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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ005104S
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00:27 This is Dunkirk in the north of France.
00:30 On the second of May, 1940, hundreds of thousands of 00:34 British and allied troops were amassed here on this beach 00:38 surrounded by enemy forces. 00:40 Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea they faced 00:45 an impossible situation as the enemy closed in. 00:49 There was action everywhere as the story unfolded on land, 00:54 sea, and air. RAF Spitfires engaged the enemy in the skies 00:59 above the channel desperately trying to protect the 01:02 defenseless men below. 01:04 Meanwhile 33 Kilometers away across the English Channel 01:10 at Dover, hundreds of small boats manned by both military 01:14 and civilians were mounting a desperate rescue effort 01:18 risking their lives in a race against time to save 01:23 even a fraction of their army. 01:25 Join me as we explore the remarkable story of the 01:30 Dunkirk Evacuation, the terrifying events that led 01:34 up to it and the providential events that made it possible. 01:54 In late May 1940 a convoy of small boats sailed from Dover 01:59 over across the English Channel towards France, 02:02 it was a dangerous crossing to make and the sailors were 02:06 apprehensive as they thought about what lay ahead. 02:09 They crossed the channel without incident and drew up to the 02:13 beaches at Dunkirk along the French coast 02:16 The sight that greeted them was one that they had not 02:20 expected. The beaches were covered from one end to another 02:24 with a dark moving mass of humanity. 02:29 All along the shoreline thousands of soldiers thronged the beaches 02:33 jostling, moving, ducking for cover. Behind them towards 02:39 the town columns of smoke spiraled into the skies 02:43 signaling that destruction that had swept through Dunkirk. 02:48 In the distance was the crack of machine gun fire and the 02:52 roar of artillery as the soldiers defending the perimeter 02:57 around Dunkirk and the beaches returned enemy fire. 03:00 The Dunkirk harbor had been all but destroyed by German 03:05 Luftwaffe Bombers which meant that sailing vessels 03:08 could not birth there. When the soldiers on the beach 03:12 saw the approaching vessels. 03:14 They began to wade out into the ocean chewing up to their 03:18 chest in water, waiting for the vessels to get close enough 03:22 so they could board. The sailors took their boats as close 03:27 to the shore as they dare and shut down the engines 03:30 Immediately a mass of soldiers surged forward scrambling 03:35 to get on board the vessels nearly capsizing them in their 03:39 haste and desperation. 03:41 As the soldiers crowded onto the boats the sailors tried 03:46 to establish some semblance of orders and regain control of 03:50 their vessels before long the low hum of dozens of engines 03:56 filled the air and the little boats plunged out into the 03:59 open waters towards England. 04:01 But before they could get very far, they heard the low whining 04:06 drone of German bombers circling overhead. Suddenly chaos 04:11 reigned around them as they were peppered with machine gun 04:14 fire and bombs whizzing past them and pelting the ocean. 04:19 The soldiers on board hefted their rifles to their shoulders 04:23 and began returning fire, it was a desperate tussle for 04:27 survival. The Germans were determined to prevent the 04:32 British from escaping and the British were determined to 04:36 survive. Some soldiers were pummeled by unending reign bullets 04:41 while other managed to evade the firestorm and survive. 04:46 When they finally reached Dover the boats queued up at the harbor 04:52 and thousands of soldiers streamed from the vessels, 04:56 they had evaded machine gun fire, bombs, and mines strewn 05:02 across the ocean floor to get to safety. 05:05 These vessels were among hundreds of other little ships 05:09 civilian vessels, that had volunteered their services 05:13 for the largest evacuation in military history. 05:17 They were at the heart of what is known as the Miracle of 05:22 Dunkirk, or Operation Dynamite. A daring military operation 05:26 launched by the Royal Navy in an attempt to evacuate the 05:30 British Expeditionary Forces who were trapped in France 05:34 at the height of World War II 05:37 British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill called it 05:41 A Miracle of Deliverance and indeed it was just that 05:46 because amid almost relentless enemy attack and near impossible 05:51 conditions, over 300,000 men were evacuated from the beaches 05:56 of Dunkirk and taken across the channel safely 06:00 to Dover in England. 06:06 Barely nine months earlier on the first of September 1939 06:11 Germany had invaded Poland kicking off World War II 06:15 Hitler's aggressive military agenda set the rest of Europe 06:19 on edge. Since 1936 Hitler had been acquiring territory 06:25 beginning with the re-occupation of the Rhineland District 06:28 of Germany. After the successful occupation of the Rhineland, 06:34 Hitler pushed further afield 06:36 seizing Austria and Czechoslovakia by 1939. 06:41 By early 1939, Hitler had set his sites on Poland 06:46 and by this time France and Great Britain were becoming 06:49 nervous. They saw that Hitler's ambitions could not be tempered 06:54 and immediately moved to curb him. 06:57 In March 1939, Great Britain declared that they would do 07:02 everything in their power to ensure that Poland remained 07:06 independent pledging military assistance towards us in any 07:10 German advances. France soon allied itself with Britain 07:15 and pledged its support for Poland as well. 07:19 Undaunted by this Hitler signed a non-aggression treaty with 07:24 the Soviet Union and on the first of September 1939, 07:28 invaded Poland. 07:30 Tensions were already running high in Europe and Hitler's 07:35 invasion of Poland was the final straw that set in motion 07:40 a chain of events that kick- started World War II. 07:43 At 9:00 a.m. on the 3rd of September 1939 07:47 the British Ambassador to Germany Sir Neville Henderson 07:51 delivered an ultimatum to the Nazis. 07:54 The Germans were asked to cease their hostilities by 11:00 a.m. 08:00 that morning, if they failed to do so, they were told that 08:04 Britain would be at war with Germany. 08:06 Hitler refused to respond and by 11:15 a.m. on the 3rd of 08:12 September 1939 British Prime Minister Nevil Chamberlain 08:17 announced that Britain was officially at war with Germany. 08:21 Shortly after the prime minister's announcement 08:25 the air-raid sirens in London began to wail mournfully 08:29 over the stunned city. It was only a drill but it 08:34 brought home the chilling reality that England was now 08:38 at war and the grim uncertainty of war-time settled over the 08:43 the whole nation. 08:44 Shortly after the British had declared war on the Germans 08:48 the French had a similar announcement allying themselves 08:53 with their neighbors across the channel. The French were 08:57 prepared to go to war in much the same way they had during 09:01 World War I using their famous Maginot line as an almost 09:05 impregnable defense. 09:07 The Maginot line is a series of concrete fortifications 09:13 obstacles and weapons installations built along the 09:16 French side of the borders they share with Germany, Italy, 09:21 Belgium and Luxembourg, but Hitler chose a military strategy 09:26 that blind-sided the allies. 09:28 First, he invaded Norway and Denmark in April of 1940, 09:33 then a month later he launched his first victory against 09:38 the Netherlands and Belgium. The sudden and swift attack 09:42 left the allied troops dazed and reeling. 09:45 Thousands of refugees flooded the roads fleeing the 09:50 approaching German front. German dive bombers crowed the skies 09:55 unleashing a hail of machine gunfire and bombs on 09:59 unprepared targets. 10:01 In the ensuing chaos the allied forces mounted the best defense 10:06 they could muster but their efforts did little to stave off 10:11 the advancing German military machine. 10:13 The Germans completely ignored the mighty Maginot line 10:18 and instead carved a path into France through Luxembourg 10:23 and the Ardennes Forest. Hitler's tanks then turned 10:27 and pushed towards the sea reaching the English Channel 10:30 and isolating the armies in the north. 10:34 They turned again pushing north and securing more coastal ports 10:39 along the way until the allied forces, in particular, the 10:44 British Expeditionary Forces found themselves increasingly 10:48 trapped with little hope of survival. 10:51 Then, just as everything seemed to be slowly caving in around 10:56 them, the German high command called for its army to halt 11:00 their advance, it seemed like a miracle and the allied 11:04 forces seized the opportunity without hesitation. 11:08 During the providential reprieve which lasted 48 hours, 11:13 the commander of the British Expeditionary Forces 11:16 Lord Gort directed his commanders to fall back 11:20 to Dunkirk where they were to await evacuation. 