In late May 1940 the British expected to rescue perhaps 45,000 men from Dunkirk in two days. Over eight days they brought home more than 338,000. This episode looks past the cinematic legend to examine the strategic blunders that created the trap, the desperate maritime logistics that solved it, and the forgotten sacrifices that made the escape possible. We start with the Maginot Line, the supposedly impassable Ardennes, and the panzer thrust that pinned the British Expeditionary Force and three French armies against the coast.

We examine the controversial Halt Order that stopped German tanks for two critical days, Vice Admiral Ramsay's three deadly evacuation routes, Captain Tennant's decision to use the East Mole as an improvised pier, and the real role of the little ships as ferries rather than the main transport. We also cover the RAF's ...