There is such a battle, what is it called?

Dunkirk evacuation

Dunkirk evacuation

(1)

September 1939, Nazi Germany After occupying Poland, it set its sights on Western Europe and began to make operational plans to attack Western European countries. On October 9, Hitler issued the sixth order to attack Western Europe. The German Army Headquarters immediately began to formulate an attack plan code-named "Yellow Plan". This plan was actually the German "Schlieffen Plan" in World War I. A replica of the attack force, that is, passing through central Belgium and targeting Paris, France as the main direction of the attack. On January 10, 1940, an officer from the German General Staff carrying the plan made an emergency landing in Belgium because his plane got lost. As a result, the plan fell into the hands of the British and French. Manstein, the chief of staff of the German Army Group A, believed that the "yellow plan" had been leaked. If it continued to be implemented, the suddenness of the strategy would be out of the question. Therefore, he suggested that the Ardennes area be the main assault direction. His suggestion was met with criticism. It was opposed by a group of senior generals such as Army Chief of Staff Halder, but it received strong support from Hitler. On February 24, 1940, the German High Command officially adopted Manstein's suggestion. The revised battle plan stipulated that the main force of the German army would cross the Ardennes area and attack the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and northern France, and then start from Attack Paris from the west and north. The German army in front of the Maginot Line, which was carefully constructed in France, organized feint attacks to contain the enemy in front of them. When the main force captured Paris and advanced to the side of the defense line, they would then launch an attack, flanking the main force in front and back, and annihilate the French army in front of them.

In April 1940, after the German army occupied Denmark and achieved a decisive victory in Norway, the German high command believed that the time was ripe to attack Western Europe and prepared to start the offensive in early May. At this time, the German army had assembled 136 divisions on the front line from the North Sea to Switzerland, including 10 armored divisions and 6 motorized divisions, more than 3,000 tanks, and more than 4,500 aircraft.

Army Group A commanded by General Lundstedt is responsible for the main offensive. It has the 4th, 12th and 16th Group Armies and 44 divisions (including 7 armored divisions and 3 motorized divisions). ), with air support provided by the 3rd Air Force, launched from Aachen to the Moselle River, crossed the Ardennes area, launched an assault on the English Channel coast, and divided the British and French forces in northern France and Belgium.

Army Group B commanded by General Bock has jurisdiction over the 6th and 18th Group Armies and 28 divisions (including 3 armored divisions and 1 motorized division), led by the 2nd Air Force Provide air support and deploy from the borders of the Netherlands and Belgium to Aachen. As the right wing, it breaks through the Dutch border defenses, captures the entire Netherlands and northern Belgium, and then advances towards France.

Army Group C commanded by General Leib, under the jurisdiction of the 1st and 7th Group Armies, with 17 divisions (including 1 motorized division), is located in front of the Maginot Line and is responsible for feigning attacks. , to contain the French army in front of them.

The German army also deployed 47 divisions (including 1 motorized division) in the Rhine area as reserves, of which 20 divisions served as reserves for each army group and were at the disposal of each army group. The other 27 divisions serve as general reserves and are directly commanded by the Supreme Command.

On the Allied side, France believed that Germany would attack the Soviet Union after occupying Poland, and that it would take at least four or five years to attack France; Britain believed that its navy was relatively powerful, so it was mainly responsible for implementing a naval blockade against Germany. and strategic bombing, while ground operations are mainly undertaken by the allies; the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg wishfully believe that as long as they strictly maintain neutrality, they can avoid being involved in the war. Therefore, these countries have not yet made full preparations. The Allies' combat plan was not finalized until March 12, 1940. It was formulated with the support of General Gamelin, the French Chief of General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the British-French Allied Forces, code-named "D "Plan, the plan has two options. If the German army attacks Belgium, two French armies and one British army should quickly enter Belgium and, with the cooperation of the Belgian army, hold on to the line of the Dyer River; if the German army attacks the Maginot Line, , then one group army will be used to defend based on fortifications, and another group army will be used as the second echelon to provide reinforcements at any time.

