May 1940. The Nazis were steamrolling through Europe. They had already swallowed up Poland and Czechoslovakia before invading Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. The Nazis had the Allies on the run. They were massively outgunned and now pinned down in Dunkirk, France. The Allies could not move forward, and the British Navy was all but crippled by the German Luftwaffe (air force). 400,000 British troops were stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk. They were sitting ducks and the Germans took advantage of it.
There can be no peace with evil
Not only did German planes go on bombing raids over the soldiers lying on the beaches waiting to be rescued and destroy the rescue ships, but they dialed up their propaganda campaign, dropping leaflets in which they told British troops that they were surrounded and had no hope and should surrender. The war was both physical and psychological. Indeed, some Allied nations did surrender to the Nazi menace. But not Great Britain. Led by their indefatigable wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, they recognized that you can’t negotiate with evil. The only thing you can do is try to defeat it. This is the historical backdrop behind Christopher Nolan’s new summer film Dunkirk.
The movie itself has been praised for its accurate portrayal of the war, using actual planes and boats used in the battle in scenes that contain little dialogue, but instead allow viewers to experience the war through the perspectives of those fighting it in air, land and sea. The story highlights the heroism of ordinary Britons who chartered their private boats across the English Channel to aid in the evacuation of the British troops from Dunkirk. While it wasn’t a military victory, it was a certainly a moral victory for the British and gave them the resolve to continue to fight the long war that awaited them.
Some 77 years after the Battle of Dunkirk, why has this film resonated so deeply? Germany certainly no longer threatens its neighbors; on the contrary, at times it is called upon to prop them up as the anchor of the European Union. Instead, perhaps it is because today the world faces a new threat as ideologically menacing as Nazism once was: Islamic Fascism.
While they don’t have the same weapons of war at their disposal as the Nazis had, since September 11th, 2001, Islamic fundamentalists have launched a reign of terror around the world and their objective is no different than that of Hitler’s: a new world order. There are some nations that think that we should negotiate with these terrorists. Give them what they want. We are occupiers in their lands anyway. It’s a tempting narrative, just ask Neville Chamberlain.
But there are others who see things more clearly. They know that whether it is Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, or Hezbollah, there is only one option and that is to fight.
Those who recognize this can still gain resolve from Churchill’s famous speech after the Battle of Dunkirk:
“We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be.
“… we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
So too with our homeland, our beloved Israel. With each passing terror attack, the terrorists hope that they will demoralize us. And indeed there are those who seek to blame the Jews. We are the colonialists. We are the interlopers. We have no history in this Land. Just give them what they want. Make “peace.” But alas, as the lessons of history have shown us, there can be no peace with evil. To quote Churchill, there can only be “Victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be.”
If Sir Winston were alive today, perhaps he would update his famous words to the following:
“We shall defend our Land of Israel, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches of the Mediterranean, we shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields of the Galilee and in the streets of Jerusalem, we shall fight in the hills of Judea, we shall never surrender.
(7) Herbert Abrams, August 3, 2017 9:02 PM
Correction to Michael Silver's comment
I would like to point out to Michael Silver, regarding his comment on the Film "Dunkirk". One reason the word Nazi is not mentioned in the film because this was a World one War in 1918 while the Nazi party was nor led to leadership until Hitler in 1933..
chava, August 4, 2017 9:41 AM
Dunkirk was in 1940, WWII
I'm pretty sure this happened in 1940, under Churchill, and the fight was against the nazis.
(6) Kenneth H Ryesky, August 3, 2017 5:44 PM
British were not supportive of Jews
The British do not have clean hands as far as their friendship towards Israel goes. Can you say "White Paper?"
(5) Tova Saul, August 3, 2017 3:08 PM
Such an interesting and informative article
Thank you.
(4) Bernard, July 31, 2017 8:01 PM
History Without the History
Do we really need to be reminded of the heroism of soldiers in battle? We are reminded of that every day by the sacrifice and performance of our brave soldiers in the U.S. armed forces and Israel's IDF. WWII was clearly a war of good vs. evil. Dunkirk is a great story but to not identify the enemy in this film, for whatever reason, was a mistake by the director.
Rachel, August 3, 2017 9:52 PM
Heroism of civilians
While I hope Americans would rally to save our military if they were in that kind of situation, it's kind of hard to imagine. The miracle of Dunkirk was the rescue of BEF and Allied troops by virtually the entire sea-faring population of Britain, especially fishermen. Yes, the BEF, RN, and RAF performed heroically as well, but that was their job. I am a baby-boomer who learned this story from reading and from those who lived thru the war. The film gave me an opportunity to discuss the Battle of France with my son. If you know anything about planes you'll recognize the different markings on the Luftwaffe planes. The film is brilliant. It doesn't need to show swastikas, and I was very moved that Churchills speech is communicated to the audience by a young survivor reading it aloud from a newspaper.
(3) Alan S., July 30, 2017 9:25 PM
A wonderful, enjoyable column.
This is wise, smart and serious journalism. It belongs above the 'fold', so to speak, and not in the 'funnies' section.
(2) Elizabeth, July 30, 2017 5:57 PM
Bravo
Well written and truthful.
(1) Dovid HaLevi, July 30, 2017 2:06 PM
Churchill
Great leader, great eloquence, bad for Europe's Jews. Same with Roosevelt. Millions could and should have been saved.
Film is great!
Dr C D Goldberg, August 3, 2017 12:21 PM
Agree
I fully agree with this sentiment. Antisemitism comes in different forms and hatred towards Jews with back stabbing and double crossing by Gentles towards Jews is big time, which explains why the Holocaust was so devastatingly successful unfortunately. The behaviour of the British under Ernest Bevin and the State Department of the USA speaks volumes to this. Had the civilized world acted before World War Two, and someway of warning the Jews of impending death, doom and destruction, maybe the outcome of the Holocaust might have been different. I do not for one minute believe that the collaborators of the Nazis and Kapos were punished substansivly or taken to task for their role in the Holocaust, where they carried out their deeds willingly with enthusiasm and in many cases were not following orders either.
Anonymous, August 3, 2017 9:56 PM
Disagree
The most important thing the Allies could do to save Jews was to defeat Nazi Germany, and they did, at tremendous cost to their countries. My Holocaust surviving in laws agree.