There Was The Use Of Exaggerated Positive Language In The Evacuation Of Dunkirk

Germany invaded France in April of 1940; this was part of their plan for Blitzkrieg (lightning war). This caught the Allies by surprise and when the British Expeditionary Force was sent to defend France, they were pushed back to the beaches of Dunkirk. The only way for them to escape was via the sea. A plan called “Operation Dynamo” was put into place by prime minister Winston Churchill. The aim of this plan was to evacuate 100,00 soldiers. They ended up rescuing 300,00 soldiers but was this retreat a military disaster or a heroic victory?

Some people believe Dunkirk was an amazing success. This opinion is backed by source 1 , a first-hand account by a gunner officer. In this source he tells us that the evacuation of Dunkirk was organised

This use of exaggerated positive language throughout the extract is used to portray the British as brilliant and courageous. It also diminishes the German attack saying that only “once or twice do we see German planes fleck the sky” and that “the German navy is nowhere to be seen”. This makes the reader believe that the British air force and navy are very strong and are stopping most attacks on the evacuees. This article was published in a British newspaper with the purpose of reassuring and boosting the morale of civilians. It enhances the idea of discipline and glory within the British

A first-hand account by a Scottish infantry soldier supports this opinion. It highlights the horrors and losses of Dunkirk and describes “stepping over the bodies” and the “horrible stench of blood and mutilated flesh”. This shows the reality of war, despite so many people successfully evacuated there were still many casualties. The British media showed the joys and successes of the evacuation but there were still so many lives lost, most of which belonged to French or Scottish soldiers. This was written five years after Operation Dynamo so there is potential for memories to be exaggerated or forgotten however a trauma like this would be hard to forget.
Source 3 also doesn’t portray the same narrative as the British description of the evacuation. It shows their failures, the soldiers poor morale and the shame on their faces as they are taken as prisoners of war. The photo was published in an American newspaper, so it shows a neutral opinion. It was important that the government left out news like this as it would have severely damaged the public’s morale. Britain was alone, France was defeated, 68,000 lives were lost, and tons of weapons and equipment were lost. This retreat cost them so much, including their