Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

On 24 May 1940, Hitler ordered his force of 3,000 Panzer tanks to halt just outside Dunkirk. Why did he make this decision and what if he had not done so? (2000)

On 24 May 1940, Hitler ordered his force of 3,000 Panzer tanks, which had been sweeping across northern France, to halt just outside Dunkirk. Why did he make this decision and what if he had not done so? Using contributions from historians and analysis of Churchill's documents, this programme considers the alternative scenarios had the British forces (almost a quarter of a million men) not escaped via Dunkirk. It is determined that Dunkirk was the most dangerous chapter in the war and there could have been a dramatically different outcome if the Panzers had advanced. (2000)

30 minutes

Last on

Fri 5 Apr 2002 23:00
大象传媒 Four

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

Next

Battle of BritainSeries 1

See all episodes from What If...?

Did You Know?

The Panzers enabled the German army to invade France successfully. The ten Panzer divisions involved in the campaign comprised 2,574 tanks (almost the total number Germany possessed) and various mechanised regiments. Hitler had begun manufacturing tanks secretly after he came to power in 1933, in contravention of the Treaty of Versailles, but the production programme became public knowledge in 1938.

Archive

Archive programmes available on iPlayer reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current 大象传媒 editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required. In these cases, edits are kept to a minimum and are made only for technical reasons.

Broadcasts

  • Mon 29 May 2000 09:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 29 May 2000 12:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 29 May 2000 15:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 29 May 2000 18:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 29 May 2000 21:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Tue 30 May 2000 00:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sat 3 Jun 2000 11:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sat 3 Jun 2000 15:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sat 3 Jun 2000 19:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sat 3 Jun 2000 23:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 20 Nov 2000 10:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 20 Nov 2000 13:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 20 Nov 2000 16:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 20 Nov 2000 19:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 20 Nov 2000 22:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Tue 21 Nov 2000 00:30
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 26 Feb 2001 20:30
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 26 Feb 2001 22:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 2 Apr 2001 19:30
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Mon 2 Apr 2001 22:00
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sun 11 Nov 2001 10:30
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sun 11 Nov 2001 13:40
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Sun 11 Nov 2001 16:40
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Fri 1 Mar 2002 19:10
    大象传媒 Knowledge
  • Fri 5 Apr 2002 23:00
    大象传媒 Four

Featured in...

WWII: Dunkirk Evacuation Collection

This programme is available online as part of the WWII: Dunkirk Evacuation Collection