The film Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” to evacuate British and French soldiers from Dunkirk during the Second world war, already being called one of the best films of the Director. The film is based on is full of drama story of the evacuation of allied soldiers during the war.
In 1940, as a result of the German blitzkrieg, the French and the British were pushed out to sea, where they blockaded at Dunkirk.
The only option was evacuation to England, across the channel, but to evacuate a few hundred thousand soldiers from the zone of active hostilities — that is easier said than done.
Thanks to the wonderful rescue managed to save from the advancing German army more than 330 thousand was surrounded by allied soldiers.
However, the British helped that the Germans allowed their tanks to make a three-day break before you go on the offensive. Due to this, the British have had more time to evacuate.
Many historians describe the order to stop tanks as one of the biggest mistakes committed during the war.
But why this order was given?
In this respect there are some theories.
British writer Stephen Davis (Stephen Davis) believes that stopping Hitler’s offensive was a kind of gesture, calculated on Churchill and the Germans used the pause to make the UK a new proposal about the world. Davis, in particular, refers to the fact that German General Alfred Jodl (Alfred Jodl) wrote in his diary during the invasion of France, Hitler developed a peace Treaty with the British.
In his political Testament of 1945, Hitler complained that Churchill rejected his gesture, which helped to save British soldiers at Dunkirk.
However, this theory does not fit well with the orders given for five years to probate. In particular, the so-called “Directive 13” of may, 1940, according to which the Wehrmacht was to destroy all the surrounded allied troops.
The German historian Karl Heinz of Freezer (Karl Heinz Friedser), in turn, believes that Hitler stopped the offensive to once and for all show the military that the commander in chief — it, and their advice he does not need.
Most probably a logical explanation belongs to Mike Rothschild (Mike Rothschild) from Skeptoid.
According to Rothschild, the explanation is simple: after two weeks of continuous fighting, the soldiers needed a break, and tanks — repair.
The blitzkrieg was so fast that the tanks are significantly ahead of the infantry, and the necessary reinforcements, and without them to continue the offensive was impossible.
In addition Hermann Goering, chief of the Luftwaffe (German air force), promised that the planes can fight better than the army, and Hitler agreed. Later it turned out that the Luftwaffe at Dunkirk was harder than expected, since the Germans had to deal with bad weather and effective British aircraft.
Rothschild also believes that the decision to suspend the offensive took not Hitler, but the officer in charge of the tanks, I asked a German General Gerd von Rundstedt (Gerd von Rundsedt) on the break, since I lost half of their forces. Von Rundstedt sent this request up, and Hitler was satisfied with it.
No matter what was the reason for the stop Hitler’s tanks, the British, in all likelihood, it would be much harder to fight if more than 300 thousand soldiers have not been evacuated. Probably, the outcome of the war would have been a little different.
The article was first published in natgeobloggen.no
