Dunkirk

Tour Introduction

Long held to be a glorious defeat or heroic withdrawal in almost impossible circumstances, the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ has gained an almost mythical status in British history. The real significance of the evacuation of British and French forces from Dunkirk in 1940 lies in the preservation of sufficient manpower to fight on and thus make possible the Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe only four years later.

This one-day school battlefield tour begins with an examination of the theory and practice of Blitzkrieg and then follows the route of the British army as it fought its way back to the English Channel from its winter position in Flanders and Northern France. Stories of desperate men facing overwhelming odds, courage and heroism in the face of brutality, the morality of warfare and the use of devastating new weapons and tactics will lead inexorably to the beaches of Dunkirk where the final act unfolded in early June 1940.

A two-day tour will allow your students to explore the Fall of France, and Life under Nazi Occupation.