At that time, the Allied forces included 94 French divisions, 9 British Expeditionary Force divisions, 10 Dutch divisions, and 22 Belgian divisions (including 3 armored divisions and 3 motorized divisions). There are more than 3,000 tanks, more than 1,300 aircraft on the European continent, and more than 1,000 aircraft available in the UK.

Both the Belgian Army and the Dutch Army are deployed in their own countries. The 103 divisions of the British and French Allied Forces are divided into three army groups: the 1st Army Group, which has jurisdiction over the French 1st, 2nd, and 9th Army Groups and the British Expeditionary Army. Army, with 51 divisions, deployed on the border between France and Belgium and northern France; the 2nd Army Group, under the jurisdiction of the French 3rd, 4th, and 5th Group Armies, with 25 divisions, deployed on the front of the Maginot Line ; The 3rd Army Group, under the jurisdiction of the 6th and 8th Army Groups, has 18 divisions, deployed behind the Maginot Line; there are also 9 divisions as strategic reserves. In addition, the French 10th Army, deployed on the border between France and Italy, is not included in the calculation.

(2)

On May 10, 1940, the German army launched an attack from the Netherlands to France. First, more than 3,000 aircraft were dispatched to attack 72 major military bases in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Airport, destroying hundreds of Allied aircraft on the ground in one fell swoop. Then the airborne troops belonging to the German Army Group B landed at strategic points in the rear of the Netherlands and Belgium, seizing important bridges, ferries, airports and defense support points with lightning speed. , especially the German airborne troops captured the Eben Emaar Fortress, known as the strongest fortification in Europe, on the 11th, allowing the main German army to quickly pass through the Meuse River and break through the Liege defense line.

On May 13, the German armored forces made full use of the fierce bombing by the air force to trap the enemy in extreme confusion and panic. They broke through the Dutch defense line and joined the paratroopers airborne in the capital Rotterdam. On the 14th, the German army captured Rotterdam. The Queen of the Netherlands fled to England on a British destroyer. On May 15, General Winkelmann, commander-in-chief of the Dutch army, announced his surrender.

On May 14, the German Army Group B broke through the French Sedan defense line and launched a fan-shaped offensive against the French 9th Army. The French army collapsed across the board.

On May 15, the British Expeditionary Force fought tenaciously and withstood the German offensive. However, due to the surrender of the Netherlands, a huge gap appeared in the Allied front. The British army was forced to retreat in order to avoid being surrounded and annihilated. .

On May 17, the German army cleared the resistance of the British and French troops, occupied Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and then continued to attack westward.

After the German Army Group A launched an attack on the southern front, Luxembourg, a small country with a population of only 300,000, was unable to resist the German attack. It surrendered on May 10, the day the German army attacked. The German Army Group A immediately turned westward, crossed the Ardennes area, and rushed towards the coast of the English Channel. On the 14th, it crossed the Meuse River in the Sedan area at the junction of the French 2nd and 9th armies and inflicted heavy losses on the French army.

In this way, the two German Army Groups A and B launched a large-scale pincer offensive targeting coastal areas. The German army advanced westward at an average speed of 20 to 40 kilometers per day, as if entering uninhabited territory.

On May 15, the French High Command realized that as the German army broke through the Maas River defense line, not only the troops in northern France were in trouble, but also the British and French forces in Belgium would face a huge threat. . Therefore, every measure was taken to prevent a possible disaster, but due to the rapid advance of the German armored forces and the rapid follow-up of the follow-up troops, all these efforts ended in failure.

On May 18, the German armored forces arrived at Amiens, an important city on the Somme River.

On May 20, Amiens fell, and Abbeville, an important town at the mouth of the Somme River, also fell on the same day. The German armored forces immediately moved north to attack the British and French forces in Belgium from behind.

