From the Belgium Campaign to the Miracle of Dunkirk
About This Footage
Reel 5 of The World at War (1942) depicts the collapse of Belgium and the desperate Allied evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940. The reel opens with civilians fleeing the German advance, burning oil tanks in Antwerp, and aerial views of Brussels declared an open city. As the Anglo-French Army is forced back to the sea, the focus shifts to Dunkirk, where British and French forces attempt a massive evacuation under fire. British Spitfires engage Luftwaffe dive bombers in fierce dogfights, including dramatic footage of planes crashing into the sea and exploding on land. German bombs fall on evacuation vessels while Allied soldiers crowd aboard ships of all sizes. The reel concludes with haunting images of abandoned tanks, vehicles, and weapons strewn across Dunkirk’s beaches, symbolizing both the human cost and the resilience of the retreat.