World War II was the deadliest war history has ever seen, with enormous social, economic, environmental and technological consequences that changed the world and whose impact can still be warned today. These consequences were the result of many things that happened during the war, not just the battles fought. Different alliances, tactics, technological advances, propaganda, etc., played an important role in the development and outcome of World War II. Some of the largest battles of the war, such as the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Normandy, the Battle of Pearl Harbor etc., played an important role in the final outcome of the war. Although they are important, the role of minor battles should not be forgotten, as they had their importance. One of these small battles was the Battle of Dunkirk. The events known as "Dunkirk" took place between 26 May and 4 June 1940, when approximately 336,000 British, French and Belgian soldiers were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France, thanks to the combined efforts of naval and civilian crews in '"Operation Dynamo". '. Although this historic event was remembered more as a rescue and evacuation mission, it certainly played a role in the final outcome of the war. The evacuation of all these troops belonging to the Allied forces saved a lot of manpower and a failure in this mission would have resulted in fewer troops to fight the future war. Because of its significance, the brilliant director Christopher Nolan wrote and directed a film called “Dunkirk,” which depicts the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II. The film was filmed in Dunkirk, France, on the same beach where the evacuation took place, and some of the evacuation boats in the film were the same boats used by the British Navy during the war. Christopher Nolan is known for his dramatic effects in films, which involve the viewer and make him feel part of the film. In “Dunkirk,” the story is told from three points of view, the air, the land and the sea, instead of telling the story of the evacuation from a single point of view. The film is mostly made up of real events, but some things were changed for dramatic purposes. In this essay I will argue that the historical facts presented in the film are mostly accurate and far outweigh the parts of the film that are not true, thus making the film brilliant and a very accurate representation of history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, I'll start by talking about the historical events that the movie "Dunkirk" accurately depicted. The film begins with British soldiers walking through the streets of Dunkirk and at the same time some sheets of paper fall from the air. A soldier grabs the piece of paper and reads “We Surround You,” also seeing a graphic showing the beach at Dunkirk and German troops arriving from every direction. Germany was known for its propaganda during the war, and this propaganda is correctly illustrated in the film, as the Germans actually dropped leaflets showing the soldiers their location and how they were trapped. This was a way for the Germans to discourage the Allied troops and force them to surrender. Despite getting this historical fact right, Christopher Nolan makes minor changes to the flyers, as the original flyer did not include colors and was written in both English and French. One of the perspectives through which the film is shot is from the point of view of the sea, where Nolan focuses on a private lifeboat headedto Dunkirk beach. The Rescue Boat features the owner, Mr Dawson, his son and a friend, and focuses on their efforts to get to Dunkirk, showing the struggles they face to save their countrymen. This sense of pride and patriotism is historically correct, as the English stepped up when their country needed them. Richard Weight, focusing in 2002 on the component of the "myth" relating to the small boat, associates it with the popularity of the idea of ​​the English as an "island people" for whom the sea was "a protective moat" and who, although naturally peaceful, became stubbornly belligerent when the nation's coasts were in danger. At the end of the film we see the numerous rescue boats helping the troops, and this private rescue mission is described accurately in the film, because the story tells us that many boats arrived at Dunkirk during the evacuation. Over 700 English ships and boats of all sizes and around 160 French vessels took part. Another perspective of the film is shot from the aerial point of view, where Nolan focuses on the pilots flying the legendary “Spitfire” planes, sent by the British Royal Air Force to fight the “Luftwaffe”. The film tends to focus on the faces of the pilots during the battle, showing the struggle they face to make the viewer feel part of the war itself. But it also shows the capabilities of these planes, which regularly tracked, chased and shot down German planes. This part of the film is historically accurate, as the “Spitfires” were superior to any other warplane of the time. RAF pilots who had the chance to play with it found it to be a highly effective killing machine, supported by Dowding's efficient command organisation, radar early warning system and two outstanding fighters, the young pilots were capable of facing and overcoming the German