In the summer of 1940, following Dunkirk and the fall of France, Britain faced an unprecedented military, diplomatic and political crisis.

In a day school to mark the 80th anniversary* of these events, expert speakers will examine how the newly-formed Churchill coalition government, the armed forces and the British people responded to aerial assault by Hitler’s Luftwaffe, the threat of German invasion, and the collapse of Britain’s major ally in the war, France.

*This day school was due to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Speakers:

Dr Stephen Bungay
Director, Ashridge Strategic Management Centre

Professor Ashley Jackson
Professor of Imperial and Military History in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London and a Visiting Fellow of Kellogg College Oxford

Dr Edward Smalley
Assistant Lecturer in History, University of Kent

Professor Tom Buchanan
Tom Buchanan is Professor of Modern British and European History at the University of Oxford, and Director of Studies in History and Politics at the Department for Continuing Education.