For sixty years the dramatic story of the Dunkirk evacuation and the defeat of France ? the story of the German conquest of northwest Europe ? has been the focus of historical study and dispute, yet myths and misconceptions about this extraordinary event persist. The ruthless efficiency of the German assault, the ?miracle' of Dunkirk, the feeble French defense ? these still common assumptions are questioned in Geoffrey Stewart's highly readable and concise account of the campaign. The German victory was not inevitable. AUTHOR: Geoffrey Stewart is a teacher of 40 years experience in schools and colleges and he is currently a chief for GCE History. He is an authority on twentieth-century European history, and he has made a special study of the German invasion of France in May 1940. He is the author of several books and articles including British Political History 1867-2000 and China in the Twentieth Century. Geoffrey Stewart lives in Yorkshire. SELLING POINTS: Thoguht-provoking introduction to a decisive Second World War campaign. Questions commonly held assumptions about the fall. Incorporates the latest research into the Dunkirk evacuation, the French defeat. Reconstructs the German assault in vivid detail. 40 illustrations