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Dunkirk

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Red N White Baron said:
People weren't so fussed about equality when it involved millions of white men throwing themselves in front of bullets.
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To be fair to them, when found ourselves in fight, the Empire and Commonwealth were happy to come along and throw themselves in front of bullets on our behalf.

The comment from USA Today is daft, but we shouldn't forget the part that other nations played in fighting for us.
 
Tex said:
"May rub some the wrong way"?

I would love for someone to step forward and admit that a film like this has 'rubbed them the wrong way' for this reason. Jesus Christ all bloody mighty.
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Hasn't rubbed me up the wrong way but for historical accuracy .
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/Pictures/pictures_dunkirk_french_troops.html
It was a colonial war Indian troops were there and French african too..I think the story of the mule handlers would have been a great little bit to put in
 
Flared Hicks said:
That must have took some doing. I got the box set and it took me days to get through it.

Like you said, great series, some fascinating footage, we are very lucky to have it all recorded.
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I was as sick as a dog at the time. Went home from work early on Friday, straight to bed, started it playing on the laptop then basically kept going through the night. Might have had the odd snooze but I saw nearly all of it - it was just incredibly interesting and moreish, enough even to keep my mind off a vicious man flu.

As someone just said, it's got to be one of the best things British telly has ever done.

I'd have it compulsory viewing in secondary school history lessons. Who gives a fuck about the Romans, this is what our fathers and grandfathers did for Europe to be free.

I wonder if they're looking down on us now, wondering why we're handing it back to Germany on a plate. ;-)
 
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I am of the generation where me granddad's generation served in WWI and me dad's in WWII. My mates and I grew up surrounded by heroes without any of us really understanding or appreciating it at the time. It was just what your granddad or dad had done and most other granddads and dads had done the same.

I know that all the stories on this thread are absolutely true because I heard so many like them as a kid from the blokes themselves. All those lads were heroes but if you asked any of them what they did in the "War" - as we did - they almost always said "Nowt special" and they believed it to be the case

It was only when I got older that I began to realise what exceptional people I have had the luck and privilege of knowing.
 
Edit. Phone is having a fit.

Big Sharp Teeth said:
To be fair to them, when found ourselves in fight, the Empire and Commonwealth were happy to come along and throw themselves in front of bullets on our behalf.

The comment from USA Today is daft, but we shouldn't forget the part that other nations played in fighting for us.
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Threat of the entire world were 1% of the total casualties.
That's another thread though.
 
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Stevie Freestein II said:
A fuckup by all accounts but if it makes a good film then fair enough.

Is the fall of Singapore blockbuster in the pipeline?
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A much bigger fuck up than Dunkirk.

After a series of fuck ups (including installing all the big guns so they could only face out to sea as "no-one would attack through a jungle") the UK, Australian and Indian regiments asked the Japanese for talks. The Japanese were actually relieved - then rather surprised when the allied troops offered an unconditional surrender. The Japs were surprised as they had ran out of ammo and couldn't continue the fight.....
 
Stevie Freestein II said:
There were troops left behind who had to be a rear guard.
I'm not knocking the troops in any way, just the leadership and strategists.

We celebrate an escape.
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Just cor the record the French where in charge of the campaign.
We only evacuated when the outcome was inevitable.

Royal 8er said:
Excellent post.
British military history is littered with so many similar tales.
Brave men put in intolerable situations by toffee nosed thickheads and egotists.


Of course we should honour the sacrifices of the ordinary military servicemen and women who sacrificed so much time and time again.
At the same time there needs to be more scrutiny and where necessary censure of the idiots who made so many bad indeed fundamental errors that cost the lives of so many of these brave people.
It's a disgrace when you seem of these wankers getting the plaudits for doing nothing other than going to the right school and knowing the right people
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Plenty of those "toffee nosed" people died on them there beaches bonny lad.
 
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ANonnyMoose said:
A much bigger fuck up than Dunkirk.

After a series of fuck ups (including installing all the big guns so they could only face out to sea as "no-one would attack through a jungle") the UK, Australian and Indian regiments asked the Japanese for talks. The Japanese were actually relieved - then rather surprised when the allied troops offered an unconditional surrender. The Japs were surprised as they had ran out of ammo and couldn't continue the fight.....
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Did the Japanese take control of the reservoirs which forced our hand a bit?
 
Gravyb0y said:
My grandad landed on D Day after surviving Dunkirk. Promised my mam and Nana he'd never touch the sea again. Dying of terminal cancer in September 1980 while my mam was pregnant with me, he told her he'd do anything she wanted. She asked him to paddle in the sea. My mam, my Nana and me Grandad went to benidorm the next January and he swam in the med, initially frightened, by the end of the week they couldn't get him out of the water. He told my mam "tell him it's the little things. Tell him to have no fear. Tell him to get back on the horse. Tell him I love him."

My mam never told me that until she saw Saving Private Ryan around 2005. It fucked me up. But ever since then I've followed that speech.

I know that sounds bullshit, but who am I to question me ma? Never got to meet the bloke, but heard he was f***ing rock, and obviously lived through Dunkirk, D Day, and all of WW2, so I'll never question it.

