Monday, July 15, 2013

Remembering the Battle of Dunkirk and the Nazi conquest of Western Europe

The Battle of France "In the Second World War, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the successful German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, defeating primarily French forces. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, ...German armored units pushed through the Ardennes to cut off and surround the Allied units that had advanced into Belgium. When British and adjacent French forces were pushed back to the sea by.... the British government decided to evacuate the British Expeditionary Force ..."


"These photographs are part of a chilling collection of WWII photographs taken by a German soldier in the aftermath of Dunkirk.
"[14 Nov, 2011] on Remembrance Day, they were a fitting reminder of the fields which played host to some of the bloodiest battles of World War One in which 10 million soldiers died.
"The pictures show the lifeless beaches of northern France littered with thousands of allied vehicles left behind following the infamous evacuation."
After years on the Russian front, their boots were not as shiny as this.
...."'The album also shows the respect the soldiers had for each other. One picture is of a British grave and war memorial from the First World War - the German soldiers held the British troops in very high regard.
"'This is a very unusual item so it was very difficult to value - some people will be intrigued by this, others might be a bit shocked.
" 'Either way these never before seen pictures are a unique slice of history'."
Segment of the Frank Capra movie series in WW2, "Why We Fight"
"Why We Fight: "Divide and Conquer" (ca. 1943) Part 5 of 6 " 

Also this: Pathe newsreel of Dunkirk.

The BEF was saved by a major Nazi blunder at a crucial moment:

The Wormhoudt massacre was the mass murder of 80 British and French POWs by the Waffen SS during the Battle of France in May 1940.

And in his second volume on World War Two, Their Finest Hour, in the chapter "Back to France", page 141, Winston Churchill records the British Army losses in equipment:

 Lost at Dunkirk: the 51st Highland Division was part of the rearguard assigned to protect the soldiers being evacuated. They and the other units assigned had orders to surrender to the Germans at the last minute to allow most of the British Army to embark.
The 51st was reconstituted around the few units that escaped and fought throughout the war and into Germany. Here is film of the 51st Highland marching through the streets of Bremerhaven, Germany in 1945: 

The kilted soldiers of the Black Watch Regiment were called "The Ladies From Hell" by the Germans.
Nobody, but nobody can parade like the British. Let's hope that will continue after they finish their transformation to an Islamic republic.

1 comment:

Gerald said...

War is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.

Your article is very well done, a good read.

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