The first modern biography of Bertram Ramsay, the man who masterminded the Dunkirk evacuation and the D-Day landings. This is a major biography of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who masterminded the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in 1940. Initially, it was thought that 40,000 troops at most could be rescued. But Ramsay’s planning and determination led to some 330,000 being brought back. The Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy paid a high price in ships and men. Ramsay continued to play a crucial role in the conduct of the Second World War. The invasion of Sicily in 1943 and of France less than a year later on D-Day were successful in large part due to his vision. After the war ended his achievements ranked alongside those of Sir Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Viscount Alanbrooke, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Portal, Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery and General Dwight Eisenhower, yet he never received the public recognition he deserved. Before the war he had fallen out with his superiors and was forced to retire. Bizarrely, Ramsay was still on the Royal Navy’s retired list in March 1944 as D-Day loomed. He died in a mysterious air crash in 1945. AUTHOR: Brian Izzard was a Fleet Street journalist, feature writer and news sub-editor for many years, working latterly on the Daily Express and the Sunday Express. This is his fifth book.
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