Waiting on the Beaches

During Operation Dynamo, hundreds of thousands of soldiers crowd onto the beaches of Dunkirk and around it, waiting their turn to embark. Under the repeated attacks of the Luftwaffe, without shelter on the exposed sand, they queue for hours, sometimes days, in files that advance right into the water.

For you, the soldier, every hour of waiting is an ordeal. You may stay disciplined in the file, awaiting your turn despite the bombardments, trusting in the organisation of the evacuation. You may try to slip towards a boat as fast as possible, at the risk of disorder and panic. Or you may take cover in the dunes while waiting for a lull, at the risk of losing your place and missing an embarkation.

The temptation of every-man-for-himself is strong under the bombs, and how each man bears himself weighs on the collective fate. Should you keep your place, force your way through, or take cover? The "Dunkirk spirit" is forged in this anguished wait.