Yet the brilliance of the evacuation could not hide the fact that the British had suffered a terrible defeat and that Britain itself was in dire peril. The British Expeditionary Force being surrounded by invading Germans at Dunkirk and evacuated from France by a motley rescue fleet of military ships and private boats; from. What weapons were used in the Battle of Dunkirk? The German strategy, called blitzkrieg, relied on sustained and concentrated forward momentum to ensure a swift victory before the enemy could respond. Hundreds of fishing boats, yachts, and other vessels braved underwater mines and strafing, attacks from low-flying Luftwaffe planes, to come to the rescue of their comrades.
When the Belgians’ extended right flank, adjoining the British, gave way under pressure from Reichenau, these two divisions were rushed north again. By May, it became apparent to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other high-ranking officials that the BEF had to be rescued, or Britain risked losing the war completely.
The Allied armies in Belgium wheeled back to the line of the Scheldt. The Allied soldiers trapped at Dunkirk consisted of mainly of British and French troops. After this flash in the pan the Allied armies in the north made no further effort to break out of the trap, while the belated relieving push from the south was so feeble as to be almost farcical. The town was liberated by the U.S. Army in May 1945, but more than three-quarters of its houses were destroyed in the fighting.…. Dunkirk study guide contains a biography of Christopher Nolan, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? On May 19 Gen. John Gort, commander in chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), began to consider the necessity of evacuating his forces by sea and the preparatory steps that such an endeavour would require.
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. study 's' : ''}}. There are a number of excellent World War II movies out there, maybe some of which you've seen. In a bizarre quirk of history, Tennant would once again use a breakwater off the Channel coast to influence the course of the war. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. France did not have the strength to mount an immediate counteroffensive. Gen. Georg-Hans Reinhardt swung south of the British rear position at Arras, headed for the same objective—the last escape port that remained open for the British. German dictator Adolf Hitler’s blitzkrieg strategy depended on maintaining concentrated forward momentum in its invasion of France and Belgium; Germany had overrun the region by May 1940. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... British and other Allied troops wading through the water to board ships at Dunkirk, France, 1940. | {{course.flashcardSetCount}} By evening more reassuring reports had come from the Aisne, and Reynaud broadcast a denial of “the most absurd rumours that the government is preparing to leave Paris.” At the same time, he seized the opportunity to replace Gamelin and for that purpose summoned Gen. Maxime Weygand from Syria. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. More dangerous still was the backdoor approach of Guderian, whose armoured forces were sweeping north past Boulogne and Calais. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree.
This was a costly mistake on the part of Hitler because it allowed the Allied forces to secure defenses and prepare evacuation plans. …One of the most motley fleets of history—ships, transports, merchantmen, fishing boats, pleasure craft—took men off from the very few ports left, from the open beaches themselves, for German air attacks had virtually destroyed most port facilities. All he could manage was an attack by two divisions, which had just been rushed south to Arras, led by a brigade of infantry tanks, the only armoured troops he had. By the time they arrived there, the position had been undermined by the cutting of their communications. The BEF was a massive army and to lose it completely would doom Great Britain. Critical to this process was the British Royal Air Force, which intercepted German bombers above the beach. By the time he resumed attacks, the evacuation had begun. Although the British Royal Air Force (RAF) put up a valiant defense, the harbor at Dunkirk had been heavily bombed, making it insufficient for a large-scale evacuation. However, Dunkirk’s beach was too shallow for Royal Navy battleships to safely approach, so the British admiralty assembled approximately 700 civilian craft that would transport troops to battleships waiting in the North Sea. Dunkirk was a critical turning point in World War II.German dictator Adolf Hitler’s blitzkrieg strategy depended on maintaining concentrated forward momentum in its invasion of France and Belgium; Germany had overrun the region by May 1940. You can test out of the Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. With Dunkirk, the disastrous defense of the Low Countries ended in a brief flash of glory for the Allies. Two more divisions were allotted for Weygand’s renewed project of a Franco-British drive down into the German corridor. Anyone can earn Smaller, civilian vessels could do this and were employed to ferry soldiers out to sea, where they were transferred onto larger warships. It was Adolf Hitler, however, who did most to make their escape possible. On May 10 the German blitzkrieg attack on the Netherlands began with the capture by parachutists of key bridges deep within the country, with the aim of opening the way for mobile ground forces.
