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HOLLYWOOD VS REALITY

How Christopher Nolan’s smash recreated the haunting reality of Dunkirk in incredible detail with stunning photos showing the REAL operation against the Hollywood version

DIRECTOR Christopher Nolan has been hailed for his incredible recreation of the haunting reality of the Dunkirk.

And these extraordinary photos of the World War Two operation show how uncannily true-to-life his big screen epic really is.

Allied troops line up in orderly rows as they wait to be rescued during Operation Dynamo from May 26 to June 4 1940
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Allied troops line up in orderly rows as they wait to be rescued during Operation Dynamo from May 26 to June 4 1940Credit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS
A scene from Christopher Nolan's epic shows troops lining up in formation on a Normandy beach as they await rescue
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A scene from Christopher Nolan's epic shows troops lining up in formation on a Normandy beach as they await rescueCredit: Warner Bros
A motor launch laden with rescued British heroes follows a small tug back to British shores
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A motor launch laden with rescued British heroes follows a small tug back to British shoresCredit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS
In the film a motor launch slices through waters during the operation that ended up saving 330,000 allied troops
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In the film a motor launch slices through waters during the operation that ended up saving 330,000 allied troopsCredit: Warner Bros

By the close of Operation Dynamo 330,000 Allied troops had been saved from the beaches of Normandy by a flotilla of ships.

A scene from the film, which stars Harry Styles, shows troops lined up on in rows, waiting to be rescued.

It mirrors a photo taken on the dunes during the operation that lasted from May 26 to June 4 1940.

A motor launch is seen making its way along the coast just like one photographed at the time that is heading back to Britain laden with heroes.

The moment troops cram onto Dunkirk Pier makes for a stirring scene in celluloid - much like the snapshot that taken at the time which also features a soldier clutching a double-barrelled machine gun.

And fires rage along the Dunkirk coastline in a scene that mirrors a photo taken from onboard a destroyer.

Dunkirk pier is crammed full of troops with one clutching a double-barrelled machine gun
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Dunkirk pier is crammed full of troops with one clutching a double-barrelled machine gunCredit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS
Nolan's scene recreates the sense of anticipation the troops must have felt as they were crammed together on Dunkirk pier
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Nolan's scene recreates the sense of anticipation the troops must have felt as they were crammed together on Dunkirk pierCredit: PA:Press Association
This photo, taken from onboard a destroyer, shows the coast of Dunkirk aflame
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This photo, taken from onboard a destroyer, shows the coast of Dunkirk aflameCredit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS
As a few lingering troops await their rescue huge plumes of smoke can be seen rising from the Dunkirk coastline in a haunting scene from the movie
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As a few lingering troops await their rescue huge plumes of smoke can be seen rising from the Dunkirk coastline in a haunting scene from the movieCredit: Warner Bros

The amazing parallels come as the astonishing heroism of one British captain has been brought to light in a new book.

Captain Harold Ervine-Andrews who was awarded a Victoria Cross for leading a remarkable 10-hour rearguard while heavily outnumbered to buy more time for his fellow soldiers to be evacuated.

Historian Henry Buckton, 59, from Glastonbury, Somerset, said: "The word Dunkirk is undoubtedly part of Britain's identity.

"It not only refers to an event in history but is used to describe perceived traits of the British character, such as defiance, bravery, stoicism: the so-called Dunkirk spirit.

"There were many acts of exceptional bravery and the doggedness that provided a rearguard to keep the Germans back while the British Expeditionary Force were being evacuated.

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"These men did this knowing that once the British had left they would have no choice but to surrender and become prisoners of war."

Captain Evans of the 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment commanded a company that  held a position on the Canal de Bergues which came under intense German artillery, mortar and machine gun fire for over 10 hours.

At one stage, he climbed onto the top of a straw-roofed barn and shot 17 German soldiers with his rifle and “many others” with his Bren gun before miraculously leading his men back to safety once their rearguard became untenable.

Another photo in historian Henry Buckton's new book shows French troops marching through a Dunkirk street littered with debris
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Another photo in historian Henry Buckton's new book shows French troops marching through a Dunkirk street littered with debrisCredit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS
The citadel of Calais was defended by a small Allied garrison and drew German forces away from attacking the beaches
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The citadel of Calais was defended by a small Allied garrison and drew German forces away from attacking the beachesCredit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS
British troops are packed onto a destroyer as it arrives at a British port following Operation Dynamo
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British troops are packed onto a destroyer as it arrives at a British port following Operation DynamoCredit: AmberleyPublishing/BNPS

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