On May 21, the main force of the German army reached the coast of the English Channel. About 40 divisions of the British and French coalition forces were surrounded in the Dunkirk area on the border between France and Belgium.

At this time, the British and French coalition forces were surrounded by enemies on three sides in the Dunkirk area and faced the sea on one side. They were in a very critical situation. The only way to survive was to withdraw from the sea to Britain.

On May 22, 2 British infantry divisions and 1 tank brigade launched a counterattack against the German army in the Arras area. This unexpected counterattack severely damaged the rapidly advancing German army.

On May 24, Hitler ordered the armored forces to stop the pursuit. ——This order is considered by many military historians to be Hitler’s first stupid order in World War II. In fact, Hitler’s order was based on his own considerations. The German armored forces are the essence of the German army and the backbone of Germany. As the pillar force to support the war, it will also play a role in the battle against southern France and the Soviet Union. If it is used to destroy the British and French coalition forces that are already in desperate situation, it can certainly be wiped out, but Dunkirk is full of swamps. The low-lying areas are very unfavorable for the activities of the armored forces, and the stubborn resistance of the British and French forces will inevitably lead to repeated losses like those on May 22, which will be worth the loss. In addition, Air Force Commander G?ring assured Hitler that the Luftwaffe was completely Having the ability to eliminate the remnants of the British and French coalition forces at Dunkirk, Hitler was naturally unwilling to let his precious armored forces suffer unnecessary losses. After discussing with Major General Jodl, Chief of Operations of the High Command, he decided to hand over the final solution to the Air Force. and long-range artillery. Another reason that prompted Hitler to issue this order was that Hitler was planning to make peace with Britain, and having some British troops withdraw to Britain would be politically helpful for peace. In any case, this gave Britain a once-in-a-lifetime respite, making it possible to organize a maritime retreat.

(3)

As early as May 19, Britain foresaw that defeat was a foregone conclusion. The War Cabinet instructed the Admiralty to formulate a plan to organize the retreat of the expeditionary force, code-named "Power Generation" machine action”. The operation was under the authority of Vice Admiral Bertram Ramquat, commander of Dover Naval Port. It was planned to evacuate 10,000 people per day from the three ports of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk on the French coast, and concentrate 30 ferries and 12 minesweepers. Ramsey also suggested strengthening air cover, but General Hugh Dowding, commander of the British Air Force Fighter Command, said that fighter jets could only be sent to Dunkirk under the premise of protecting the homeland.

At 18:57 on the evening of May 26, the British Admiralty ordered the implementation of "Operation Dynamo". At this time, the situation was more dangerous than when the plan was made. The three French ports that were originally planned to be used Only Dunkirk could be used, and Boulogne and Calais were captured by the Germans on the 23rd and 27th respectively.

The only way out for the 300,000 British and French allied forces is Dunkirk and its nearby 40 kilometers of coastline. Dunkirk is an ancient castle with a long history and has been an important port in northern France since the 9th century AD. , the third largest port in France in terms of throughput in 1939, with 7 deep-water berths for large ships, 4 dry docks and an 8-kilometer-long pier. The port channel has been dredged, allowing large ships to enter and exit freely. It has complete breakwaters and The convex pier can effectively withstand the strong winds and waves of the English Channel. If these port facilities can be fully utilized, 300,000 British and French troops can safely board the ship with all their equipment in just a few days. However, for two weeks, the area has been under constant attack. By the time of the fierce bombing by the Germans, all four docks were destroyed, the 8-kilometer-long pier was bombed into ruins, and even most of the urban area of ??Dunkirk was razed to the ground in the air raids. The only thing that can still be used for berthing is an east embankment less than 1,200 meters long, and it is built with wooden piles and planks. It is very simple and can only be wide enough for 8 people to pass side by side at the same time. There is only a concrete pillar on the seaside side. , there is a lighthouse, and there are some wooden piles around the embankment, which can also moor ships in an emergency. However, the current is fast and there is a certain danger when the ship docks.

