Dunkirk Crescendo

by Bodie Thoene

  Digging Deeper into Dunkirk Crescendo

  Will evil always have the upper hand? Why is heaven silent? Does God not care about tyranny? about disasters? about who lives—and who dies?

  And how can we find the hope and courage to go on in the midst of seemingly overwhelming odds? What can one person do, if anything, to make a difference?

  These questions—and a myriad more—have reigned in men’s and women’s minds throughout history. Most likely you too have asked at least one, if not all, of them.

  In the spring of 1940, people wondered, Is Hitler unstoppable? Will the Nazis take over the world, reshaping it for their twisted purposes? Will life ever be the same again?

  The people’s fear was real. As Madame Rose told Josie, “You know what will happen to the special children if the Nazis lay hold of them. Their fate will be the same as that of the Austrians, my little sons of Abraham. And your little ones as well. It is a fearful thing, this total war of Hitler’s” (p. 218).

  When would it end? How would it end? The future was as unsure in 1940 as it is for us today.

  As the spunky Madame Rose said, “We need a true miracle” (p. 218).

  And the miracles came, even in the midst of war.

  Josie Marlow rescues little Yacov from the clutches of the Nazis. Her unlikely partners on her mission of mercy are a Wehrmacht major and his wife.

  Andre Chardon escapes death numerous times—in two car crashes, a burning barn, and two blown-up and sunken ships—and helps get French soldiers off the beaches of Dunkirk.

  “A heroic civilian navy” (p. 303) bands together to rescue 300,000 troops via Dunkirk Harbor . . . when it seems humanly impossible to do so.

  The orphans of Rue de la Huchette are granted many miracles: Madame Betsy and some of the orphans escape France by train. Madame Rose escapes with others on the Garlic. And when the Garlic begins to drift out to sea, the boat is rescued by the fishing fleet of Harfleur (p. 274), bound for Dunkirk!

  Then there is the miracle of the longed-for strawberries, just in time for Badger’s birthday!

  Could these all be coincidence, or are they the hand of God in the lives of men—in both the large and the small details?

  Madame Rose is vehement about her perspective: “They’ve made war on the apple of God’s eye, my dear girl. Pity the German nation. They have made war on heaven, and heaven will not be silent forever” (p. 218).

  Dear reader, has heaven ever seemed silent to you? deaf to your requests? Josie felt that way—even as she stood in the courtyard of the orphanage, staring at the star-flecked sky (see p. 218).

  But Josie began to see the miracles along the way. And that is our prayer for you, too. As we receive your letters, we hear your soul cries. We long for you to see and experience the miracles of God—both large and small.

  We know you question how life works. (Who doesn’t?) We trust that the following questions will help you as you dig deeper for answers to your daily dilemmas. You may wish to delve into these questions on your own or share them with a friend or a discussion group.

  We hope Dunkirk Crescendo will encourage you in your own life situations. But most of all, we pray that you will “discover the Truth through fiction.” For we are convinced that if you seek diligently, you will find the One who holds all the answers to the universe (1 Chronicles 28:9).

  Bodie & Brock Thoene

  Seek . . .

  PART I

  Chapters 1–2

  1. Have you ever had to choose between loving two people, as Mac McGrath had to decide between Josie and Eva (see p. 4)? Which person did you choose and why?

  2. France’s military and political leaders spent a lot of time arguing about whose fault Hitler’s advances were instead of fighting Hitler himself (see p. 9). Think back to a crisis in your life. Do you tend to act—be proactive in solving the problem and making changes and decisions? Or do you tend to react—blame others for the problem, be passive until the fallout, and then be forced to act? Explain by giving an example.

  3. When have you found yourself “incredibly busy with important matters” (p. 13)—so much so that you’ve missed what is really important? If faced with the same situation today, what would you change?

  Chapters 3–4

  4. Imagine that you are David Meyer, drifting in a parachute toward enemy territory. What are your thoughts and emotions as you land upside down in that tree (see pp. 17–19)? What do you wish you would have done before taking off in that airplane?

  5. An unlikely person—a Belgian farmer—offers David refuge in an unlikely place (see pp. 20–22). Horst von Bockman, a Wehrmacht major, is an unlikely person to rescue a Jewish baby. Have you experienced protection from an unlikely person or in an unlikely place? If so, tell the story.

  6. If you were Josie and received a phone call about picking up a baby in a war zone (see p. 30), what would be on your list of pros and cons? How would you make the final decision?

  7. When the Royal Navy was accused of cowardice, Admiral Sir Roger Keyes said, “It is not a lack of courage with the sailors! It is a failure of leadership in this government!” (pp. 34–35). Do you agree with Keyes? Why or why not? What impact do you believe a government, like that of the United States, has on a person’s everyday life?

  8. Is there anyone of whom you could say, as Oliver Cromwell did, “You have sat too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you” (p. 35)? Who, and why? In which parts of your life could you say this of yourself?

