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Season 1

  • S01E01 Retreat

    • February 18, 2004
    • BBC One

    A rearguard action is put in place to hold the Germans back, allowing the bulk of the army to make its way to Dunkirk. Operation Dynamo swings into action, masterminded by the cool and efficient Admiral Ramsay. Meanwhile in London, Churchill fends off a drive by Lord Halifax to sue for peace. As the drama begins to escalate, three soldiers,Wilf, Clive and Titch, man a signals truck on what will become the front line of the German attack.

  • S01E02 Evacuation

    • February 25, 2004
    • BBC One

    The reality of the war hits home back in England as the fisherman of Leighon-Sea have their boats requisitioned by the navy. Many volunteer to go with their vessels. Churchill, much to the dismay of the organisers of Operation Dynamo, promises the French to save their army as well. As the rescue mission gets under way properly, the Leigh fisherman, their boats packed with soldiers, start for home. Not all will make it though.

  • S01E03 Deliverance

    • March 3, 2004
    • BBC One

    This episode details the last desperate efforts to get away and tells the stories of those who were left behind. One of those who stay behind is Dr Newman. He struggles to get the remaining wounded away as the Germans bear down on Dunkirk. Only a few hundred men are left to face the Germans as the finally enter the town. But some 325,000 men have been saved.

Additional Specials

  • SPECIAL 0x1 The Soldiers' Story

    • February 21, 2004
    • BBC One

    Veterans of World War II describe their experiences of the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 and the evacuation. On 10 May the German Army invaded Holland and Belgium. The Blitzkrieg had begun - an entirely new way of fighting war. For the young men aged 18 and 19 who joined up to 'do their bit' it was a terrifying baptism of fire, and for the British Army a shattering blow. Within three weeks it was a crushing defeat, leading to the largest military evacuation in history. This film is the story, told in their own words, of a group of young men, now veterans, and their first experience of modern mechanised warfare.

  • SPECIAL 0x2 The Other Side Of Dunkirk

    • March 4, 2004
    • BBC One

    Powerful myths and misconceptions have shaped our understanding of the moment which changed the course of WW2 - the evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940. But what really happened at Dunkirk and in the crisis before the days of the evacuation? This documentary takes a European look at the crisis and asks new questions from a French and German perspective as well as from a British point of view. Featuring interviews with veterans and historians from all three key protagonists, providing revealing insights into the events of May and June 1940.