Transcript Dunkirk: triumph or disaster?

 starter activity
How is this image of Dunkirk similar or different from the film clip? Click on the image to
play the clip.
Dunkirk: triumph or
disaster?
 Aims
To understand how the British became stranded at
Dunkirk in 1940
To evaluate whether Dunkirk was a victory or a
disaster for the British
 Your task
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Read p. 158 of ‘Peace & War’ and answer the
following:
Describe how the outset of WWII was different
from WWI
Explain how the BEF became trapped
Write a definition of ‘Operation Dynamo’
How did Dunkirk come about?
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War of movement &
‘blitzkrieg’
German troops bypassed ‘Maginot line’ &
invaded N. France,
Belgium & Holland
BEF taken by surprise
Operation Dynamo
launched 27 May- 4 June
to rescue 300,000 troops
 Your task
Read the appropriate section of your textbook and construct a
table similar to the one below. How and why did Churchill
exploit Dunkirk as a great victory?
Success
Disaster
To what extent was Dunkirk a
victory?
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27 May – 4 June 338,000 British
(BEF) & French troops evacuated
from Dunkirk (incl. 139,000 Fr.)
Original target 50,000
860 Naval & privately owned
vessels carried troops to Dover &
south coast
Fine weather
RAF provided air cover against
Goering’s Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe & artillery bombarded
troops
To what extent was Dunkirk a
disaster?
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A rare moment captured on camera. Hitler
dances with delight at the success of Blitzkrieg
in Europe. Why would have he been so
pleased with the outcome at Dunkirk?
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68,000 BEF casualties
1,200 field guns, 1,250
anti-aircraft guns,
11,000 machine guns,
75,000 vehicles
abandoned (incl.475
tanks)
Germans fully expected
GB to make peace
 Plenary
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How do you think Churchill (the British PM)
and the government wanted people to view
Dunkirk – as a victory or a disaster? How could
they achieve their aims?
Churchill, PM from 1940-45
How did Churchill exploit Dunkirk?
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‘Miracle of Dunkirk’
Morale booster
Heroism of troops rearguard force of BEF
troops who protected
evacuees
Importance of civilian
contribution to war effort
Propaganda posters &
paintings
Charles Cundall, Dunkirk
What have the censors left out from
this film clip?
Churchill portrayed
Dunkirk as a great British
victory. How far was this
the case?
 Your task
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You are going to write a newspaper account of
Dunkirk from differing perspectives
First, read sources 2-14
Then, complete a table similar to the one below:
Source
No. &
Type
2,
newspaper
headline
Triumph
Jubilant headline,
‘Bloody marvellous’
Disaster
Possible
reason for
this view
Supporter of war,
didn’t want to
demoralise troops,
wanted to sell papers
 Your task - a newspaper account from either a British or
German perspective
Write Include the following features:
 A suitable headline & sub heading
 In your first paragraph answer the 5 ‘wh’
questions
 In the development use bias to describe the
build up to Dunkirk and the evacuation itself
 Add any other features, e.g. contemporary ads,
references to other articles, prices to give the
front page and authentic look
 Extension task
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Write an imaginary interview with a veteran of
Dunkirk
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Write a short article explaining why it is difficult
to find out the ‘truth’ about Dunkirk