There are no port facilities or breakwaters on the nearby coastline. There is a deep-water channel parallel to the shore not far from the coast, which is connected to the Dunkirk port channel. However, this channel has fast currents and dense reefs, making navigation difficult. Quite dangerous.

There are three routes from Dunkirk to the UK. Route Z has the shortest distance, only 40 nautical miles, but it is blocked by German artillery fire and cannot be used; Route X is slightly longer, 55 nautical miles, but the British Multiple minefields have been laid on the route, which are difficult to clear and cannot be used in a short period of time. The only one that can be used is the Y route, which has the longest range. It is nearly 90 nautical miles and takes almost six hours to complete. Although there are no German troops There was a threat of artillery fire, but the danger of an aerial threat from German aircraft was greatly increased.

Ramsay formed a capable command team, with only 16 people in total, to organize the most complex and dangerous maritime evacuation in history. Ramsay was responsible for overall command and coordination, and Wei Rear Admiral Kwall was responsible for commanding navigation in the English Channel, Captain William Tennant was responsible for commanding the port of Dunkirk and beach boardings, and Lieutenant Commander Jack Crosstown was responsible for commanding the most critical East Causeway. . Among them, Colonel Tennant specially cut out the three letters SNO from the tinfoil in the cigarette box and pasted it on the helmet to indicate that he was the top naval officer responsible for commanding the retreat. He led 12 officers and 150 soldiers and led the organization of 300,000 people. retreat at sea. ——He performed extremely well in this maritime retreat, so he was entrusted with important tasks during the Normandy landing in 1944. At that time, he had been promoted to rear admiral and was responsible for leading the most arduous preparations for the landing, the artificial port and the undersea oil pipeline. The construction of the project made great contributions to the success of the landing.

On the evening of May 26, the first night of "Operation Dynamo", thanks to the efforts of the Navy, the first batch of 1,312 people, mainly logistics troops, successfully left Dunkirk and returned to the UK. Once the evacuation began, it was no longer possible to keep secrets, and the situation became urgent. The British Admiralty began to requisition ships along the coast and along the Thames River, and even called on all ship owners to go to Dunkirk by radio. These ship owners knew very well. What does the withdrawal of the expeditionary force mean to Britain, so it actively responded to the call of the Admiralty. Barges, tugboats, cargo ships, passenger ships, fishing boats, motorboats and even private yachts all set out to sea and sailed to Dunkirk. 693 British ships and 168 French, Dutch and Belgian ships, and 861 various ships joined the rescue team. They mainly set out from six ports in southern England, namely Sheerness, Mali Gart, Dover, Newhaven, Folkestone and Ramsgate, picking up British and French officers and soldiers at Dunkirk before returning to Britain.

On May 27, the 3rd Air Force and the 2nd Air Force of the German Air Force launched a massive bombing of the Dunkirk port area and beaches, dropping 15,000 high-explosive bombs in total. Bombs and 30,000 incendiary bombs, Dunkirk was almost razed to the ground. The British Air Force took off 200 fighter sorties from the mainland and tried their best to cover the boarding points on the beach and ships performing transport missions. Although the British planes failed to stop the German planes The air raid on Dunkirk dealt a heavy blow to German aircraft. The German 2nd Air Force alone was shot down 23 aircraft, 64 aircrew were killed and 7 injured. The losses exceeded the total of the last ten days! Therefore, this day was called "a day of disaster" by the Germans. 11 British aircraft were lost.

The British Navy also went all out, dispatching 1 cruiser, 8 destroyers and 26 other ships. This was the first time the British Navy used warships to transport personnel since the war began, and warships were fully loaded with officers and soldiers. The draft is very deep and even slightly tilted. The naval officers and soldiers relied on their superb ship maneuvering skills to pass through the English Channel with huge waves and raining bullets at full speed.

Although the British navy and air force tried their best, due to the lack of small ships, they could not quickly pick up personnel from the beach to the large ships anchored offshore. The evacuation was very slow, with only 7,669 people evacuated throughout the day.