Henry McCowliff was his name if anyone is wanting to look it up.

Makes our generation look like the cowards we are.
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Good lord, I just fully welled up sat at my desk at work. Emotional stuff that mind

Huge respect to him
 
Stevie Freestein II said:
Did the Japanese take control of the reservoirs which forced our hand a bit?
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And the food depots, but we had more ammo and supplies left than they did, The Japs only having a couple of hours ammo left for their big guns. In fact, they knew their supplies were running low on the 11th of Feb, the Allies surrendered on the 15th.

Then the British army blamed the Aussies, even when it was clear the British army planning was a disaster for the whole defence of Malaya and Singapore....
 
Gravyb0y said:
My grandad landed on D Day after surviving Dunkirk. Promised my mam and Nana he'd never touch the sea again. Dying of terminal cancer in September 1980 while my mam was pregnant with me, he told her he'd do anything she wanted. She asked him to paddle in the sea. My mam, my Nana and me Grandad went to benidorm the next January and he swam in the med, initially frightened, by the end of the week they couldn't get him out of the water. He told my mam "tell him it's the little things. Tell him to have no fear. Tell him to get back on the horse. Tell him I love him."

My mam never told me that until she saw Saving Private Ryan around 2005. It fucked me up. But ever since then I've followed that speech.

I know that sounds bullshit, but who am I to question me ma? Never got to meet the bloke, but heard he was f***ing rock, and obviously lived through Dunkirk, D Day, and all of WW2, so I'll never question it.

Henry McCowliff was his name if anyone is wanting to look it up.

Makes our generation look like the cowards we are.
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Similar with my Grandad,


He joined the Royal Horse Artillery in 1924 left in 28 called back as a reservist in 39.
Served BEF and Evacuated from Dunkirk on a Coal Barge.
Served in the Desert Under Monty, I have his Africa Star with 8th Army Bar.
Served in Italy.
Landed on Sword Beach D-Day.
Went through France where he was the sole survivor of his mates after a mortar shell landed in their slit trench.
Ended the War as RSM Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders.

He told me a few things about Dunkirk, one of the most poignant was when he said it had taken him and his Platoon weeks of walking while fighting a rear-guard action to get to Dunkirk with Jerry just behind them, when they turned a corner on the outskirts they came face to face with an equally knackered looking German unit, the Germans simply waved them away in the direction of the port.

The one thing he remembers most about that campaign though was not seeing an Officer for weeks, to his dying day in 2001 he maintained an absolute hatred of the Officer Class.
 
Lord Potts said:
I am of the generation where me granddad's generation served in WWI and me dad's in WWII. My mates and I grew up surrounded by heroes without any of us really understanding or appreciating it at the time. It was just what your granddad or dad had done and most other granddads and dads had done the same.

I know that all the stories on this thread are absolutely true because I heard so many like them as a kid from the blokes themselves. All those lads were heroes but if you asked any of them what they did in the "War" - as we did - they almost always said "Nowt special" and they believed it to be the case

It was only when I got older that I began to realise what exceptional people I have had the luck and privilege of knowing.
Click to expand...
I imagine its a very personal thing for any soldier or ex soldier talking about taking another persons life...
Gravyb0y said:
My grandad landed on D Day after surviving Dunkirk. Promised my mam and Nana he'd never touch the sea again. Dying of terminal cancer in September 1980 while my mam was pregnant with me, he told her he'd do anything she wanted. She asked him to paddle in the sea. My mam, my Nana and me Grandad went to benidorm the next January and he swam in the med, initially frightened, by the end of the week they couldn't get him out of the water. He told my mam "tell him it's the little things. Tell him to have no fear. Tell him to get back on the horse. Tell him I love him."

My mam never told me that until she saw Saving Private Ryan around 2005. It fucked me up. But ever since then I've followed that speech.

I know that sounds bullshit, but who am I to question me ma? Never got to meet the bloke, but heard he was f***ing rock, and obviously lived through Dunkirk, D Day, and all of WW2, so I'll never question it.

Henry McCowliff was his name if anyone is wanting to look it up.

Makes our generation look like the cowards we are.
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Great story
 
natinnam said:
Really looking forward to seeing it, getting very good reviews. Noticed also, one about Churchill coming our in the new year, looks good also.
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I've read the Churchill one isn't great, especially since a lot of it in the film is made up
 
the veteran said:
I imagine its a very personal thing for any soldier or ex soldier talking about taking another persons life...
Click to expand...
I worked with one old lad from South Shields in the early 1970's who as the other blokes told me had been in the desert in Popski's Private Army which was an early Special Forces unit doing hit and run behind enemy line. He was surprised that I knew of them as by coincidence me Mam had worked with another member of the unit - but Jackie never talked about it.

Being young I couldn't resist I pressing him about "what was it like" and one day he simply said to me. "Look son the only bloody thing I learnt for that lot was the best time to shoot a man is when he is sitting on the f***ing toilet." I got the message loud and clear after that and never raised it again.
 
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