The Dunkirk Evacuation

The Dunkirk Evacuation, known as Operation Dynamo, took place over a nine-day period from 26 May to 4 June 1940. The operation was an urgent retreat of the British Army from the French coast in the face of the successful German blitzkrieg which had quickly swept across France, taking the British forces by surprise.

Where is Dunkirk?

Dunkirk is a port on the north coast of France, about 22 miles from Calais and about 45 miles from Dover and Ramsgate.

Why Was Dunkirk Evacuated?

Britain had formally declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. The British Army had been deployed to France to support the French Army in case of German attack. For several months, this was a relatively quiet period of the war as the French Maginot Line and the Ardennes Forest, which bordered Belgium, provided both man-made and natural defences against a land invasion from Belgium and the Low Countries. The Maginot Line was a series of defensive fortifications erected in the aftermath of the First World War, and the Ardennes was considered impassable by German tanks.

This belief was unfounded, and German forces passed through the Ardennes from Belgium, bypassing the fortified defences, and then made a run for the coast, quickly surrounding the Allies. This fast, aggressive strategy by the Germans was the blitzkrieg, and it was highly successful.

France quickly fell under this assault, and in Parliament, the decision was taken to evacuate as many British forces as possible rather than staying and fighting the German advance. The ports of Calais and Boulogne were quickly taken by the Germans, leaving Dunkirk as the only viable port from which to retreat. Dunkirk had also seen its share of fighting and the port was badly damaged.

400,000 men gathered on the beaches next to the destroyed town and port and awaited rescue. The British government hoped that that 40,000 could be saved.

What Made The Dunkirk Rescue Possible?

The odds against a successful evacuation were overwhelming. German forces had established their foothold in France and had surrounded the Allied forces. Despite this, three important factors contributed to the success of the mission: the weather, the harbour moles, and German orders.

The Weather

The weather was unusually favourable for the escape attempt. Winds were light, allowing smaller boats to be used to rescue soldiers from the beach and transport them to larger ships anchored further from shore.

Additionally, what winds there were played into Allied hands. The bombing of Dunkirk had destroyed the port and town, and smoke filled the sky, but the wind direction meant that the smoke ended up providing valuable air cover against the Luftwaffe.

The Harbour Moles

Dunkirk port had been destroyed, but east and west of the beach, two harbour moles, or causeways, stretched from the shore into the deep water. Rescue ships could dock alongside, and men could walk right up to the ships and climb aboard. This allowed for faster boarding, as smaller boats did not have to ferry troops from shore to ship. Over 200,000 soldiers were rescued in this way.

German Orders

The German blitzkrieg was extremely successful, but it came at a price. The speed of the tank assaults often left behind the supporting German infantry. This would have exposed the tanks and reduced the efficacy of a combined arms assault. The order was given to halt the advance and reform the attacking lines. This was a sensible decision to maintain unit cohesion during the assault, but the pause gave the evacuation the time it needed to succeed. Had the army pressed on, Dunkirk might have been a failure.

How Many Soldiers Were Rescued At Dunkirk?

In the end, of the 400,000 British and French soldiers, 338,226 were rescued in Operation Dynamo, including around 120,000 French soldiers.

Thousands of boats and ships took part in the operation, and the rescue fleet was a mixture of military and civilian craft, with around 300 small civilian boats taking part.

200 ships and thousands of lives were lost during the escape due to German assaults, including U-Boat attacks on the fleeing ships, but nearly ten times as many soldiers were rescued as was thought possible.

Why Was It Called Operation Dynamo?

Code names are commonly used in military operations because they conceal what the mission is really about. For example, the D-Day landings were codenamed Operation Overlord.

According to English Heritage, there is a rumour that the name Operation Dynamo was used because there was a dynamo in the Dover Castle tunnels where the mission was planned, although there is no real evidence for this.

Did the British Win At Dunkirk?

Can an army win an evacuation? Churchill himself said that the success of the operation should be considered a ‘miracle of deliverance’ and that ‘wars are not won by evacuations’. On the other hand, the success of the evacuation showed that people could come together to achieve what was thought to be impossible. Only 40,000 were expected to be rescued, but nearly ten times that number were saved.

But perhaps what happened next is the real victory of Dunkirk. The operation saved over 300,000 soldiers from death or capture at the hands of the German Army. Once recovered and rearmed, many of those men returned later in the war to free France and declare victory in Europe. The morale-boosting effect of the operation cannot be underestimated either. The success of the operation against all odds, coupled with Churchill’s rousing rhetoric, sustained Britain through the next phase of the war. Now that Hitler had reached the coast of France, his sights were set on England. The Battle of Britain would be the next challenge the nation would meet and overcome. Could this have been possible without the success of Dunkirk?

What Is The Dunkirk Spirit?

Dunkirk Spirit was a phrase that came into use following the Dunkirk Evacuation.

The Dunkirk Spirit has now become almost a national catchphrase, symbolising the willingness of a nation and communities come together, to support one another, and to fight on against overwhelming odds.

Go further with Army Cadets

Teamwork and resilience under pressure were the hallmarks of the Dunkirk spirit in 1940, and those qualities are just as valuable today. If you want to push yourself further, make new friends, and overcome new challenges, find your nearest detachment today and show us what you can do.