Operation Dynamo
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Operation Dynamo was the codename for the evacuation of encircled British, French and other Allied troops from Dunkirk to Britain between 26 May and 4 June 1940. Organised by the Royal Navy, it depended on the defensive perimeter at Dunkirk and French delaying actions, rescuing more than 338,000 troops while the British Expeditionary Force abandoned most of its heavy equipment.
In depth
As the German western offensive trapped Allied forces in northern France and Belgium, British Expeditionary Force commander Lord Gort pursued withdrawal across the Channel. Troops gathered at Dunkirk's mole and beaches while Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay directed the operation from the naval headquarters beneath Dover Castle. Warships, merchant vessels, fishing boats and civilian craft were mobilised, and French forces held the perimeter and covered the final stages of the evacuation. The operation was not a battlefield victory but preserved the core of Britain's field army after the continental defeat, shaping Britain's ability and public morale to continue the war.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) Operation Dynamo was the codename for the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940; it describes the defensive perimeter and French-British coordination context.
- iwm.org.uk Imperial War Museums supports the operation's dates, Royal Navy organisation, Admiral Bertram Ramsay's direction, defensive preparations, French covering action, and the number evacuated.