, also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between
. The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week long
. In a speech to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister
called this "a colossal military disaster", saying "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. In his "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuation
The 'romantic' image of Dunkirk surrounds the armada of '
Little Ships' and the lifting of troops from the beaches. The reality was that the key to the evacuation was the
Eastern Mole (pier) at Dunkirk harbour, the destroyers of the Royal Navy and the large troop transport ships and ferries. It is estimated that two-thirds of those rescued were evacuated by these means.
Six Royal Navy destroyers were sunk in these operations and a number of the
transports and ferries were also lost. Not only did the vessels have to run the gauntlet of round-the-clock air attacks during daylight hours, but inshore, they were also within the range of German artillery. Offshore, the ever-present threat of German mines and U-Boats and E-Boats of the German Kriegsmarine also made attacks on Allied shipping and sunk two British destroyers.
However, we should not underplay the role of the
civilian craft involved. Time did not allow the evacuation of all of the troops via the Eastern Mole and hence, evacuation from the beaches was a necessity. With the beaches at Dunkirk shelving so gently, it was vital that small craft were available to rescue men either directly, or to ferry them to larger vessels waiting offshore. This heroic collection of
small vessels, not built for war, was sourced from the
rivers and coastal waters of south-east England. Among their ranks were
river launches, old sailing and rowing RNLI lifeboats, yachts, pleasure steamers, fishing boats, commercial sailing barges and Thames fire boats. Many of these craft had never even been to sea before.
Some of the 'Little Ships' were
formally chartered and some, where owners could not be contacted, were simply
commandeered by naval crews. A number were sailed by serving Royal Navy personnel, but many others had
civilian crew members or were
entirely civilian crewed. Other boats with their civilian crews simply responded to the growing crisis and their contribution was never officially recorded. While tugs towed some across, many made the journey under their own steam with little protection from the marauding Luftwaffe. Unlit and unable to comprehend or respond to naval signals, they were arguably just as vulnerable to becoming victims of 'friendly fire' in the dangerous waters off the French and Belgian coastlines. Of the 700-odd officially recorded 'Little Ships', over 100 never made it home and were part of the 220 vessels lost during the evacuation. However, notwithstanding these losses, their contribution to the rescue of 338, 000 Allied servicemen from Dunkirk had been invaluable and their achievements have gone into national folklore.
Another popular misconception was that the troops evacuated from Dunkirk were all transported to the port of Dover. While
Dover was the major centre for Royal Navy and transport ships, other coastal ports and harbours in Kent were also extensively used.
Folkestone was used to berth many of the
returning passenger ferries.
Ramsgate was the main hub for the '
Little Ships' and estimates are that almost
43,000 troops were landed there. Margate, with its harbour and pier, received many of the passenger ships and paddle steamers and estimates are that around 38,000 servicemen were moved by special trains from Margate station. Deal and Sheerness also received much smaller numbers of troops and finally, Newhaven in East Sussex continued to be used as a base for a number of hospital ships
As far as French ships participating in Operation Dynamo were concerned, many were ordered not to England but to disembark troops further down the French coast at ports such as Le Havre and Cherbourg. Many of the
French troops evacuated were rapidly transported to ports in the south-west of England. From there they were shipped to the
western coast of France to carry on the fight. Given the effort which had gone into rescuing these troops, the fact that
the vast bulk would be lost in the following 3-4 weeks was little short of tragic.
http://dunkirk1940.org/index.php?&p=1_187
Dynamo - Dover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_jbtrp7Zls