  Chapters 5–7

  9. Years earlier, Andre Chardon had made two mistakes that now hang heavy over his life. He loved Elaine Snow but chose not to marry her because of pressure from his grandfather. He fathered Juliette through Elaine, then chosen not to be a father. There is no second chance on the first mistake—Elaine is dead. But now Andre has the opportunity to act as a father to Juliette. However, to do so, he has to overcome tremendous obstacles, including meeting with Juliette’s stern grandfather, Abraham Snow.

  What past mistakes shadow your life? What obstacles would you face if you decide to right the wrong?

  10. “I am sorry,” Horst whispers. “For myself. For you. For this child and ten million others. For everyone. And there is nothing more I can do. There is no changing anything” (Horst von Bockman, p. 51).

  Have you felt like Horst? Inadequate? Unable to change things? When? What has happened between then and now?

  11. “Each minute evil committed or allowed by ordinary men has evaporated into the air like water in the hot sun. We thought it did not matter. . . .But now it has come back in a cloud to cover us with darkness—with storm and flood and thunder. My little sins? Joined with those of other men, they may now wash us all away” (Andre Chardon, pp. 52–53).

  How can “little sins” become a “flood”? Give an example.

  12. “‘Do not waste pity on a creature like Müller,’ Horst said flatly. . . . ‘I know it is hard for you to understand, Frau Marlow. Perhaps later you will see it is necessary. When an unpleasant task is necessary, then emotion is a waste of energy. Perhaps even dangerous’” (p. 63).

  Do you agree with Horst—totally, partially, or not at all? Why?

  Chapters 8–9

  13. “You once said you had found something worth living for—someone worth living for” (Josie Marlow, p. 67).

  What something or someone are you living for? Why is this so important to you?

  14. “The hour has come. . . . Some to fight. Some to say farewell. I will not say which is harder” (Andre Chardon, p. 68).

  When has your “hour” (a time of great crisis or need, when you realized life was going to change somehow) come? Have you fought for what you believe in—or said farewell? What was the result?

  15. “It is strange, is it not, upon what small hinges great events often turn?” Winston Churchill says (p. 71).

  Identify a few “small hinges” that have led to great events (whether for good or evil) in your nation wit
hin your lifetime. Why do you think these small events were so crucial?

  Chapters 10–11

  16. Imagine sitting at breakfast (like Mac, p. 80) or being asleep (like Josie, p. 81) when air-raid sirens go off. What would your first reaction be? Panic? Disbelief? Fear? Why?

  17. Have you ever misjudged someone, as Sister Mitchell did Paul Chardon, and vice versa (see pp. 83–85)? When did you discover that he or she was different than you thought? How has that experience changed your view of that individual and of others in the same “category”?

  PART II

  Chapters 12–13

  18. “‘Get out of there, Hewitt!’ shouted David.

  “There was no response. David never saw the hatch open. No chute appeared as Hewitt’s plane dwindled to a falling speck” (p. 97).

  As a wartime pilot, David Meyer was familiar with death. But he still got that tightening of his gut every time one of his pilots “bought it.” When someone you love is dying or has died, how do you respond? Do you believe this life is all there is? that there is life after death? Or something else? Explain.

  19. “Before dawn Josie was awakened by the munching of an abandoned Jersey cow whose udder was swollen with milk. There was a halter on her head, and a lead rope dangled from the leather buckle. What had happened to her owner? . . .

  “‘And this cow? She is sent from heaven’ (Madame Hasselt, p. 101).

  Do you believe God sends miracles from heaven when we need them? Why or why not? If so, what miracle (large or small) have you experienced lately?

  Chapters 14–16

  20. “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival” (Winston Churchill, p. 110).

  How important is victory to you? What are you willing to go through to win in a particular area (sports, career, family, a personal character flaw . . . )?

  21. “How long would it be before Josie would feel happiness again?” (p. 113).

  In a dark period of life, have you wondered if the light would ever shine on you again? What was (or is) the situation? Is there a difference between having joy and being happy? If so, what is it?

  22. “The commander shrugged. ‘We have inferior numbers . . . inferior equipment . . . inferior methods. . . .’ The rest of the sentence expired in the air and fell to the floor. This was the response from the man who had presided over the training and equipping of the present French army” (p. 129).

  When have you been faced with incompetence—your own or someone else’s? What—if anything—have you chosen to do about it?

  Chapter 17–18

  23. David Meyer had a unique opportunity. He could get even with his longtime enemy, Badger Cross. Or he could choose to help Badger when he was in desperate need (see pp. 133–135). If you were David (and you’re being honest with yourself), what would you have done? Why?

  24. It’s interesting that Badger Cross says in “a very meek voice”: “Don’t kill me, Meyer. Don’t let me die. I’m trusting you” (p. 134). Think of an enemy in your life right now. Would you place yourself in the hands of that person willingly? unwillingly? only when desperate? Explain.

  25. When Josie finally reaches the relative safety of the Ecole de Cavalerie and the comforting arms of Paul Chardon, she cries. The “dam of emotion” bursts (p. 142). Whom do you go to for safety when you are overwhelmed emotionally? Why this person?

  Chapters 19–21

  26. Why do you think Madame Rose was able to get through to the grieving mother when others could not (see pp. 150–151)? How can Madame Rose’s approach assist you the next time you’re confronted with someone’s grief and pain?

