The battle was named after the battlefield, in Dunkirk. A city in northern France, located just 10 kilometers from the border with Belgium. Population in 2016 and 91,412 people.
The war in Dunkirk precisely took place on 26 May to 4 June 1940. At that time, Germany under the leadership of Nazi and Adolf Hitler was about to widen the power to France. One of the battles took place in Dunkirk, which witnessed the dumb defensive defense and the dramatic evacuation of British troops and allies in Europe.
1. The Battle of France
As told at the beginning, the fighting in Dunkirk was part of the feud between France and the Nazis during the World War II era. France was involved in the Phoney War on May 10, 1940. And after eight months of fighting, the State of Mode gained a massive offensive from Germany.
The Nazis bombarded Paris to take power there. They had already swept Belgium and northern France with a flash war tactic called Blitzkrieg. The tactic was disitat from War History Online, successfully repelling troops expedition England. The Nazis made British soldiers, as well as allies, cornered and fled by sea.
2. Evacuation at the Dunkirk Port.
Seeing the situation of the cornered troops, the then new British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, ordered the commandant of the British expeditionary force, Lord Gort, to evacuate all his troops back to the country as soon as possible.
The only safe way to escape the German invasion is by sea. That's how the allies move toward the port of Dunkirk.
3. Dynamo Operation
While troops fought their way out of the crisis on the battlefield, the British Government on May 20, 1940 formulated Operation Dynamo. A plan to evacuate their trapped soldiers in Dunkirk.
Operation Dinamo run under the command of Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay. For information, the codename of this rescue operation was adopted from the space name on the Dover cliff where the government planned the operation.
4. Miracle
Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay called for the sentence after which it became famous. "Only a miracle that can save the British expeditionary troops now," the statement accurately describes the evacuation in Dunkirk.
Initial estimates, the evacuation will only pass 45 thousand troops within 48 hours. But who would have thought, Operation Dynamo turned into the biggest and most successful evacuation in military history.
5. Ship in Large Scale
The first stage, Dynamo's operation is to make sure there are enough evacuation ships available. The British Navy needed as many ships, large and small as possible to pay off soldiers trapped in Dunkirk in a very short time.
Unexpectedly, the call received an overwhelming response from the public. The United Kingdom sends vessels in bulk. People are also willing to lend his money vessels, oars, lifeboats, launch motorcycles and private yachts to smooth the operation. In fact, some ships come from far away, Isle of Man.
In total there are 933 ships collected. In the process of evacuation, approximately 236 vessels are missing.
6. Luck
On the first day, May 27, 1940, approximately 8,000 troops successfully evacuated. But within a matter of eight days thereafter, 338,226 men managed to escape from Dunkirk. Including 139,997 French, Polish and Belgian troops. Also a small number of Dutch soldiers.
During the evacuation process, those who have not yet got a vessel have to wait at the beach. Some even have to duck for shoulders in the water.
7. Hitler Ordered His Troops to Stop the Attacks
This may include the miracle of Dunkirk. Adolf Hitler suddenly ordered his troops to stop attacking with Panzer tanks. He proposed the German forces in Dunkirk to consolidate to avoid a split with allies. Hitler believed his troops could stop the British Navy by its own power.
8. Sky Warfare
England then deployed its air force to face the brutality of the German forces. As is known, the Nazis endlessly launched air strikes, bombing troops who were waiting on the beach.
British pilots fired approximately 3,500 attacks and lost 145 aircraft. However, Germany lost 156 combat aircraft.
9. The Victims
On May 29, the British Royal Navy destroyer, Wakeful was torpedoed and sank in seconds. The attack sent 600 lives. It is estimated that approximately 3,500 British soldiers died on the sea or on the coast, along with more than 1,000 Dunkirk residents in the air strikes.
10. The Sroty of Heroism
The story of heroism also appears in combat in Dunkirk. One was when Major Gus Jennings bravely sacrificed himself by smothering a German-dropped bomb in Esquelbecq. Sacrifice to save his comrades.
Source 1, Source 2.
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