in German markings

Well done. Thanks for explaining "The Mole" especially. :) I was a bit confused by that.

So amazing that this is still so vital!

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.

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!

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!

This was a great video!

This is how history class should go

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.

These are very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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!

Great stuff!

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.

You guys are so close to one million subs:D

I appreciated the enthusiasm, for almost the first 5 minutes.

The picture at 4:09 of the "German airforce'; depicts a photoshopped group of American P51 Mustang fighter planes. Great work!

This movie was so intense, I through my popcorn in the air literally 5 times

There was a British Rear Guard as well... my Great Granddad was part of the British Rear Guard!!

My great-grandfather was at Dunkirk beaches for 5 days

Awesome video👍🏻

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.

In Dunkirk, the english soldiers fought until the last french soldier

Really wish they included French defensive effort but other than that, great movie!

Great video!

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

I just realized a Gustavo artillery shell could of ended the British French soldiers and wiped them out

After hearing this video, I think Nolan was even more accurate than I thought in the first place, which was pretty accurate.

LAST TIME I WAS THIS EARLY MY CAPS LOCK BUTTON WASNT STUCK

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.

Excellent Video

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.

To those crying about the French who sacrificed themselves weren't mentioned. This movie was focused on the British and the emotions they went through not the French.

Question: Are yall going to do breakdowns for the Comic Con trailers?

Love this video.

Amazing how the French bravely held off the Germans.

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.

It was kind of a snooze feat, yet Nolan'a sound and visuals were top notch!

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.

just watched this movie tonight. so amazing.

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!

Britsh: PLEASE BOATS COME EVCUATE USE!!! French and Belgium: your getting evacuated?

Not too shabby, good video.

i love History Movies please do more reviews of these !

awsome vid :D

A pretty good summary, although it is always possible to go deeper into the details.

So far you are the only eglish speaker i know to pronounce Luftwaffe right.

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

English waited without fighting on the beach while waiting to be evacuated (while the French and the Belgians protected Dunkirk at 1 against 20) ... they abandoned all their heavy weapons without using them ... called "filer à l'anglaise" ...

LITTLE KNOWN EASTER EGG IN THE FILM. One of the little boats that helped rescue soldiers in the film was actually there at the Real battle of Dunkirk. New Britannic, the small open top wooden boat. Great little historical detail. Not something that most people would notice. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2152998/Dunkirk-hero-ruling-waves-Historic-WWII-little-ship-New-Britannic-chugs-Thames-Jubilee-pageant.html

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.

Are you gonna do a breakdown on the defenders trailer 2?

Love this ! Can't wait to see the movie 🎥😃

I know it will take a few days or whatever to get out but can u do a breakdown of the new Ready Player One trailer?

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!!"

went to see it yesterday, stink with the 1958 version with John Mills

Time travel TIME TRAVEL.Its always the answer for conspiricies

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 Germans didn't storm the beaches because there was still a war to fight. Most of France still had to be conquered.

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.

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.

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...

Yes this is an interesting part of WW2 with more questions than answers .

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.

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

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.

Why at 4:09 are pictured American P-51 with German markings? Where did this picture originate?

1:48 This is not map of Europe in 1940.

That 1st picture of "German planes". Is actually the American P51D with the German cross imposed on it.

I love when the British Naval Officer said "I'm staying for the French".

Funny how the word Allies appears over a year and a half before any of the allies do!

how could large destroyers not be able to enter the channel but fully submerged U-boats?