That night, German naval submarines, torpedo boats and minesweepers also dispatched from the newly occupied ports of the Netherlands and Belgium, attempting to use the cover of darkness to attack the retreating British ships. Hitler also canceled the order for the armored forces to stop advancing, causing the most frightened armored divisions of the British and French forces to return to battle.

On the ground, the German Army infantry was taking advantage of the surrender of Belgium to attack Dunkirk from the Belgian defense zone. Seeing that the British and French coalition forces have no troops left to intercept, Dunkirk is in danger! The British 3rd Infantry Division, under the command of Division Commander Montgomery, cleverly stood out from the German encirclement with excellent maneuvers - the entire division was divided into 600 military vehicles, and a layer of reflective paint was painted on the reducers of all military vehicles, and hidden behind them. The small lights under the fenders illuminated, and the driver of the following car used this light to follow the car in front. The entire convoy turned off its headlights, implemented strict light control, and quietly evacuated in the night. To prevent accidents, Montgomery also set up traffic pickets at intersections and corners where it is easy to get lost to direct the movement of the convoy. In this way, the 3rd Division marched 60 kilometers at night, successfully escaped the German encirclement, and arrived in the early morning of the 28th. In front of the German army, a solid defense line was organized to effectively ensure the safety of Dunkirk. Montgomery also showed outstanding military talents and began to show his prominence. After withdrawing to the United Kingdom, he was promoted to commander of the 2nd Army. From then on, he began to show his talents in the war and became the most famous general of the British Army in World War II.

On the morning of May 28, the Dunkirk area was filled with heavy fog. Under Goering's strict orders, the German Air Force dispatched two bomber groups regardless of the bad weather. After arriving at Dunkirk, Finally, due to poor visibility, they were forced to return home with bombs. The British army took advantage of this opportunity to quickly organize the officers and soldiers to retreat. Due to the serious damage to the port, the role of the beach was becoming more and more important. The officers and soldiers were divided into groups of 50, and each group was led by an officer and a sailor. The unit went into the sea from the beach, waded through the gradually deepening water, boarded a small boat, and then took the small boat to ferry to a larger ship farther away from the coast to retreat to the UK.

In the afternoon, the German army continued to carry out disruptive air raids on Dunkirk with small formations of 3 to 5 aircraft in an attempt to interfere with the British retreat. However, the British army soon discovered that the German air raids caused almost no damage. Most of the bombs fell into the sea and open areas. Even if a few bombs exploded near the gathering place of soldiers, the soft beach could absorb most of the energy of the explosion, even in The explosion around him was just a shock, causing mud and sand to splash on his face. Upon seeing this, the soldiers waiting to retreat came out of their hiding places one after another. Some were playing football and cricket on the beach, some were bathing in the sea, and some even played with sand sculptures leisurely, as if they were worried about the people who were so close. Death, without caring, fully demonstrated his contempt for the German army.

After nightfall, there seemed to be tens of thousands of fireflies flying in the night sky on the beach - it was thousands of soldiers waiting to retreat smoking, and the bright and dark flashes of cigarette butts formed a beautiful scene. For a spectacular scene! Throughout the day, 17,804 people were evacuated, a full 10,000 more than the previous day. This was because civilian ships that had publicly appealed began to arrive one after another and play a role.

On May 29, the British army learned from the experience of the past three days and took many measures to speed up the boarding. Especially on the east embankment, in order to overcome the tidal level difference of up to 4 to 5 meters, everything that could be found was Wooden planks, wooden beams, and even the wooden goal posts were used as temporary springboards. The British army also sank trucks one after another on the beach to serve as temporary trestles extending into the sea.