assault, while regularly shooting down "Luftwaffe" fighter units. The third perspective of the film is shot through the point of view of the earth, where Nolan focuses on the soldiers stranded on the beach and the constant fear they face due to possible attacks. The film correctly shows how the soldiers are all lined up and waiting to be evacuated, and how the wounded are transported to navy ships for treatment. A significant part from the ground perspective is the lack of German ground troops, which is another detail why the film is historically accurate. Hitler believed that the “Luftwaffe” was strong enough to handle the troops evacuating from the beach at Dunkirk, and this turned out to be a huge mistake. The rescue of nearly 340,000 Allied soldiers was due less to divine intervention than to egregious errors on the part of the German High Command and the failure of the "Luftwaffe" to maintain its previous dominance of Dunkirk and the beaches. Both the mistake of not sending ground troops and the failure of the “Luftwaffe” were accurately shown in the film. Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister during World War II and as such played a key role in the war. Churchill was known for his famous motivational speeches, preaching patriotism, and the film Dunkirk shows us a part of his famous speech after the Battle of Dunkirk. “Wars are not won with evacuations, but within this liberation there was a victory that must be underlined. Our gratitude for the escape of our army must not blind us to the fact that what happened in France and Belgium is a colossal military disaster. We should expect another blow to be struck almost immediately. We'll go to the end. We will fight in France. We will fight inseas and oceans. We will fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We will defend our island at any cost. We will fight on the beaches. We will fight on the landing sites. We will fight in the fields and in the streets. We will fight in the hills. We will never give up. And even if this island, or a large part of it, were subjugated and subdued, then our overseas Empire, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would continue the struggle until, God willing, the New World, with all its power and strength, come forward to help and liberate the old." This was Churchill's speech at the end of the film and contains exact quotes from the actual speech in 1940, making it very historically accurate. The historic event of Dunkirk was primarily an evacuation rather than a battle, as most of the troops stranded on the beaches were unable to provide any aid in repelling the enemy. English, French and Belgian soldiers were waiting to be rescued and at the end of the film, after the evacuation, the soldiers arrive in Dover and get on a train to go home. Despite the safe return home, the troops do not feel this evacuation should be considered a victory and feel embarrassed. When they see civilians from the train window they are ashamed and do not want to look at them, but to their surprise they are welcomed as heroes. This part of the film is historically correct, as both the evacuated soldiers and Churchill did not want to consider the evacuation a victory and were never satisfied with it. But the evacuation was a success, and the many troops saved had an impact on the course of the war, which is why this evacuation should be remembered as a victory. Dunkirk embodies aspects of British history that have always been popular: British isolationism, patriotic sacrifice and the success of the few against impossible odds thanks to intrinsically noble qualities plus a capacity for improvisation, and attempts to debunk Dunkirk will never succeed in Great Brittany, because interpreting it as a story "about heroism and miracle" is "too ingrained in the national psyche". The movie Dunkirk got most of the historical events right, but it was also partly fiction, not for lack of skill but more for dramatization purposes. The one thing that really struck me was that all the characters in the film are fictional and none of their names are found in any diary or book. However, I believe that the characters represented all the people who took part in the Dunkirk evacuation. The few ground troops portrayed in the film represent all the soldiers stranded on the beach and the struggle they faced to survive. The RAF pilots were filmed up close and I believe this was done to make the viewer experience the emotions and drama they were going through as they chased the Luftwaffe planes. Civilians from the rescue ships were also portrayed, and they too faced hardships to serve their country. Although the characters are fictional, the emotion they convey makes the viewer feel part of the war. Another thing the film fails to capture is the presence of the RAF, rescue ships and naval destroyers. The role of the Royal Air Force is significantly downplayed in the film, as only a few aircraft are shown in battle. In reality there were many more. The RAF lost 177 aircraft during the nine-day Operation Dynamo. The film also shows a huge number of private rescue boats, and while there are actually quite a few of them, the private boats only accounted for around 5% of the total evacuation, as unlike the film where most of the troops were saved by boats.