Dunkirk Leaflet Dropped on Retreating British Soldiers

Authors

Object ID

2019.2.150

Object Name

Flier

Date

1940

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

Flier with map of Northern French coast and text in French and English.

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:Rare leaflet dropped by German Luftwaffe on Allied British and French soldiers trapped on the beach at Dunkirk in May and June, 1940. The Germans are shown advancing on the Allies from East, West and South. The message in French reads: Comrades! This is the situation! In any case, the war is over for you! Your leaders are going to run away by airplane. Lay down your arms! In what became known as the “Miracle of Dunkirk”, 338,000 desperate Allied soldiers were rescued with a combination of navel and civilian vessels over the course of nine days. More than 700 small lifeboats, fishing and pleasure craft—some piloted by civilians—the so-called “little ships” ferried soldiers to larger vessels or back to Britain. The British lived to fight another day, and Dunkirk became a rallying cry and symbol of British spirit. Expounding on he successful evacuation of troops from Dunkirk on June 4th in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill delivered his moral-lifting “fight on the beaches” speech.

Dimensions

8 1/8 x 5 3/8"

Keywords

Dunkirk, Churchill

Subcollection

Propaganda

Recommended Citation

"Dunkirk Leaflet Dropped on Retreating British Soldiers" (1940). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2019.2.150.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1514

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark.