Friday, December 13, 2019

Dunkirk

The evacuation of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo and also referred to as the Miracle of Dunkirk was a major event in World War II where thousands Allied troops were successfully evacuated from the coastal town of Dunkirk. It took place in the beginning years of the war from May 26 - June 4, 1940.

After the initial declaration of war from Britain against Germany, the Phony War began, which was 8 months of stalemate where very little was done. However, this ended when Nazi Germany attacked the Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands in a blitzkrieg attack, or German for lightning attack.  After the blitzkrieg started, Axis powers moved on to France. Britain had sent troops to help defend France, along with some Belgium troops also. The Allies were expecting an attack from the Magiot line, which had much weaker natural fortifications than the Ardennes forest, which was the other option. However, the Germans surprisingly attacked through the forest, pushing the Allies further and further North until they were surrounded in Dunkirk, a small stretch of French coast.

During this time, the British PM Neville Chamberlain resigned and the more well known Winston Churchill gained power. He began Operation Dynamo with the goal of rescuing the Allied forces. However, on the first day, the navy was only able to save around 8000 troops, a small fraction of the total amount. This lack of major success was largely due to the harsh natural conditions of the area, as the shallow waters were hard for British ships to maneuver in.

However, the mission didn't stop. Churchill called to the British civilians requesting for anyone who was willing to take their own ships and help contribute to saving the troops. Hundreds of civilians responded to the call, leading to around 861 total Allied ships coming to aid. Many casualties were incurred, some from bombings on the beach and some from the damage of ships. However, the German bombings were not enough to stop the evacuation. Out of a total 861 Allied ships engaged, 243 of them were sunk. In the end, out of the 400,000 troops Allied troops that fought at Dunkirk, about 350,000 of them survived.
See the source image
Sources:
The Second World War by Winston Churchill
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/dunkirk

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