TIMELINE
May 15
German forces including panzer tanks, armoured cars and SPGS cross the Muse river and make their way through the Ardenne Forest and are met with no resistance from the Allies. By the 15th, Sedan is captured and the Germans begin to move westward flanking the entire Allied army. On this day the Netherlands officially surrender
German engineers clear a barricade of trees in the Ardennes Forest to allow the panzers to pass. (n. d.) Retrieved from http://dunkirk1940.org/index.php?&p=1_1
May 22
To ensure the impossibility of escape, the Germans attack the coastal towns of Bolounge and Calais with their panzer divisions. But another small coastal town evades German attention: Dunkirk. With nowhere else to go, the Allies march to the coast as they are enclosed on all fronts and are attacked from the air.
Troops from the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) marching through the ruined port of Dunkirk (1940) Retrieved from https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and-stories/operation-dynamo-things-you-need-to-know/
May 28
The dogfights above Dunkirk continue until a thick patch of clouds prevents any more air combat from continuing. Belgium officially surrenders, and more German pressure gathers around Dunkirk. Meanwhile the Allies come up with a plan to ensure an efficient evacuation by utilising the eastern breakwater, otherwise known as the eastern mole which stretches over a mile off shore in order to board the bigger ships. 17,804 men are saved.
May 31
With most of Germany's most powerful military forces fighting down in the South, the attacks on Dunkirk become less damaging. Meanwhile the citizens of England gather together more than a hundred civilian boats at Ramsgate in order to save as many men as possible. Some civilians are attacked along the way, some sink, but most courageously make their way to Dunkirk and help to contribute to one of the most successful days of Operation Dynamo, rescuing over 68,014 men.
May 10-14, 1940
German forces invade the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium in a blitzkrieg attack, aided by the German Luftwaffe (German air force) and hundreds of panzer tanks. All three countries fight valiantly but quickly fall to the Germans
German Luftwaffe (n. d.) Retrieved from https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-the-german-luftwaffe/
May 16-21
With the Allies surrounded, newly elected Prime Minister Winston Churchill activates a plan to evacuate as many men as possible from France codenamed Operation Dynamo
Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspecting British troops (n. d.) Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/04/25/winston-churchills-words-are-giving-hope-during-the-pandemic/
May 27
Operation Dynamo commences and a small number of supply ships, ferries and passenger ships set sail for the French coast. Boarding the ships proves to be a challenge due to Dunkirk's shallow beaches. To defend the port, the Allies fortify a strong perimeter which successfully hold off the panzer divisions by land, however from the air the Luftwaffe attack leading Britain to deploy their own Royal Air Force to fend off the enemy. Only 7,669 men are saved.
May 29-30
The German air forces continue to reign terror from above as ships containing hundreds of evacuated soldiers are sunk. However, many German planes, tanks and soldiers at Dunkirk are ordered to conquer the rest of France, easing the pressure felt at Dunkirk. A lot more men are saved.
June 1-4
By now recognising that the Allies are escaping successfully, the Luftwaffe are ordered to return to Dunkirk in order to stop them. Attacks recommence and German tanks fire fiercly upon the perimeter. However despite this over 120,000 men are saved in the final days of Operation Dynamo.