--- description: Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk, TIME commissioned Sanna Dullaway to colorize photos of the World War II evacuation title: Dunkirk: See Colorized Photos From the Real WWII Evacuation image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb6264bfeedc5776/6988d69acf40a871e1c48a5f/dunkirk-color-sanna-dullaway-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Disaster](/tag/disaster/) ## Disaster Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Colorized Photos Bring the Real Dunkirk Evacuation to Life by [Sanna Dullaway](/author/sanna-dullaway/) and [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/) Jul 21, 2017 2:30 PM CUT  Crew members of the French destroyer Bourrasque, sunk by mine at Dunkirk, are hauled aboard a British vessel from their sinking life-raft. Crew members of the French destroyer Bourrasque, sunk by mine at Dunkirk, are hauled aboard a British vessel from their sinking life-raft.Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME by [Sanna Dullaway](/author/sanna-dullaway/) and [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/) Jul 21, 2017 2:30 PM CUT The World War II evacuation of Dunkirk — the subject of Christopher Nolan’s [critically-acclaimed ](http://time.com/4864051/dunkirk-review/?xid=homepage "undefined")new film — remains a[ memorable](http://time.com/4860620/dunkirk-spirit-phrase-history-world-war-2/ "undefined") moment in European and world history, largely for the fact that[ civilians successfully helped rescue](http://time.com/4865358/dunkirk-history-christopher-nolan-film/ "undefined") members of the British armed forces when they were nearly trapped by Nazi forces in May of 1940\. Only 30,000 to 45,000 were [expected ](http://time.com/4789230/dunkirk-france-world-war-ii-time-report/ "undefined")to be rescued, but more than 300,000 troops were able to get off the beach. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the situation, [relatively few photographs](http://ti.me/2tfkfgr "undefined") of the operation on the beach exist. But there are a few, which help capture the danger of that moment in time. To mark the film’s release, TIME commissioned freelance photo editor Sanna Dullaway — who has previously worked with photos of [women’s suffrage marches](http://time.com/4643297/colorized-suffrage-photos/ "undefined"), [Pearl Harbor ](http://time.com/4567884/colorized-photos-pearl-harbor/ "undefined")and much more — to colorize images of the evacuation. **_Sanna Dullaway_** _is a photo editor based in Sweden. See more of her work_ [_here_](http://forrifarg.se/?lang=en "undefined")_._  Crew members of the French destroyer Bourrasque, sunk by mine at Dunkirk, are hauled aboard a British vessel from their sinking life-raft. Hulton Archive/Getty Images  Crew members of the French destroyer Bourrasque, sunk by mine at Dunkirk, are hauled aboard a British vessel from their sinking life-raft. Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME  A member of the German Wehrmacht looks through a pair of binoculars on French and British prisoners of war in the harbour of Dunkirk on the Western Front in France in June 1940. Berliner Verlag/Archiv/AP  A member of the German Wehrmacht looks through a pair of binoculars on French and British prisoners of war in the harbour of Dunkirk on the Western Front in France in June 1940. Berliner Verlag/Archiv/AP; Colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME  Members of Royal Ulster Rifles waiting on improvised pier of lorries to evacuate Dunkirk during low tide. March Of Time/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Members of Royal Ulster Rifles waiting on improvised pier of lorries to evacuate Dunkirk during low tide. 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