How historically accurate is the movie Dunkirk
Dunkirk is a 2017 movie about the evacuation of allied forces from the Dunkirk region in late May to early June 1940. Operation Dynamo, as it was called, involved a mass evacuation of British, French, and other forces after allied forces were effectively trapped in northern France. The evacuation involved military and civilian sea craft and narrowly avoided a major disaster for the allies.
The Plot
The movie begins in the empty streets of Dunkirk, on the northern seaside coast of France. Leaflets are falling ordering the soldiers to surrender. Soldiers trying to get through the town are killed by the Germans before we can find out who they even were. One soldier escapes, named Tommy, but as he runs he seas the sea and thousands of allied troops waiting on the beach to be rescued.German Stuka dive bombers harry the soldiers on the beach.
The movie then introduces Gibson and Alex, with Gibson being a French soldier pretending to be British so that he can escape. The soldiers try to initially get on a hospital boat by pretending to be medics carrying wounded, but they were refused after letting the wounded on. That boat is soon sunk by German dive bombers. Later, another boat becomes available and the three soldiers board it. However, that night the boat is sunk by a U-boat and the three narrowly escape with their lives. Two officers, Bolton and Winnant, lead the men on the beach as they try to keep calm and order while awaiting for rescue. At first there seems little hope that rescue would ever come.
The movie also focuses on what was happening at sea and in the air. At sea, the British begin requiring all seaworthy craft to be involved in the rescue, as large ships are soon unable to land near the beach where soldiers are. Mr. Dawson, a private citizen, sails his boat towards Dunkirk. Peter, Mr. Dawson's son, and George, Peter's friend, accompany the boat. As they head toward Dunkirk, they encountered a shell shocked soldier who survived a torpedo attack and who tries to take the boat away from Dunkirk. The soldier fails but manages to blind George.
In the air, two spitfire pilots, Farrier and Collins, engage with the Luftwaffe to provide some cover for the struggling troops on the beach. Collins is shot down but is rescued by Mr. Dawson and his ship. Farrier has to keep fighting the German planes but is unsure of how much fuel is left, as his fuel gauge is damaged. Eventually, Farrier runs out of fuel but continues to fight even as his plane glides down towards the beach. He is eventually captured. Soon, many ships begin to approach Dunkirk, and the soldiers begin to evacuate. Tommy and comrades try to take a fishing boat to evacuate at night, but it sinks due to bullet holes in the boat. Gibson drowns, but the others are rescued by a destroy which is then also sunk by a torpedo. Mr. Dawson's boat, however, arrives and rescues Tommy and Alex. George, in the meantime, has died from his injuries. However, they survivors make it back to the UK and feel grateful having narrowly escaped Dunkirk.