Battle of Dunkirk

In May of 1940, German forces were rapidly advancing through France, making their way towards the English Channel and threatening an invasion of England. On the 25 May, the allies made the decision to evacuate troops from France in order to preserve the lives of as many members of the armed forces as possible. Allied forces withdrew to the port of Dunkirk. This French harbour was surrounded by marsh land that would hopefully slow the German advance and was located next to a large beach where troops could gather in order to evacuate. The allies sent over a fleet of military vessels, merchant ships, and over seven hundred civilian vessels to rescue troops trapped by the German advance.

The evacuation was codenamed Operation Dynamo and was ultimately successful. Originally, the allies had hoped to rescue 45,000 men over the course of two days. It was anticipated that the German advance would prevent evacuation after the initial 48 hours of the operation. Between 26 May and 4 June, the allies were able to evacuate 332,226 men from Dunkirk, but still suffered incredible losses. Two divisions of French troops guarding the perimeter were forced to surrender and were taken prisoner. The allies also suffered 68,111 dead, wounded, or captured and the loss of 243 ships and 106 aircraft. Troops were also forced to leave behind 2472 field guns, 63,879 vehicles, and over 500,000 tons of supplies.