Air Power and the Evacuation of Dunkirk
The RAF and Luftwaffe during Operation Dynamo, 26 May – 4 June 1940
(Bloomsbury Academic - 12 August 2021)
By Harry Raffal
304 pages w/ 5 b&w illustrations - hardback
£76.50 / $115
£61.20 - Online price (20% off)
£61.20 - PDF
"The Evacuation of Dunkirk has been immortalised in books, prints and films, narrated as a story of an outnumbered, inexperienced RAF defeating the battle-hardened Luftwaffe and protecting the evacuation. This book revives the historiography by analysing the air operations during the excavation. Raffal draws from German and English sources, many for the first time in the context of Operation DYNAMO, to argue that both sides suffered a defeat over Dunkirk.
This work will consider the resources and tactics of both sides during DYNAMO and challenges the traditional view that the Luftwaffe held the advantage.The success that the Luftwaffe achieved during DYNAMO, including halting daylight evacuations on 1 June, will be evaluated and the supporting role of RAF Bomber and Coastal Command will be explored in detail for the first time. Concluding that the RAF was not responsible for the Luftwaffe's failure to prevent the evacuation, Raffal demonstrates that the reasons lay elsewhere."
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - The Two Forces
Chapter 2 - The Luftwaffe's Attacks On Dynamo, 29 May and 1 June.
Chapter 3 - German Artillery Fire and the Suspension of Daylight Evacuations
Chapter 4 - The Luftwaffe's Attacks on Dunkirk Before 29 May
Chapter 5 - The Luftwaffe's Attacks on Dunkirk on 30–31 May
Chapter 6 - Results, Limitations and Potential Of Luftwaffe Night Attacks and Mine Operations
Chapter 7 - RAF and Luftwaffe Fighter Operations During Dynamo
Chapter 8 - The Operations of Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm
Chapter 9 - The Operations of Bomber Command
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix I: Map of The Routes to Dunkirk and the Beaches
Appendix II: List of Ships Mentioned
Appendix III: Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Reviews / Promotions
“Harry Raffal's Air Power and the Evacuation of Dunkirk is a welcome addition to the overlooked role of the Royal Air Force over Dunkirk during the grim withdrawal of British troops from France in the Summer of 1940. This captivating and meticulously researched book is a first-rate contribution to the literature on the RAF.”
– Alex M Spencer, Ph.D., Curator National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, USA
“Through extensive research, Dr Raffal brings a wholly fresh perspective onto the seemingly well-known subject of the air battle over Dunkirk in 1940. This excellent book is highly original, very well organized, lucidly written, and underpinned by an impressive knowledge of the relevant archives.”
– Dr David Omissi, Author of
Air Power and Colonial Control: The Royal Air Force, 1919–1939, UK
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/air-po...9781350180475/