OTD 4 June 1940 Dunkirk Evacuation
From 26 May till 4 June 1940 the evacuation of allied soldiers during
World War II from the beaches and the harbour of Dunkirk took place.
History
In September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Then the
United Kingdom sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to aid to
defense France. The soldiers landed at Cherbourg, Nantes and
Saint-Nazaire.
The commander of these troops was General John Vereker, 6th.
Viscount of Gort.
On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands. The
BEF advanced from the Belgian border to positions along the River Dyle
in Belgium.
On 22 May Churchill ordered the BEF to attack southward in coordination
with the French forces.
On 24 May, the Germans had captured the port of Boulogne and surrounded
Calais. Hermann Göring, Air Marshal, urged Hitler to let the Luftwaffe
finish off the British.
On 26 May 1940, King George VI attended a special service in Westminster
Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury led prayers for our soldiers in dire
peril in France.
Start of the Dunkerk Evacuation
On 26 May 1940 just before 7pm. Churchill ordered operation Dynamo to
begin.
27 May was the first full day of the Dunkirk evacuation or called operation
Dynamo.
On 28 May 1940, the Belgian Army surrendered, leaving a large gap to the
east of Dunkerk. Several British divisions were rushed in to cover that side.
The weather over Dunkirk was not conductive to dive or low-level bombing.
The RAF flew 11 patrols and 321 sorties.
On 28 May 1940, 17804 soldiers arrived at British ports.
The next day, 47,310 British troops were rescued as the Luftwaffe exacted
a heavy toll on shipping. The British destroyer HLS Grenade was sunk and
the French destroyer Mistral was crippled.
On 30 May 1940 Churchill received word that all British divisions were now
behind the defensive lines, along with more than half of the French First
Army.
Churchill stated:
"We shall fight on the beaches"
The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers (dead, wounded, missing or captured) from
10 May till 22 June 1940. Prisoners were sent to war camps in Germany.
The evacuation was presented to the German public as an overwhelming
and decisive German victory.
On 5 June 1940, Hitler stated: "Dunkirk has fallen".
Dunkirk (2017) film
In 2017, the movie Dunkirk was released. This was about the tragic
Dunkirk evacuation of World War II.
The war film was written, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan.
I saw this movie at the cinema together with my husband and the opinions
were different.
Though I liked the historical aspect of the movie very much I missed
something. Nevertheless the film well reflected the desparation of the
BEF and of its soldiers.
Source picture: Wikipedia
World War II from the beaches and the harbour of Dunkirk took place.
History
In September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Then the
United Kingdom sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to aid to
defense France. The soldiers landed at Cherbourg, Nantes and
Saint-Nazaire.
The commander of these troops was General John Vereker, 6th.
Viscount of Gort.
On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands. The
BEF advanced from the Belgian border to positions along the River Dyle
in Belgium.
On 22 May Churchill ordered the BEF to attack southward in coordination
with the French forces.
On 24 May, the Germans had captured the port of Boulogne and surrounded
Calais. Hermann Göring, Air Marshal, urged Hitler to let the Luftwaffe
finish off the British.
On 26 May 1940, King George VI attended a special service in Westminster
Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury led prayers for our soldiers in dire
peril in France.
Start of the Dunkerk Evacuation
On 26 May 1940 just before 7pm. Churchill ordered operation Dynamo to
begin.
27 May was the first full day of the Dunkirk evacuation or called operation
Dynamo.
On 28 May 1940, the Belgian Army surrendered, leaving a large gap to the
east of Dunkerk. Several British divisions were rushed in to cover that side.
The weather over Dunkirk was not conductive to dive or low-level bombing.
The RAF flew 11 patrols and 321 sorties.
On 28 May 1940, 17804 soldiers arrived at British ports.
The next day, 47,310 British troops were rescued as the Luftwaffe exacted
a heavy toll on shipping. The British destroyer HLS Grenade was sunk and
the French destroyer Mistral was crippled.
On 30 May 1940 Churchill received word that all British divisions were now
behind the defensive lines, along with more than half of the French First
Army.
Churchill stated:
"We shall fight on the beaches"
The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers (dead, wounded, missing or captured) from
10 May till 22 June 1940. Prisoners were sent to war camps in Germany.
The evacuation was presented to the German public as an overwhelming
and decisive German victory.
On 5 June 1940, Hitler stated: "Dunkirk has fallen".
Dunkirk (2017) film
In 2017, the movie Dunkirk was released. This was about the tragic
Dunkirk evacuation of World War II.
The war film was written, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan.
I saw this movie at the cinema together with my husband and the opinions
were different.
Though I liked the historical aspect of the movie very much I missed
something. Nevertheless the film well reflected the desparation of the
BEF and of its soldiers.
Source picture: Wikipedia
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