In just six weeks, France—once Europe’s strongest military power—collapsed under the weight of Hitler’s Blitzkrieg. As German forces closed in, nearly 400,000 Allied soldiers found themselves trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, facing certain destruction. What followed was one of the most desperate and miraculous evacuations in military history.

In this episode of Hearthside History, we take you inside the fall of France and the chaos of Dunkirk. How did Germany overrun France so quickly? Why did Hitler halt his forces at Dunkirk? And how did an armada of civilian boats—the legendary Little Ships of Dunkirk—help save an army?

We also examine the cost of France’s surrender, the rise of Vichy rule, and the moment Britain realized it was now standing alone against Hitler’s empire. The war was far from over—the Battle of Britain was about to begin.

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