Battle of Dunkirk

Battle of Dunkirk
Part of the Second World War

"Soldiers from the British Expeditionary Force fire at low flying German aircraft during the Dunkirk evacuation" – Soldiers were strafed and bombed by German aircraft
Date26 May – 4 June 1940
Location
Dunkirk, France
Result German victory
Allied evacuation
Belligerents
  Germany
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Lord Gort
France Maxime Weygand
France Georges Blanchard
France René Prioux		 Nazi Germany Gerd von Rundstedt
Nazi Germany Ewald von Kleist (Panzergruppe von Kleist)
Strength
approx. 400,000
338,226 evacuated		 approx. 800,000
Casualties and losses
30,000 killed or wounded
34,000 missing or captured
6 destroyers and over 200 smaller vessels
106 aircraft		 52,252 killed or wounded
8,467 missing or captured
101—240 aircraft

The Battle of Dunkirk (French: Bataille de Dunkerque; also known as Operation Dynamo) was a major battle in Dunkirk, France during World War II. It lasted from the 26 May until 4 June 1940.

Battle

Early in the Battle of France the Allied forces were split into two by a German armoured advance to the Channel coast at Calais. The British and French commanders were taken by surprise at the speed of the advance. The northern part of the army was surrounded In Dunkirk, France, a port on the English Channel. There, they made a perimeter to defend themselves and waited for an evacuation.

Evacuation

See the main page: Dunkirk evacuation

In the Dunkirk evacuation, over 900 small British ships rescued around 340,000 British, French, and Belgian soldiers from the beaches between 26 May 1940 and 4 June 1940. This was most of the British and about half of the French soldiers who fought in the battle. About 40,000 troops, mostly French, had to stay behind to keep the Germans away during the evacuation.

Many of the evacuated French troops landed elsewhere and continued the Battle of France.

References

  1. ↑ Bowman 2020.
  2. 1 2 Sweeting 2010.
  3. ↑ McIntyre 2017.
  4. ↑ Shephard 2003, p. 169.
  5. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica.
  6. ↑ Rickard, J. "Operation Dynamo, The Evacuation from Dunkirk, 27 May-4 June 1940." Retrieved: 14 May 2008.
  7. ↑ "Dunkirk evacuation | Facts, Map, Photos, Numbers, Timeline, & Summary | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-10-09.

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