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Stories of Bravery and Sacrifice in Dunkirk

Operation Dynamo's Historic Sites

By Michelle UlyattPublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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The new Operation Dynamo museum in Dunkirk

One of the best things about working in travel PR is the opportunity it presents to visit familiar places and learn new things about them.

Dunkirk—just a stone’s throw across the water from my home town of Dover—is one of those places we think we know well, but that offered up a few surprises during a recent visit. It also just happens to be at the centre of global attention at the moment, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s chart-topping Hollywood blockbuster, Dunkirk.

Our trip was timed to coincide with the release of the movie and included an exclusive viewing of the film in the French city. This offered the perfect opportunity to compare the popular perception of one of the greatest feats of modern warfare with some of the lesser-known but dark secrets of Dunkirk’s wartime past, all whilst enjoying a fantastic three days discovering the city.

Like Nolan’s approach to the movie, our itinerary allowed us to see Dunkirk from three unique perspectives—on land, by air, and by sea (in the sense that we dipped into the city’s maritime history at the local port museum).

Dynamo Museum

We started our trip with a visit to the newly upgraded Dunkirk War Museum, which tells the story of Operation Dynamo—the dramatic evacuation of more than 340,000 troops from the beaches of Dunkirk following the Allies’ failure to stop the Nazi advance in May 1940. The museum has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and is set within a 19th-century fortification that resembles an underground bunker. The exhibition features a whole host of military equipment recovered from the beaches of Dunkirk after the evacuation, including medals, uniforms worn by British, French, and German soldiers, artillery, ammunition shells, and radio communication equipment. The stars of the show are a couple of complete Rolls Royce Spitfire engines, complete with wooden propellers.

The museum’s collection is vast and is presented in the traditional manner behind glass cases. It feels a little like the museum’s curators have missed a trick by not incorporating more interactive elements. Artifacts alone never tell the complete story of a historical event and the museum could have done with being livened up by the use of more audio-visual techniques, such as real-life survivor accounts of the events or even some scene-setting audio effects. As a Dovorian, it’s hard not to compare the museum to the Hellfire Corner Exhibition at Dover Castle, which captures the imagination immediately and is well worth a visit.

Esquelbecq

The next stage of our tour took us to the local village of Esquelbecq to visit the memorial at La Plaine au bois. The memorial tells the harrowing story of the massacre of 80 British soldiers and one Frenchman by the German SS in a small barn in the middle of the French countryside. Left behind to defend the last remaining outposts against German attacks, with a mission to prevent the Nazis reaching the beaches of Dunkirk whilst the evacuation was still taking place, the British soldiers fought for nine hours before surrendering when they ran out of ammo. In breach of the Geneva Convention, the Germans rounded them up in a cattle barn and executed them in cold blood. Just thirteen soldiers survived. The moving accounts of the survivors were captured on film and are played back in the nearby museum. The memorial itself provides a sombre setting for reflection on the horrors of war. It’s a permanent reminder to each new generation of the barbarity of war. The story of this massacre deserves more exposure, but the fact it feels like one of the forgotten acts of Operation Dynamo suggests that there are more dark tales of depravity still waiting to be discovered almost 80 years on from the war.

At the Dunkirk port museum, we learned more about the history of Dunkirk port and its strategic importance. Housed in an old tobacco warehouse, the museum is a good combination of interactive exhibits and static content, with the added bonus of having three ships moored outside ready for guests to explore.

Aerial Views

By far the best moment of our trip came on our final day in Dunkirk, when we were treated to a light aircraft flight over the city by the local aero club. Heading up to a few hundred feet, our flight took us out over several sites that played a key role in Operation Dynamo, including the historic Fort des Dunes that still bears the scars of German bombing raids, the military hospital, and fantastic views of the beaches, harbour, and shipwrecks of Dunkirk itself. On a clear day, the views are spectacular and it really evokes a sense of the scale of the task the Allies faced when they started the evacuation.

Another treat laid on for us by the tourist board was a four-course dinner in the new Princess Elizabeth gastronomic restaurant. The Princess Elizabeth is one of Dunkirk’s Little Ships—a paddle steamer that was involved in Operation Dynamo and even made an appearance in Nolan’s film. She has now been converted into a 1940s-themed restaurant, serving up a sumptuous menu of typical French flair created by Michelin-starred chef Christophe Hagnerelle. Highly recommended not just for the quality of the food, but the authentic atmosphere and excellent service.

With the success of the movie and the hard work that local volunteers and tourism chiefs have put into exploiting the opportunity that it presents Dunkirk is a destination that is starting to pack a punch. The city is clearly popular with Parisians and French guests from further afield, who fill the seafront restaurants and the glistening golden sand of the beaches. Perhaps now is the time for its appeal to stretch beyond the French border to a wider international audience and, with a host of attractions designed to harness the power of the Hollywood film, Dunkirk feels like it’s on the verge of a major renaissance.

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About the Creator

Michelle Ulyatt

History-loving Brit with an interest in US politics and history, professional communicator and aspiring entrepreneur. Lives with lots of dogs in the beautiful Kent countryside, works in travel. Follow me @MichelleUlyatt

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