ABOUT
BATTLE OF DUNKIRK
Dunkirk is a small town off the coast of France that was the setting of a massive military campaign that took place towards the beginning of World War II. During the battle that took place between May 26 and June 4 1940, around 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops (A total of around 338,000 men) were successully evacuated from Dunkirk back to England as the German forces enclosed in on them from behind. The huge operation involved the use of hundreds of naval as well as civilian ships making the perilous journey in order to bring their young men home. This successful operation became known as the "Miracle of Dunkirk" and marked a turning point for the Allied effort for the rest of the war.
BLITZKRIEG & THE FALL OF FRANCE
German invasion of France (n. d.) Retrieved from: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/gallery/blitzkrieg-lightning-war-maps
On May 10, 1940, Germany began their Blitzkrieg (German for lightning war) attack on the Netherlands with the surrender of the Dutch army only occurring three days later on the 13th. The attack was centred around the capture of multiple key bridges deep within the country by German parachutists in an effort to open up the country for ground troops.
A second invasion into Belgium also took place on May 10 when German troops landed on the fortress of Eben Emael. By the next day, the Belgian front line was crippled and German tanks continued the push towards the west with the Allies being forced to back off momentarily.
Germany's upcoming invasion of France was solely dependant on their surprise advance through the treacherous Ardennes Forest, a location the Allies believed to be naturally impenetrable and therefore left undefended. On May 15 the Germans broke through France's defences and started to turn westward, racing to reach the English Channel and cutting off the Allied forces in Belgium. The Germans continued to make efforts to quell the Allied ground forces such as blocking off communication and transport between the north and south.
Meanwhile, the rest of the British, French and other Allied forces made their way to the seaport of Dunkirk as the enemy closed in from all sides, their last hope of escape.
PLANS FOR AN EVACUATION
Back in London, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned on May 13, with Winston Churchill taking up the role as Prime Minister soon after. At first, the British opposed an evacuation and the French forces also wanted to hold out as well. However, Churchill soon became convinced an evacuation was the only option as the Allies were being continually forced back into the port of Dunkirk. Surprisingly, on May 24 in what originally seemed like the peak momentum for the German attack, Adolf Hitler gave the order to halt the German advance on Dunkirk. This decision has mostly been attributed to his General's fear of a counterattack as well as the Luftwaffe commander Herman Goering's promise that the air force could stop an evacuation at Dunkirk. Only two days later on May 26 did Hitler give the order for the German forces to continue. However, this short break gave the Allies all the time they needed to regroup and start preparing for an evacuation.
OPERATION DYNAMO
Allied forces waiting on the beaches of Dunkirk (n. d.) Retrieved from: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and-stories/operation-dynamo-things-you-need-to-know/
On the evening of May 26, the British launched the evacuation from Dunkirk, codenaming it Operation Dynamo. On the first full day May 27, Operation Dynamo was only able to retrieve around 7,500 men from the shores of Dunkirk and around 10,000 on the following day.
The evacuation was slowed down immensely by the continuous bombing attacks on the harbour by the Luftwaffe, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) planes fought bravely in order to stop or delay the German planes from reaching the beaches. This resulted in a loss of many aircraft for both sides.
In addition to this, because Dunkirk had such a shallow beach, Royal Navy vessels were unable to sit in close proximity to the land so the Allies had to put out a call for smaller ships that could carry soldiers from the shore to the larger ships that were further out to sea. Around 800-1200 boats eventually aided in the evacuation with many being leisure or fishing boats either driven by naval personnel or manned by their civilian owners.
Churchill and the British command only expected the evacuation to rescue around 45,000 men in total however Operation Dynamo managed to exceed all expectations, rescuing 47,000 men by the third day and 53,000 on May 30. By the end of the evacuation, over 198,000 British and 140,000 French troops were successfully rescued from the Dunkirk beaches totalling to around 338,000 men.
THE IMPACT OF DUNKIRK
Though Germany's invasion of France was largely a success and a crippling blow to the Allies, the miracle that was the Dunkirk evacuation proved to be an important moment in the allied war effort soon to come. Germany had hoped that a defeat at Dunkirk as well as the fall of France would force Britain to sue for peace, however, the success of Operation Dynamo and the legacy of Dunkirk became a rallying cry of the Allies for years to come. This spirit of pride and perseverance of the British people is reflected in Winston Churchill's famous speech (Source 5) delivered on June 4, 1940
“[We] shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
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- Winston Churchill, 1940