10 Huge Historical Inaccuracies In Chris Nolan's Dunkirk
6. Not Enough Air Power
A flight of three Spitfire is one of the key elements of the movie, as they are winnowed away by enemy action and contribute their own stories to the taut tapestry of Dunkirk. The thing is, there should be a lot more.
The RAF sent out twelve-strong squadrons of aircraft during the operations to protect the Dunkirk evacuation from the predatory Luftwaffe. In many cases squadrons were sent out in pairs, with flights of 24 British fighters taking to the skies.
The Luftwaffe similarly employed flights of 12 or more Stuka dive bombers, rather than the twos and threes seen over the beach in the movie. Nolan's dislike of CGI and a limited budget as well as few available aircraft to film with can explain the inaccuracy, but it's still a pretty glaring one when compared with testimonies from the people who were there.