Dunkirk and the Fall of France

"For sixty years the dramatic story of the Dunkirk evacuation and the defeat of France -- the story of the German conquest of northwest Europe -- has been the focus of historical study and dispute, yet myths and misconceptions about this extraordinary event persist ... Reconstructing the campaign in graphic detail, from the capture of the Belgian fortress of Eben Emael to the French surrender, [Stewart] reconsiders the balance of the armed forces, the strategic and tactical thinking of each high command, and the state of preparedness and the morale of each army. In particular, he looks with a fresh perspective at the traditional explanations that have been put forward to explain the failure of the French ... He argues that German victory was won by effective application of classic military doctrine, and throughout he emphasizes the importance of the battlefield in shaping events"--Jacket.