11:24 The mission seemed impossible. In order to arrive at Dunkirk 11:29 the British Expeditionary Force would have to fight their way 11:33 through enemy lines and hold the town against formidable 11:37 German attacks. 11:39 And not only that, they would need to hold it long enough 11:44 for the ships to arrive from England and ferry out the 11:48 thousands of soldiers who made up the British Expeditionary 11:51 Force. By the time the evacuation was set in motion 11:55 there were over 333,000 troops trapped on the beaches around 12:01 Dunkirk waiting for a ride home. 12:04 The evacuation was code-named Operation Dynamo and was 12:09 carried out by the royal navy under the command of 12:13 Vice Admiral Burtram Ramsey and a small team of men. 12:17 Ramsey chose Dover Castle as his base of operations 12:21 and began making arrangements for the evacuation on the 12:25 19th of May, 1940. When the allied forces arrived in Dunkirk 12:31 one of the first things they did was set up a perimeter 12:35 of defense to hold of German attacks, but this didn't stop 12:39 the Luftwaffe from deploying Stuka's or dive bombers 12:43 to fly over the town. 12:45 As thousands of soldiers streamed into the abandoned 12:49 streets of Dunkirk, a pool of smoke hung over them 12:52 and piles of rubble littered the streets. Many soldiers 12:57 retreated into the basement of buildings in an attempt to 13:00 take cover while others huddled on the beaches. 13:04 The soldiers on the beaches were particularly vulnerable 13:08 to the constant aerial bombing and shelling unleashed by the 13:13 Germans. The men were like sitting ducks being picked off 13:17 indiscriminately by the near constant Luftwaffe machine-gun 13:21 fire. The German bombers paid special attention to bombing 13:27 the harbor at Dunkirk, they rendered it unfit for use 13:31 and the British forces had to figure out another location 13:34 to stage the evacuation. They set their sights on the 13:39 eastern Mole at Dunkirk, a mole derived from the French 13:43 word Mull. Referred to massive structures made of wood, 13:48 concrete or stone to act as breakwaters around harbors. 13:53 The British quickly decided to use the Eastern moll 13:57 as a main point of evacuation. 14:00 Just a few minutes before 7:00 p.m. on the evening of 14:04 the 26th of May, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary 14:09 Force began with a short message declaring Operation Dynamo 14:14 is to commence, the first ship to sail for England was 14:19 the Isle of Man Steam Packet Mona's Isle. 14:21 The boat embarked with 1,420 troops from Dunkirk, 14:27 as it was navigating the channel towards Dover, artillery was 14:31 fired from the shore at Grave Lachs? and dive bombers launched 14:36 an ariel assault. Twenty-three men were killed on that first 14:41 trip across the narrow seas and this would set the tone 14:44 for the entire evacuation effort and the uncertain and tenuous 14:49 days that follow. Mona's Isle arrived in Dover around noon 14:54 on the 27th of May and dis- embarked its cargo of weary 14:59 but grateful soldiers. 15:01 At the beginning of Operation Dynamo, British expectations 15:06 for evacuation were low, there were so many nearly 15:10 insurmountable logistical problems, not to mention 15:13 the fact that the allies were trapped in a small sliver of 15:18 territory fighting against much stronger forces. 15:21 It would take a miracle to evacuate them all to safety 15:25 but the British continued with their efforts undaunted, 15:29 determined to save as many men as they were able to save. 15:33 By the 27th of May, the British commanders at Dunkirk 15:38 radioed Dover Castle asking for every available ship to be sent 15:43 to Dunkirk to aid the evacuation in. 15:47 Soldiers found themselves curing on the beaches 15:50 waiting for small passenger boats to approach as near 15:54 the shore as they dared. Others cured on the Mole waiting to 15:58 board ships that managed to birth there. 16:01 As part of the evacuation process smaller vessels would 16:07 fairy boatloads of soldiers out into the open ocean 16:10 where massive Royal Navy destroyers waited anchored in 16:14 deep water. Soldiers were off-loaded onto the destroyers 16:18 and then the smaller vessel would head back towards the 16:22 shore to pick up more men. 16:24 But the Germans were determined to destroy the British forces 16:28 and in addition to the aerial bombing, the Luftwaffe 16:33 began to lay sea mines dropping them into the water 16:37 along the course that the British ships navigated. 16:40 The soldiers struggled during their time on the beaches 16:44 all around them was the pop of machine gun fire and the 16:50 dull thundering roar of dropping bombs. They watched as their 16:54 brothers in arms died around them, or as a boat filled with 16:58 soldiers sank under enemy fire drowning all the men on board. 17:03 Yet, despite all this horror, whenever the men saw a boat 17:08 approaching the shore, they waded out into the water 17:11 rushing towards it as though 17:14 it were their only lifeline, their only sliver of 17:17 hope in a world gone mad, looking increasingly 17:21 like hell on earth. 17:23 By Sunday, June 2nd, there were only about 11,000 men remaining 17:29 in Dunkirk, many of these were on the beaches but some were 17:33 hiding in the town while other were defending the perimeter. 17:37 Those defending the perimeter, would take time to withdraw 17:42 and time was running out fast. 17:45 With the German tanks and troops nearly on top of them the British 17:50 commanders on the ground at Dunkirk realized that they 17:54 would need to deploy a massive flotilla of vessels to evacuate 17:58 the remaining men in a single swoop. Back at Dover 18:03 Admiral Ramsey realized that they would need to evacuate 18:07 the remaining men within the space of 12 hours or else 18:12 they would risk losing them as prisoners of war to the 18:15 advancing German line. Ramsey immediately sent out a call to 18:21 every available Royal Navy destroyer and minesweeper 18:25 telling them that the final evacuation was to take place 18:30 on the night of the 2nd of June, and that all available navy ships 18:34 were to report to Dover as soon as possible. 18:38 At 5:00 p.m. that evening a massive amount of Royal Navy 18:43 ships moved silently out of Dover headed towards Dunkirk 18:48 the vessels reached Dunkirk at 6:54 p.m. and began boarding 18:53 large number of eager soldiers. Just after 11:30 p.m. 18:59 British Commanders on the ground signaled Dover that the last 19:04 British Expeditionary Forces had been evacuated 19:08 and they themselves boarded Navy vessels for Dover. 19:12 The evacuation efforts continued however in an attempt to 19:17 evacuate as many French soldiers as possible. The last ships to 19:22 depart Dunkirk left at 3:00 a.m. on the 4th of June, 19:26 having evacuated 20,000 French soldiers that night. 19:30 By then the Germans were only five kilometers away and 19:35 12,000 French troops remained stranded at Dunkirk to be 19:40 taken as prisoners of war. At 2:23 p.m. on Tuesday the 19:45 4th of June, 1940 Operation Dynamo was terminated. 19:51 All together the Royal Navy evacuated 338,000 troops 19:58 which was almost the entire British Expeditionary Force. 20:02 Of the 933 ships that were deployed to help with the 20:07 evacuation 236 were destroyed by German firepower. 20:12 The evacuation of Dunkirk was followed closely by the 20:16 surrender of France to Germany about three weeks later 20:20 leaving Britain isolated and vulnerable to the threat of 20:24 imminent invasion by Hitler's forces. 20:26 The British Expeditionary Force had abandoned or destroyed 20:32 nearly all their heavy equipment in Dunkirk and millions of 20:36 pounds worth of equipment had literally gone up in smoke. 20:40 Hitler declared the evacuation a victory for Germany 20:44 but Britain had an entirely different view of the matter. 20:49 By rescuing the bulk of its army, the British felt that they 20:54 had gained an important or be a temporary victory. They had 20:59 lived to fight another day and Britain was still independent of 21:03 Nazi aggression unlike many other nations on the continent. 21:07 Had Operation Dynamo failed, and the British troops been 21:12 killed or taken prisoner, the whole war would have taken 21:16 a different course and we would be narrating 21:19 a different historical story right now. The evacuation of 21:24 Dunkirk was a critical moment for Britain and the allied forces 21:28 at the outset of World War II. 21:30 Speaking of the evacuation on the 4th of June, 1940 21:35 Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to the entire 21:40 episode as a miracle. The evacuation boosted public morale 21:45 and was thereafter referred to as the Miracle of Dunkirk. 21:50 The Miracle of Dunkirk and the nightmarish conditions 21:54 the soldiers endured remind us of another war being fought 21:59 all around us at this very moment. 