Praise for Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's last book, Enigma: The Battle for the Code:
'His enthusiasm for his subject is infectious and enlivening...this is a significant contribution to the subject and an engrossing read' -  Sunday Telegraph
Described by Winston Churchill as a 'miracle of deliverance', the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk in 1940 is one of the best known episodes in world history. The bravery of all those who sailed to France to rescue the British Army is particularly celebrated. Yet, as Hugh Sebag-Montefiore reveals, the rescue was not just about what happened on the beaches and at sea: his new book makes it
clear that the evacuation would never have succeeded had it not been for the tenacity of the British soldiers who remained behind to
fight on while the rest of the Army retreated.
The crucial battles took place outside Dunkirk. On 24 May 1940 the German panzer divisions which had bludgeoned their way through
France halted at the canal line south of Dunkirk. However on 27 May they advanced again intending to encircle and capture half a
million Allied soldiers, many of them British. They would have succeeded had it not been for the British battalions ordered to stand in
their path. Their job was to shield the corridor down which the rest of the Army was retreating to Dunkirk by holding a series of
strongpoints (key towns and villages), and they were not to give way until they had fired their last bullet. They were to fight to the last
man. Hardly any of those brave men made it back to the beaches or the Dunkirk 'mole'. Most were either killed or captured at their
posts. They are the forgotten heroes of Dunkirk, and it is their valiant exploits which form the core of this book.
Using new material from British, French, Belgian, German, Russian and Czechoslovakian archives, and interviews with the last surviving
witnesses of the Dunkirk campaign, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore has described the above and many other little-known or previously
undiscovered aspects of the Dunkirk story, including:
* The torment endured by British soldiers on the Dunkirk perimeter - based on accounts by those who fought there and survived to tell
their tale.
* Blow by blow accounts of the Royal Norfolks' last stand at Le Paradis, one of the villages held by the British troops who were
protecting the corridor to Dunkirk - written by three officers who escaped from the SS before the remaining prisoners-of-war were
massacred.
* How the British garrison at Cassel, another strongpoint, warded off German attacks for three days - according to a series of reports
by British soldiers.
* The murderous German attacks on civilians in Vinkt, Belgium which were referred to by the prosecutor at the 1948 war crimes trial as
"the Vinkt massacres".
* What really happened when a German plane crash-landed near Mechelen, Belgium with Hitler's attack plans on board - according to
documents discovered in Czechoslovakia.
* The disintegration of the Anglo-French alliance, culminating in the row between British and French commanders at Dunkirk.
The above bullet points show that Dunkirk: Fight To The Last Man does not just cover the evacuation from Dunkirk. It explains why the
evacuation was necessary in the first place, and shows how the British Expeditionary Force and our allies were outmanoeuvred by the
Germans, before going on to tell the story of the evacuation itself.
The book also describes what happened after the evacuation from Dunkirk: it includes a vivid account of the attempt to evacuate the
51st Highland Division from St Valery, before concluding with the evacuation of the 2nd BEF, and the sinking of the troop ship
Lancastria which went down off St Nazaire two weeks after the end of the Dunkirk evacuation with around 3000 BEF soldiers, making it
Britain's biggest maritime disaster.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Researchers and feature editors searching for a topical event to link with the publication of this book might be interested to know that
the evacuation from Dunkirk - whose anniversary this year is on 26 May-4 June (the day after publication) - is to be the main backdrop
for the feature film based on Ian McEwan's novel Atonement which is currently being cast by Working Title. The story of the evacuation
was last featured on television in the three part BBC documentary.
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore was a barrister before becoming a journalist and then an author. His last book was the best-selling Enigma: The
Battle for the Code. Two of his ancestors were evacuated from Dunkirk.
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore is available for comment or to write pieces. For further information, please contact Rosie Gailer on 020 7010
3288, or email rosie.gailer@uk.penguingroup.co.uk
[B&C 106]

Editorial Rule
 To qualify for inclusion in the B&C there is only one rule - something described must have been said to have happened. 
The authority is the Editor, British Army Review No 114 Dec 96, `If the facts don`t fit the legend, print the legend’.

However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied.

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  B&C Norfolk Editor