Britain was helpless in the face of a seemingly all-conquering foe that stood just a few miles away, across the open water of the English Channel. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”. Under the leadership of Lord John Gort, the Commander of the BEF, it was decided that British and French troops trapped in Western Europe would stage a fighting retreat toward the harbor and beaches of Dunkirk. More commonly called the Dunkirk Evacuation, or just Dunkirk, it involved a last-minute rescue of over 300,000 Allied soldiers who were trapped by the Nazis near the beaches of Dunkirk, France in the summer of 1940.
Dunkirk was a critical turning point in World War II. For years, Germany's aggression toward other European countries, like Czechoslovakia, had gone unchallenged. Allied planners had hoped to check the Germans at the Dyle Line—a defensive line that ran from Antwerp south to the French frontier, north of Sedan—but by May 16 Gamelin had determined that such a stand was impracticable.
The British transformed the Dunkirk evacuation into a moment of national pride and perseverance. A large number of Allied soldiers were pushed toward the sea by the advancing German forces. To remedy this, he directed the soldiers to board rescue ships from a 1,400-yard (1.3-km)-long breakwater to the east. By the time they arrived on May 27, the Belgian centre had cracked, and there were no reserves to fill this fresh gap. Tennant directed the bulk of the evacuation efforts to the eastern breakwater, and some 200,000 troops were able to use it as an ersatz dock to board rescue ships. Gort argued that such a long-range drive in reverse was not practicable, either tactically or administratively. The remaining Allied forces had to be taken directly off the beaches, making the evacuation a slow and difficult process, extending from May 26 to June 4. For his service at both Dunkirk and Normandy, Tennant was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Bath and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The Germans cut off various Allied escape ports along the English Channel and quickly shrunk their defensive lines. Gen. Gerd von Rundstedt contributed by impressing on Hitler the need to conserve the armoured divisions for the next stage of the offensive. He is an adjunct history professor, middle school history teacher, and freelance writer. More than 930 ships took part in the evacuation. This plan was carried out by the British military and civilians alike. Services. The admiralty had been collecting every kind of small craft to help in bringing away the troops, and the retreat to the coast now became a race to re-embark before the German pincers closed. British and other Allied troops waiting to be evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk, France, 1940.
When it was completed, some 330,000 French and British troops, together with some Belgian and Dutch forces who refused to surrender, had reached haven in England. On May 11 the Belgian front was broken, and German tanks ran on westward while Belgian, French, and British divisions fell back to a line between Antwerp and Namur. Tennant had personally recommended the construction of “Gooseberries”—artificial breakwaters built with scuttled ships—to protect the vulnerable structures. More commonly called the Dunkirk Evacuation, or just Dunkirk, it involved a last-minute rescue of over 300,000 Allied soldiers who were trapped by the Nazis near the beaches of Dunkirk, France in the summer of 1940. The royal air force, including planes from the metropolitan force in England, met and asserted at least temporary air superiority over the tremendous German air forces, and the royal navy, with daring and precision, assisted by courageous French naval craft, stood close in shore and not only covered the evacuation, but took off thousands of men in overloaded destroyers and other small craft. No purely military study of the major aspects of the war could do justice to the skill and the heroism of the evacuation from Dunkirk. just create an account. The Battle of Arras and the Belgian surrender, https://www.britannica.com/event/Dunkirk-evacuation, Social Studies for Kids - The Dunkirk Evacuation, Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Dunkirk Evacuation, Dunkirk evacuation - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The French government panicked and nearly evacuated Paris; their worries were compounded by further German advances into Belgium on May 17. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page. Dunkirk evacuation, (1940) in World War II, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops from the French seaport of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) to England. Even if the French had been able to mount a counteroffensive, they would not have found it easy to crush the invader.
Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The BEF had been saved, but almost all of its heavy equipment, tanks, artillery, and motorized transport had been left behind. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. The Second World War had begun. Omissions? Gen. Paul Ludwig von Kleist surprised the Allies by advancing through Luxembourg and into France over the course of five days. Suffice it to say only that, when it began, members of the British imperial general staff doubted that 25% of the B.E.F. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.
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