'Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster' (AJP Taylor) Is there sufficient evidence in sources A to F to support this interpretation?

All of the sources show certain parts of deliverance. In Source A the picture clearly shows troops being rescued which is most certainly viewed as deliverance. The picture also shows no dead bodies and all the rescuing boats are full of troops which is also certainly a sign of deliverance. Similarly Source B shows acts of deliverance, it clearly shows that the troops are alive and waiting to be rescued by ships on the beaches of Dunkirk, the picture also shows that the troops are organised and unfazed by the situation, they are obviously confident in what they have been told by there officers, they aren't panicking which is another sign of organisation. Source C's sign of deliverance is that the British troops are alive even though under immense pressure, the picture also shows that the troops are causing the German aircraft some problems. Source D tells that some of the original B.E.F. is still alive and that they have immeasurable experience of warfare, self confidence and vital spirit which is definitely deliverance. Source E tells of troops returning from Dunkirk and of a town on the south east coast and the army being unbeatable when tested by German forces. The article also tells of small ship losses, most rescued troops having a smile on their face and there rifles in there hands and also of large numbers of the B.E.F. being saved. Source F by A.J.P. Taylor tells of the British Fighter command stopping German bombing. It also tells during the evacuation of Dunkirk the large destroyers were being supported by all types of boat and that thankfully the weather was good. The last act of deliverance that Source F describes is that large numbers of troops and that most of the B.E.F. were saved.

As well as all the sources having certain parts of deliverance in, they also all have certain acts of disaster in them too. The picture, Source A shows English planes being shot down by the Luftwaffe, it also shows bombs falling near British troops, plumes of black smoke of fallen aircraft and a sunken boat, these are definitely disastrous sights. Source B shows large numbers of troops on the beaches of Dunkirk, this is disastrous because all of these troops have been forced back by the advancing Germans. Source C shows that a lot of British troops were outnumbered and on the run, it also gives some sign of the dyer situation faced by some British troops, even if the troops shot down the German plane it would make little difference. Source D tells of great losses in equipment (e.g. rifles, tanks, ammunition) and that many of the B.E.F. have been killed this is a disaster for the British because they have lost many experienced soldiers and vital equipment. Source E's disastrous happening is the writing that says three destroyers, some auxiliary craft and a small steamer were destroyed. It also states that some of the B.E.F. was killed and many troops were shelled and bombed until near death, this is very disastrous. Source F says that the B.E.F. lost virtually all guns, tanks and other equipment and that most soldiers abandoned their guns as they clambered into ships. A.J.P. Taylor also states that six destroyers were sunk, that nineteen were damaged and that the RAF lost 474 aeroplanes this was very disastrous for the British war effort because equipment and supplies are so vital.

Although there is a lot of information and even some contradicting evidence and figures not all of it is reliable. Source A is in my opinion too unreliable because it's a painting and therefore the artist may have painted it to prove that the evacuation of Dunkirk was a sort of miracle. It is also unreliable because the artist has left out some important details such as the vast amounts of equipment left behind; also the picture only shows us a small stretch of a large beach so the information is therefore insufficient. Source B also is too unreliable simply because of the lack of information shown. The picture again only shows a small section of a large beach and although taken at the time simply doesn't show sufficient evidence to make it reliable. In my opinion Source C is too unreliable because of the lack of information shown, the picture again is insufficient because it only shows a small section of the fighting on the beach. Source D also has its faults again because of the lack of information shown. This Source is also unreliable because it's obvious propaganda produced by the minister of war in an attempt to make Britain look good and to boost moral. Source E is the most unreliable because it is complete propaganda with hardly any facts, the Source is full of lies, untrue information and even the information included that's good for Britain is propaganda, the Source is of no use at all. Finally Source F is the most reliable because although all the points of disaster aren't listed, the source is still by far the most reliable and unbiased. The points are accurately weighed up and honestly wrote, it is a generally good opinion of a good historian.

In my opinion there is enough information in Sources A to F to support A.J.P. Taylor's opinion that Dunkirk was both deliverance and a disaster. I believe this to be true because although some of the sources aren't all that reliable they still state points of deliverance and disaster. The Source that is mostly reliable, namely Source F by the person who made the interpretation shows best the interpretation to be true. In my opinion Source F was a deliverance and a disaster and I believe that there is just about enough information in Sources A to F to support mine and A.J.P. Taylor's interpretation.