Dark Ops ProvCast Ep. 1: Dunkirk

In this inaugural edition of The Dark Ops ProvCast: The Podcast Where Providence Goes to the Movies, Marc LiVecche talks with Mark Melton and naval historian Tommy Sheppard about Dunkirk, the Christopher Nolan film about the emergency evacuation of British, French, and Belgian troops from the eponymous French port. In the face of the rout by the German blitzkrieg, the evacuation was a military disaster for the allied cause but was emblematic of what has come to be called “the Dunkirk spirit.”

With an eye to the history, lessons learned, and the modern-day parallels, our conversation explores the complex moral and military aspects of Dunkirk—and Dunkirk.

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Marc LiVecche (PhD, University of Chicago) is managing editor of Providence.

Thomas Sheppard holds a PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina. He lives in Washington, DC, where he writes on history, foreign policy, and national security issues.

Mark Melton is the Deputy Editor for Providence. He earned his Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews and focuses on Europe.

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Feature Image Credit: Screenshot of Dunkirk movie trailer, via YouTube.