  27. Horst von Bockman was certain that not only his career but his very life would end because he had taken command of the Wehrmacht attack. He’s shocked when Rommel calls his attack “brilliant” (p. 163). Have you ever thought you were going to be in trouble . . . and then unexpectedly something good happened? Explain the situation.

  28. “All at once Mac stood up, embarrassed with himself. ‘Come on, Corporal,’ he said to Castle. ‘We’ve just been attacked by a volley of leaflets’” (p. 168).

  When have you made something larger than it really is? What was the result? How has that humbling experience changed how you view similar issues now?

  Chapters 22–24

  29. If you were one of the last “original” pilots (as David Meyer was by May 1940—see p. 170), what would be going through your mind as you headed out on yet another mission?

  30. “It occurred to Nicholi Federov, the White Russian, that when the pieces of a puzzle finally fall into place, it is amazing how the completed picture leaps out” (p. 177).

  When has a puzzle piece fallen into place for you? What completed picture did you see?

  31. Why do you think Madame Rose was so effective at what she did? List her character traits. Which of those traits remind you of yourself? Which are different from you?

  32. The French people at Gare du Nord were indignant about the orphans of Rue de la Huchette getting on the train in a car especially reserved for them. They were even angrier that these orphans included “cripples and foreigners” (p. 187). If you were in that crowd, trying desperately to leave a country that would soon be overtaken by the enemy, how would you respond? Would you consider some people better than others? Would you give up your seat on the train (which might mean giving up your life) to one of the orphans? Why or why not?

  PART III

  Chapter 25

  33. Why do you think Andre Chardon was the only one who escaped from the burning barn in the woods (see pp. 195–196)? Was it simply chance? purposed by heaven? Or something else? Explain your theory.

  34. Put yourself in the shoes of the British and French women: waiting for word from husbands and sons in battle; anxiously reading lists of dead, wounded, or missing and hoping their loved ones wouldn’t be on them; watching for ships to return with their men; thinking about sending their children to another country for safety (see p. 197). What concerns and hopes would you have for the present? for the future?

  35. “Take me with you, Tinman! . . . Walk me back across the Channel, will you? Point the way. . . . No hard feelings, Yank. Just don’t leave me here” (Badger Cross, p. 198).

  Life certainly has its ironies. Two enemies, Badger Cross and David Meyer, end up literally linking arms to try to get back to England. When have you “linked arms” in some way with a person you wouldn’t normally work with, spend time with, or whom you disliked? What happened because you worked together?

  Chapters 26–27

  36. “‘Whatever you do, you must be ready to leave by midnight the day after tomorrow if you expect to evacuate with my staff.’

  “‘General,’ Andre replied quietly, ‘if my countrymen are not provided for by then, I will not be going with you’” (Lord Gort and Andre Chardon, p. 205).

  If you and your family had one chance to flee a dangerous area, would you take it? Or would you stay to help get more of your countrymen and women to safety? What facts and feelings would figure into your decision?

  37. Andre wonders what he can do “as one lone voice in the face of this ‘English ships for Englishmen’ attitude” (p. 210). When have you run into this type of attitude? How have you dealt with it (words, actions, etc.)?

  38. “Mac glanced at his reflection in the mirror and shuddered as a thought flashed through his mind. What if he did not survive the journey? What if he didn’t come back to sweep her off her feet and carry her off into the sunset?

  “He wanted to speak to her. Tell her how he felt. Just in case” (p. 213).

  Make a list of the people most important to you. If something was to happen to you today, what would you wish you would have said to each of them? Write down your thoughts . . . and then find the time and the courage to say those things now, while there is yet time.

  Chapte
rs 28–30

  39. In order to get the British leaders to listen to him, Andre used a little “extortion” (see p. 216). Have you ever used a little extortion for a good cause? When?

  40. “The Lord approves of common sense. And when common sense fails, then there is some other course we are meant to sail” (Madame Rose, p. 217).

  When should we use common sense, and when should we pray? How can you know which to use when?

  41. If God can use even Madame Hilaire, the Anteater, for good (see p. 219), how might He use you as part of a “perfectly logical miracle” (p. 220)? Is there someone who needs your assistance today?

  Chapters 31–34

  42. “Mac marveled at the way John Galway not only plucked [the soldiers] from danger but lifted their spirits. Mac himself got a boost from listening—a renewed belief that everything would work out after all” (p. 240).

  Who lifts your spirits? How?

  43. In what ways does the relationship between Sister Abigail Mitchell and Paul Chardon change (see pp. 243–244)? Has your relationship with someone ever changed dramatically? How?

  Chapters 35–37

  44. Would you, like captains Sepp and Gaston, be ready to “die gloriously” (p. 269)? Why or why not?

  45. “Badger had grown very fatalistic. To counter this despair, David became ever more obsessed with strawberries. He had come to think of Badger’s upcoming birthday as a symbol of their survival” (p. 275).

  What is your perspective on birthdays? Do you look forward to yours? try to ignore it? dislike it when you’re another year older? How can you celebrate your birthday this year as a symbol of your survival—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually?