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→Historical Accuracy
==Historical Accuracy==
Among very recent movies, <i>Dunkirk</i> is seen as among the most accurate historical movies. While the main characters are fictional, their actions due represent thousands of people who experienced the events. This includes the soldiers on the beach, the men and women who tried to rescue the soldiers on their own private boats, and the pilots who had to fight off the Luftwaffe after being heavily outnumbered. The action sequences and conflict among characters, such as the rescued man trying to fight Mr. Dawson and his crew, is accurate, as some men rescued did try to avoid having to go back with rescue boats to get more trapped soldiers. While overall, the sequence of events, the initially seemingly impossible task of escaping, and bravery of soldiers and civilians is accurate, there are some oversights. For instance, the town of Dunkirk was heavily damaged during this time, rather than simply abandoned. The German leaflets to surrender did occur, but they looked slightly different. Soldiers generally always wore their caps when saluting, which was not always shown as such. Perhaps the biggest weakness is the lack of context as to why the Dunkirk evacuation was successful.
A major factor for the British success is the tactical decision to halt the bulk of German forces outside of Dunkirk for a period of a few days that gave valuable time for the British to assemble a defensive line and begin evacuations. The role of French soldiers, in the siege of Lille, was critical as well, as it delayed a large number of German soldiers. The Germans made a tactical error by depending too much on the Luftwaffe to finish off the remaining forces on the beach. The Royal Air Force did commit a significant number of aircraft and, to a large extent, their decision to limit some other fighter units from engaging the Germans did make sense in light of potential weakness of Britain if Germany decided to invade Britain. The Germans also used too many bombers and dive bomber and not enough fighter aircraft, resulting in relatively larger losses of aircraft. In effect, a combination of heroic actions by the British but also French soldiers fighting elsewhere was critical as well as tactical errors by the Germans. This helped lead to the successful evacuation.
==Summary==
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