Battle of Dunkirk (May 26, 1940 - June 4, 1940)
The Battle Starts
In early May of 1940, Germany decided to focus on the lower European countries. French troops joined with the BEF (British Expeditionary Forces) to protect each other. Once German tanks headed the English Channel, French, Belgian, and British forces were unable to stop them. As Germany arrived at the coast, many of the Allies were cut off and German troops headed north to capture port cities before Allied troops could escape.
Battle
On May 24, 1940, Hitler urged the commander of Army Group A, General Gerd von Rundstedt, to advance the attack. Von Rundstedt decided to take his Army Group southwest of Dunkirk while having Army Group B demolish the BEF forces. Once agreed upon, it was decided that Army Group B would conduct an aerial attack with hlp from the Luftwaffe. The next day, BEF commander General Lord Gort decided to make an evacuation of northern France.
Evacuation
In England, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay met at Dover Castle to begin planning the evacuation while the BEF, French, and Belgian troops created a perimeter around Dunkirk. This evacuation called 'Operation Dynamo' was carried out by destroyers and merchant ships consisting of fishing boats and other commercial vessels.
The first goals of this hoped that 45,000 men could be rescued over two days, as it was expected that German interference would force the end of the operation after forty-eight hours. As the fleet began to arrive at Dunkirk on May 27, the soldiers began preparing for the voyage for space reasons. Some could board ships directly as others waded out to other boats.
This operation continued for several days past the time limit as Allied troops around Dunkirk shrank and as the RAF kept German aircraft far away. On June 1, several thousand troops were evacuated, and the British rearguard departed the next day.
Once German aerial attacks intensified, evacuations were only held at night. On the 3rd and 4th, 54,921 more troops were rescued. The final ship, HMS Shikari, left the beach at 3:40 AM on June 4 as the Germans were three miles away. Unfortunately, two French divisions left defending the perimeter were forced to surrender.
The first goals of this hoped that 45,000 men could be rescued over two days, as it was expected that German interference would force the end of the operation after forty-eight hours. As the fleet began to arrive at Dunkirk on May 27, the soldiers began preparing for the voyage for space reasons. Some could board ships directly as others waded out to other boats.
This operation continued for several days past the time limit as Allied troops around Dunkirk shrank and as the RAF kept German aircraft far away. On June 1, several thousand troops were evacuated, and the British rearguard departed the next day.
Once German aerial attacks intensified, evacuations were only held at night. On the 3rd and 4th, 54,921 more troops were rescued. The final ship, HMS Shikari, left the beach at 3:40 AM on June 4 as the Germans were three miles away. Unfortunately, two French divisions left defending the perimeter were forced to surrender.
Aftermath
At the end of the evacuation, 332,226 men were rescued from Dunkirk. Although the evacuation was a success, Churchill cautiously told the public, “We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations." During the operation, the British losses included 68,111 killed, wounded, and captured, as well as 243 ships (including 6 destroyers), 106 aircraft, 2,472 field guns, 63,879 vehicles, and 500,000 tons of supplies. The evacuation did, however, preserve the core of the British Army and made it available for the immediate defense of Britain. Large numbers other Allied troops were rescued as well.