In the afternoon, the weather began to clear up, and the Luftwaffe launched a massive attack, as if it wanted to make up for the losses of a few days. The German planes targeted large ships and carried out concentrated attacks, sinking three destroyers and 21 ships, including 5 large ferries, severely damaged 7 destroyers, forcing Ramsey to transfer the 8 most advanced destroyers participating in the retreat back to the mainland to avoid the loss of these cutting-edge warships, which would affect the future fight against the German invasion. Battles on British soil.

On land, a large number of French troops and French people retreated into the Dunkirk defense circle. The roads were jammed with various vehicles. The German offensive became more and more fierce, and the area controlled by the British and French coalition forces was shrinking. , German ground artillery fire had hit the beach, the east embankment and the channel.

Although the British army suffered heavy losses, the speed of the retreat greatly increased due to the large number of civilian ships joining the retreat, reaching a record of two thousand people per hour! The police evacuated 47,310 people throughout the day, a record high in several days.

On May 30, in the Dunkirk area, due to the very high humidity in the air, heavy fog almost covered the beach, and there was light rain from time to time. In addition, the ground was filled with smoke and visibility was very low. The German Air Force Unable to come and attack. The English Channel, which is known for its rough seas, was unusually calm, allowing a large number of small ships mobilized by the British, many of them river vessels, to go to sea and arrive at Dunkirk to pick up the evacuated officers and soldiers. The Japanese evacuated 53,822 people throughout the day, nearly half of whom were French troops.

On May 31, Gott, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, was ordered to return home. He handed over command to Alexander, the commander of the 1st Army. Alexander had just burned his car on the outskirts of Dunkirk. He came on a bicycle to accept command.

Heavy fog still shrouded Dunkirk in the morning, and the German Air Force was still unable to attack. However, the wind on the sea began to increase, and the temporary trestle built by the British army's trucks could not be used, but the retreat was still tense. continue.

In the afternoon, the weather cleared up, and the German Air Force dispatched 9 bomber groups. The British army also accurately predicted the weather changes. They expected that German aircraft would definitely attack in large numbers, and did their best to send bombers to Dunkirk. Fighters ensured that there were always uninterrupted fighter patrol flights over the beaches, trying their best to cover the retreating troops and ships.

On the ground, the German offensive launched from the west and south in waves. The rearguard troops of the British and French allied forces held on to the defense line desperately, and the battle was extremely fierce. On this day, Captain Harold Owen Andrew was awarded the Victoria Cross, the only highest medal awarded by Britain to commend heroic conduct during the Dunkirk evacuation, for his heroic performance. Andrew commanded him His company withstood ten hours of fierce artillery bombardment, repelled the German charges again and again, and always held the position. When a gap appeared in the flanking friendly troops, he took the initiative to lead 36 soldiers to support and repelled the enemy. At least 500 German soldiers. Finally, when his troops ran out of ammunition and the core stronghold of the position they held was destroyed by German artillery fire, he took the remaining 8 officers and soldiers and trudged 16,000 meters through water as deep as their chin. , returned to the position behind, and fought hard on the position without rest... It was countless officers and soldiers like Andrew who, with their fearless bravery and tenacity, went on and on, fought desperately, and finally stopped the German offensive and won the extremely precious victory. time.

On this day, 68,014 people evacuated to the UK.

On June 1st, the weather cleared up, and the German Air Force was dispatched with all its strength. The British Air Force responded tit-for-tat, almost using all its resources, and dispatched all the aircraft it could, from Spitfires to Hurricanes. Single-seat fighters, "Dreadnought" two-seat fighters, "Hudson" bombers, bi-wing "Swordfish" torpedo planes, and even reconnaissance aircraft were all invested in Dunkirk, but the German fighter jets did an excellent job of intercepting the British aircraft, effectively Covering the bomber attack, although the German planes were shot down 23, they sank 31 ships, including 4 destroyers full of officers and soldiers, and severely damaged 11 ships. This was the heaviest loss day for the British army!

