Evacuation Battle of Dunkirk

feature film re-enactment of british fisherman giving hand allied soldier while stuka s bomb explodes few metres ahead

the war office made decision evacuate british forces on 25 may. in 9 days 27 may–4 june, 338,226 men escaped, including 139,997 french, polish, , belgian troops, small number of dutch soldiers, aboard 861 vessels (of 243 sunk during operation). b. h. liddell hart wrote fighter command lost 106 aircraft on dunkirk , luftwaffe lost 135, of shot down french navy , royal navy. macdonald wrote in 1986 british losses 177 aircraft , german losses 240.

the docks @ dunkirk badly damaged used, east , west moles (sea walls protecting harbour entrance) intact. captain william tennant—in charge of evacuation—decided use beaches , east mole land ships. highly successful idea hugely increased number of troops embarked each day , on 31 may, on 68,000 men embarked.

the last of british army left on 3 june, , @ 10:50, tennant signalled ramsay operation completed. returning dover . churchill insisted on coming french , royal navy returned on 4 june, rescue many possible of french rearguard. on 26,000 french soldiers evacuated on last day, between 30,000 , 40,000 more left behind , forced surrender germans.