On May 24, 1940, 400 000 Allied troops were trapped against the coast of Flanders near Dunkirk, while Hitler’s tanks were only ten miles away. So many coincidences/serendipities enabled the effort over a five-day stretch from May 29-June 5, 1940. Voices is a thought-provoking series of stories based on true events, aiming to highlight the valuable and often overlooked contribution made by immigrants to Britain throughout history.

Through the voices of the soldiers themselves, the book paints a vivid and harrowing picture of their experiences on the front lines of World War II. Jimmy Langley of 2nd Coldstream Guards who scrounged up enough guns and ammo (and creature comforts like food and booze) to help hold off the Germans until a boat got there with his name on it. Dunkirk serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers and civilians during times of war, as it represents a critical chapter in World War II. Julian Thompson, a former Royal Marine officer, provides an authoritative account of the Dunkirk evacuation. As Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers and the daughter of a 12th Royal Lancer, I am enormously proud of the Regiment’s long and illustrious history.Written by a range of highly regarded children’s authors, these tales bring different historical periods to life for a young audience. Lord seemed very honest in his telling of this point in history, quoting interviews from men who had been there to convey the reality of the situation.

Surrounded by overwhelming Nazi strength, the 338,000 men gathered on the beach were all that stood between Hitler and Western Europe. And then was wounded and they were only taking the walking wounded on the ships so he was left behind and captured. It saw the evacuation of over 330,000 troops to Britain as Nazi German forces closed in, however 68,000 men were captured or killed during the operation. When Denmark and Norway were occupied in April 1940, it seemed just a trick that could be corrected later. Fazal’s romantic views of duty, loyalty and honour are challenged when he arrives in France during the freezing winter of 1939 and experiences the harsh realities of war.What facilitated the evacuation was low cloud cover and smoke for a good part of the end of May, 1940. The British command also had to make important choices as a number of destroyers dispatched to evacuate men began to be sunk. His son packs 80 men belowdecks, all of them laying down so they'll take up less room and not coincidentally lower the center of the Sundowner's gravity, and Lightoller packs the deck with 50 more, at which point Lightoller "could feel Sundowner getting tender. Walter Lord does another great job of weaving personal accounts with the larger picture of a historical event.

Having seen (and enjoyed) the film DUNKIRK, I wanted to read a book on the subject that would give a fuller picture of the events concerning the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk, France in 1940. Exploring books on Dunkirk can also provide insights into leadership qualities, strategic thinking, and the challenges faced by commanders in times of crisis.If one does not have basic military knowledge, or existing knowledge of the events at Dunkirk (which I did not have), nor the use of the internet to google terms and maps of the retreat/army lay outs, then I would say this book may rank lower than the 4 stars I have given it. These ‘evaders’ had also missed the boats and were now desperately trying to make their own way home, either by walking across France or rowing across the channel. This amount includes seller specified domestic postage charges as well as applicable international postage, dispatch, and other fees.