22:02 The Bible refers to it as a Cosmic Conflict between the 22:06 forces of good and evil. A conflict that began in heaven 22:11 and then spilled out onto our tiny planet wrapping this 22:15 pale blue dot we call home in a constant fog of heartbreaking 22:20 fear. Because of the great conflict between the forces 22:24 of light and the forces of darkness, we find ourselves 22:28 much like the soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk pummeled 22:34 by the constant thundering roar of catastrophe and calamity 22:37 We need only read the news today to realize just how much 22:42 our world is reminiscent of a war zone fires blazing 22:46 mercilessly throughout the drought-ridden coast of 22:50 Australia and other countries of the world. 22:53 Millions of refugees fleeing conflict zones all over the world 22:58 risking their lives as they undertake dangerous voyages 23:02 across rough seas. 23:04 Thousands affected by the Corona-Virus, the sharp increase 23:09 in crime and violence in society, the pain and 23:13 heartbreak that accompany a rising tide of mental and 23:17 emotional illness, the list goes on and on. 23:20 And sometimes it might be easy to feel we too are soldiers 23:26 stranded forlornly on a crowded beach waiting desperately 23:31 for some glimmer of hope on the horizon. 23:35 And perhaps that is one of the keys of the story of Dunkirk 23:38 It's a story of hope. When those beleaguered soldiers 23:43 spotted the ships bobbing on the horizon, their hearts 23:47 lifted with hope, hope of survival, hope of life, 23:51 hope of a future with their loved ones. 23:54 In the midst of the strife and conflicts of life that we face 23:58 today as a global community, Jesus offers us hope on the 24:04 horizon. Jesus himself tells us this in John 14: 1-3. 24:28 Jesus is preparing the greatest rescue operation ever known 24:34 to mankind. It's a rescue operation that is geared towards 24:38 saving millions of stranded survivors languishing on the 24:42 shores of human hopelessness and grief. Millions of stranded 24:47 survivors longing for something this world cannot offer 24:51 a peace and hope that's seems just beyond our reach. 24:56 Jesus promises us if we reach out and grasp His hand 25:02 he will hold on to us and evacuate us from this far-flung 25:07 shore. He will take us by the hand and lead us safely home. 25:12 When you look around you at the mounting chaos and turmoil 25:17 in this world, don't you long for peace? 25:21 Do you long for hope? Do you long for something better? 25:24 Jesus is waiting for you to open your heart to Him 25:29 to let Him into your life. He has promised us that 25:33 He is coming soon, coming to rescue us, to evacuate us 25:37 to a brighter shore, a better place. 25:40 The Bible tells us this. 25:57 Jesus offers you and I a future full of hope, a future 26:03 free from pain, suffering and death, and a future that is 26:08 filled with a promise of eternal life. 26:11 If you are longing for a better life and want to reach out and 26:16 grab hold of this opportunity today, to find out more about 26:20 this hope and the promise of eternal life that Jesus 26:23 offers us then I'd like to recommend the free gift 26:26 we have for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:31 It's a booklet How The War Ends, this small booklet will answer 26:37 your questions about the end of the Cosmic Conflict and what 26:40 will happen here on earth. 26:42 This booklet with give you the hope, peace, and assurance 26:46 that we are all seeking. 26:48 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:52 So, why not take the opportunity to receive the 26:56 free gift we have for you today. 26:59 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 27:09 in New Zealand. Or visit our website at TIJ.tv, 27:14 or simply scan the QR Code on your screen and we'll send you 27:18 today's free offer, totally free of charge and with no 27:21 obligation. Write to us at GPO Box 274, Sydney NSW 2001 27:28 Australia or P.O. Box 76673 Manukau, Auckland 2241 27:35 New Zealand. Don't delay Call or text us now. 27:39 Be sure to join us again next week when we will share another 27:45 of life's journeys together. Until then, I invite you 27:50 to join me as we pray. 27:52 Dear Heavenly Father, Our hearts are troubled 27:56 when we see the strife and turmoil in our world today. 28:00 Please grant us the peace that you offer and lead us to a 28:04 place where our hearts can find hope and peace. 28:07 Thank you for rescuing us and for the gift of eternal life. 28:12 We want to reach out and accept your offer and we ask this 28:16 in Jesus' name. Amen! |
Revised 2022-08-24