October 14, 2025

The World of Churchill Collectables

By BRIAN KRAPF

This light paper item is shaped like a leaf and is a rare survivor of one of the most recognized events of the Second World War.  It was wartime propaganda, air dropped by the German Luftwaffe on allied troops at Dunkirk while waiting to be rescued and returned to Britain during Operation Dynamo. The leaf is printed on both sides in French and reads I am falling, oh Churchill! Where are you? Where are your soldiers?  One can only imagine these “leaves” falling en masse on the stranded troops as an intentional German insult, designed to add to the frustration and fear of those waiting to be rescued. 

Most Churchillians will know the story of how the amazing flotillas of private boats came to the soldiers’ aid when their country called. Between 26 May and 4 June 1940, Operation Dynamo, also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, evacuated more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in the north of France. The allied soldiers—British, Belgian, and French—had been surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France. Having made their way to Dunkirk, they were regularly attacked by the German Luftwaffe while they waited to be rescued. Evacuating these troops was one of Churchill’s biggest challenges since taking office only a few weeks before on 10 May. By no coincidence was his name included on the leaf. It was a direct taunt of the new prime minister, who was faced with the tremendous task of saving lives and a large portion of his army.

In his now-famous “Beaches” speech delivered to the House of Commons 4 June 1940, Prime Minister Churchill  hailed the rescue at Dunkirk as a “miracle of deliverance.” He also reminded Parliament  that “we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.”

Brian Krapf’s book A Churchill Treasury: Sir Winston’s Public Service through Memorabilia was published in 2024 and is available in the UK and North America.