Dunkirk Evacuation: 330,000 Troops Saved From Certain Death
Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk, began on May 26, 1940, after the German advance trapped the British Expeditionary Force and French armies against the Channel coast. Over nine days, a fleet of 850 vessels, including Royal Navy destroyers, ferries, fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and lifeboats, evacuated 338,226 troops from the beaches and harbor. Churchill had expected to rescue 45,000 at most. The "little ships" of the civilian fleet became legendary, though most troops were actually lifted from the harbor mole by naval vessels. The British army left behind 68,000 dead, wounded, and captured, along with all their heavy equipment. Churchill warned Parliament that "wars are not won by evacuations" but the rescue preserved the trained soldiers who would form the core of the army that returned to France on D-Day.
May 26, 1940
86 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 26
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