How Crucial was the role of the RAF to the Dunkirk Evacuation of May 1940?

Operation Dynamo was the codename for an evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, Northern France, from 27 May to 4 June 1940, after the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and Belgium. There were several components of evacuation; the Royal Navy, the flotilla of civilian vessels known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk and the Royal Air Force (RAF). It is the latter of these components that is the focus of this thesis. This is because the RAF does not seem to have had the same level of acknowledgement that the Navy and the Little Ships of Dunkirk have gained, even though the RAF was given a task that was just as vital as rescuing troops; defending the evacuation from enemy forces. The thesis aims to assess just how crucial the role of the RAF was for Operation Dynamo being the arguable success it became. It is intended to use the Myth of 1940 as a framing device, this was the myth that ‘Britain stood alone’ during this year and key events were more successful than they really were. Chapter One looks at the events before, during and after Operation Dynamo and assessing the extent to how it was a successful operation. Chapter Two focuses on criticisms that the RAF received at Dunkirk, why these criticisms came about and how it could have led to the RAF not receiving much recognition. Chapter Three assesses the role that the RAF played at Dunkirk and the Battle of France before and after Dunkirk, as well as being the chapter that answers the thesis’ research question. Chapter Four focuses on the Battle of Britain from July 1940 to October 1940, looking at the role that the RAF played during this event and how events at Dunkirk led to the Battle of Britain being a victory for the Allies. A wide range of resources, ranging from numerous works by different authors to official documents relating to the key tops kept at research institutes, have been used throughout to help me to answer my research question.