194026 May–4 June 1940 · Dunkirk

Dunkirk evacuation

British troops lined up on the beach at Dunkirk, waiting to be evacuated in May 1940 — Archival image: Unknown photographer. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cut off by the German advance through France, British and French troops fell back on the port of Dunkirk. In nine days warships and hundreds of civilian 'little ships' carried more than 338,000 men to England from the harbour and beaches, under air attack, while French rearguards held the perimeter. The army lost its equipment, but the rescue let Britain fight on.

Sites

Site 1: Dunkirk 1940 Museum (Bastion 32)A museum of Operation Dynamo inside the bastion used as the Allied command post.Map ↗
Site 2: Malo-les-Bains beachThe long sands where troops queued for the boats.Map ↗
Site 3: Dunkirk MemorialMemorial to British soldiers of the 1940 campaign who have no known grave.Map ↗

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