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Operation Dynamo 27 may 1940


The Dutch Army

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27 May 1940,

(till 4 June). The admiralilty gives the start for Operation "Dynamo"; Nearly 350,000 British, French, and other allied troops are rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk.

Evacuation from Dunkirk

The British Expeditionary Force (the BEF) and the French First Army were cornered by the advancing German armies at Dunkirk. 338,000 managed to escape, thanks to a hasty but effective evacuation mounted across the English Channel. In an astonishing improvisation, naval craft and personnel were reinforced by hundreds of 'little ships' (700 assorted vessels of which 71 will be lost) and their civilian crews who had volunteered to take part. The operation across the Channel between 26 May and 4 June 1940 seemed a triumphant feat for the British people. However, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, reminded the country that it was a defeat which would need strong determination to overcome. He emphasised the threat of a German invasion now that the Allies had been pushed out of Europe.

The Evacuation at Dunkirk

Data from the beach/ harbor both total

27may -- 7.669 7.669 7.669

28may 5.930 11.874 17.804 25.473

29may 13.752 33.558 47.310 72783

30may 29.512 24.311 53.823 126.606

31may 22.942 45.072 68.014 194.620

1june 17.438 47.081 64.426 259.049

2june 6.695 19.561 26.256 285.305

3june 1.870 24.876 26.746 312.051

4june 622 25.553 26.175 338.226

Fall of Dunkirk on 4 June

28 May 1940,

King Leopold of Belgium agreed to capitulate: Belgium surrenders to Germany. Allied capture Narvik, Norway and at 3 June evacuation from Narvik.

The steamer "Mona's Isle" is the first ship which arrived in Dunkirk and came under fire from coastal batteries and leaved with more than 100 dead on board.

29 May 1940,

Dunkirk is encircled by German artillery and fired by the Luftwaffe but the evacuation continues with French troops joining the theatre. Lost are the destroyers HMSS Wakeful, Grafton and Grenade. Even though the Germans had clear weather, the Stukas are less effective around Dunkirk than Gôring had expected. Their ability to hit land convoys and static targets is not matched when faced wîth the armada of vessels going to and from the French coast. While more than 860 vessels are going on runs to and from the Dunkirk beaches, the German bombardment decreases and some units move back to prepare for action elsewhere in France.

3 June 1940,

Only 2 miles from the harbour away, the Germans still do not prevent Operation "Dynamo". A late arrival of various French forces and civilians leaved just 40.000 to be captured. The last vessel to depart Dunkirk, the destroyer HMS Shikari, sailed at 3.30 hours with 338 men. Just 6 hours later von Kluge's 4th Army entered the town. Elsewhere, Gôring has transferred his bombers inland and begins a programme of bombing airfields and industrial sites around Paris.

I am soon goging to tell you about "Operation Rot".

i hope you like it

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Had Hitler ordered the Panzers to capture the British at Dunkirk or destroy them it would have been disastrous to Brits being able to stay the course in N.Af. and elsewhere. A great vicotry for the Allies and another dumb mistake by Hitler.

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