In such a dangerous situation with fierce aerial fighting and bombs and shells flying everywhere, Alexander, who is known for his calmness and calmness, became more and more fearless in the face of danger. He set up a deck chair on the beach and sat down calmly. From above, he calmly watched the troops boarding the ship in an orderly manner, or walked on the beach while nibbling apples, regardless of the roar of planes in the sky or the flying artillery fire on the ground. His calm and calm demeanor greatly affected the mood of the troops. , there was an officer standing on the beach carefully shaving his beard, and the orderly beside him was holding a mirror for him; there was also a soldier sitting on the stern of the boat fishing leisurely, and the troops were filled with contempt for the German bombing. The troops who stood firm on the ground continued to fight, and some of the troops who were ordered to retreat and board the ship also retreated while fighting back, fighting until the moment they boarded the ship. Throughout the day, 64,429 people were saved.

On June 2, due to the huge threat from German aircraft and considering that the British Air Force had exhausted all its resources, the British army was forced to stop its retreat during the day in order to preserve enough air power for use in future wars. , using only night organizations for retreat. As a result, the Luftwaffe lost its attack target and had to change its attack target and began a large-scale air raid on Paris. The attack on Dunkirk would be mainly completed by ground forces.

As soon as night fell, a fleet composed of various ships set sail from Britain. Before midnight, they arrived at Dunkirk, and the last British expeditionary force boarded the ship from the East Causeway. When the retreat was slightly interrupted, the sailors on the rescue ship went ashore to guide the retreat. The sailors sent by the British destroyer "Malcolm" also played the unique bagpipes of England, and rescued the people from the ruins in the burning urban area. The stragglers were gathered together and brought with them to the destroyers. That night, another 26,256 people were evacuated.

On the morning of June 3, Alexander and Tennant inspected the beach together and were very satisfied with the complete withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force. After nightfall, they led their respective staffs as the last batch of British troops to board the beach. The destroyer retreated to Britain. Most of the 26,175 people who evacuated to Britain that night were French troops.

At 9:40 on June 4, the armored troops belonging to the German 18th Group Army rushed into the city of Dunkirk. The approximately 40,000 French troops who served as the final rear guard on the beach had no time to evacuate. All were captured.

On that day, 26,175 French officers and soldiers also evacuated Dunkirk. The British destroyer "Bukari", fully loaded with French troops, was the last ship to evacuate Dunkirk.

At 14:23, Ramsay announced the end of "Operation Dynamo".

(4)

The Dunkirk evacuation lasted nine days from May 26 to June 4. In fact, it was May 26, June 2 and For three nights on the 3rd and five full days of terrorism from May 27 to June 1, a total of 338,226 people were withdrawn to the UK, including about 215,000 British troops and about 90,000 French troops. , the Belgian army is about 33,000 people.

However, when these troops evacuated, they abandoned all their heavy equipment and brought back only rifles and hundreds of machine guns to the UK. On the beach of Dunkirk, the British and French forces abandoned 1,200 cannons, 750 anti-aircraft guns, 500 anti-tank guns, 63,000 cars, 75,000 motorcycles, 700 tanks, 21,000 machine guns, 6,400 anti-tank guns and 500,000 tons of military supplies.

During the retreat, more than 40,000 British and French troops were captured, and more than 28,000 were killed or injured. Some of these casualties died while resisting the German offensive and holding on to vital defense lines. Some died under German air raids and artillery fire while waiting to board the ship on the beach, while others died at sea as ships were sunk by the Germans.

The British Navy mobilized 861 ships of various types for the retreat, and 226 British ships and 17 French ships were sunk by the Germans.

In order to cover the retreat, the British Air Force dispatched 2,739 fighter sorties for air cover, an average of 300 sorties per day, which effectively resisted the German air attacks. The British army lost 106 aircraft, British fighter jets and ground anti-aircraft guns. The fire shot down about 140 German aircraft.

Under the fierce bombardment of German ground and air fire, the British and French coalition forces still withdrew more than 338,000 people, known as the "Dunkirk Miracle"! The main reasons for this miracle are:

The first is the weather. During the few days of retreat, it was mostly rainy days in the Dunkirk area. Heavy fog, light rain and diffuse smoke made the Germans The Air Force only conducted two and a half days of large-scale bombing on May 27, the afternoon of May 29, and June 1. During the rest of the time, it either carried out disruptive air strikes in small formations of 3 or 5 aircraft, or simply carried out It was not dispatched. On the sea, the English Channel, which is known for its rough seas, has been surprisingly calm in the past few days, allowing many British river vessels to join in the retreat, which played a significant role.

The second is the geographical location. The soft sandy beach of Dunkirk was the savior of the vast number of officers and soldiers of the British and French allied forces. Most of the bombs dropped by German aircraft fell into the sandy beach, making it difficult for the shrapnel to disperse effectively, and their lethality was greatly reduced.

The third is harmony. First, the rearguard troops heroically resisted the German attack and covered the retreat of the main force. Especially the last rearguard unit, the French 1st Army, knew that it was difficult to escape. Still fighting desperately, the British Air Force pilots did their best to provide cover for the troops. Some pilots dispatched three or four times a day, so that there were British aircraft over the Dunkirk beach from beginning to end, giving the incoming German aircraft a chance to escape. A heavy blow; the officers and soldiers of the retreating force maintained strict organizational discipline and order while waiting to board the ship, and there was no scrambling and chaos, making the entire retreat process very smooth; the organizers of the retreat, those naval officers With outstanding organizational skills, he coordinated hundreds of various ships and used all methods and equipment to safely evacuate 338,000 people to the UK, retaining a large number of officers and soldiers with combat experience for future wars. These officers and soldiers who returned to the UK Most of the officers and soldiers will become the backbone of future counterattacks.

If the main force of the British Expeditionary Force cannot withdraw to the UK, the only ones left to fight against the German invasion will be the Boy Scouts (Author's note: The Boy Scouts are a semi-military youth organization in the UK). The development of future wars is unpredictable. For Britain, such heavy losses will be irreparable. Although the British army lost a large amount of equipment and military supplies, it retained a group of war-tested officers and soldiers. This was a group of highly disciplined, well-trained, and heroic elite officers and soldiers who were among the British troops who landed in Normandy four years later. , these people are undoubtedly the absolute backbone. The great significance of Dunkirk is that Britain retained the most precious vital force to continue the war. As Churchill said when reporting the Dunkirk retreat to Parliament on June 4: "We have thwarted Germany's attempt to destroy the expeditionary force. This retreat will breed victory!"

Britain's famous military history The scholar Henry More pointed out that the recovery of Europe and the defeat of Germany began with Dunkirk! This was by no means a humiliating defeat. American military historians rank the Dunkirk evacuation as the most famous battle of World War II. The Nazi German Army General Tipelski wrote with great respect in the "History of World War II" written after the war: "The British have every reason to be proud of what they have accomplished!"

Immediately after the Dunkirk retreat, Prime Minister Churchill delivered a speech in the House of Commons: "We must be extremely careful not to cast this retreat as a victory. The war is not won by retreat. ... The Germans desperately want to Thousands of ships full of warriors were sunk on the sea, but they were repulsed, they were defeated, and we withdrew our expeditionary force! ... We will not be discouraged! We will fight to the end with growing confidence! Fight with strength on the sea! Fight in the air! No matter the cost, we will never surrender!" These sonorous and powerful words illustrate that the unyielding British will continue to fight, which means that Germany must Fight a powerful navy and a powerful air force.

Although Dunkirk was the pinnacle of the Allies' defeat, and although Germany's defeat was still nonsense at the time, there is no doubt that Germany's final defeat began on the beaches of Dunkirk!

After the war, a tall monument was built on the beach of Dunkirk to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the British and French forces who sacrificed their lives heroically in this epic retreat.

The monument is often filled with flowers from people who come to pay their respects. This fully demonstrates the respect of future generations for those soldiers who gave their precious lives for freedom and ideals!