Thread: Was Dunkirk really a battle?

From what I know from school history, Dunkirk wasn't really a battle - it was the mass retreat of the BEF and the remains of the French military. Or was there actually a battle there?

The Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of the British and Allied forces that had been separated from the main body of the French defences by the German advance.

After the Phoney War, the Battle of France began in earnest on 10 May 1940. To the east, the German Army Group B invaded and subdued the Netherlands and advanced westward through Belgium. On the 14 May Army Group A burst through the Ardennes region and advanced rapidly to the west toward Sedan, then turned northward to the English Channel, in what Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein called the "sickle cut" (known as the Manstein Plan).

A series of Allied counterattacks, including the Battle of Arras, failed to sever the German spearhead, which reached the coast on May 20, separating the British Expeditionary Force near Armentières, the French First Army, and the Belgian army further to the north from the majority of French troops south of the German penetration. After reaching the Channel the Germans swung north along the coast, threatening to capture the ports and trap the British and French forces before they could evacuate to Britain.
On 24 May Hitler visited General Gerd von Rundstedts headquarters at Charleville. Von Rundstedt advised him that the infantry should attack the British forces at Arras, where they had shown themselves capable of significant action, while Kleist's armour held the line West and South of Dunkirk in order to pounce on the Allied Forces retreating before Army Group B[5]. This order allowed the Germans to consolidate their gains and prepare for a southward advance against the remaining French forces. In addition, the terrain around Dunkirk was considered unsuitable for armour[6] , so the destruction of the Allied forces was initially assigned to the Luftwaffe and the German infantry organised in Army Group B. The true reason for Hitler's decision to halt the German armour is a matter of debate. The most popular theory is that Von Rundstedt and Hitler agreed to conserve the armour for future operations further South - namely for Fall Rot[7].

On 25 May 1940, General Lord Gort, the commander of the BEF, decided to evacuate British forces. From 25th to 28th of May, British troops retreated about 30 miles northwest into a pocket along the France-Belgian border extending from Dunkirk on the coast to the Belgian town of Poperinge. The Belgians surrendered on May 28, followed the next day by elements of the French 1st Army trapped outside the Dunkirk Pocket.

Starting on May 27, the famous evacuation of Dunkirk began. The German Panzer Divisions were ordered to resume their advance the same day, but improved defences halted their initial offensive, although the remaining Allied forces were compressed into a 5 km wide coastal strip from De Panne through Bray-Dunes to Dunkirk by May 31.

A total of five nations took part in the successful evacuation from Dunkirk — Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Poland.


British fisherman giving a hand to an Allied soldier while a Stuka's bomb explodes a few metres ahead .The necessary defence of the perimeter led to the loss or capture of a number of British Army units such as the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment who were involved in the Le Paradis massacre on 26 May. 35,000 French soldiers were made prisoners. Between May 27 and June 4, 338,226 men left France including 120,000 French and Belgian troops, together with a small number of Dutch troops.

Number of men rescued (in chronological order):

27 May (7669 men)
28 May (17,804 men)
29 May (47,310 men)
30–31 May (120,927 men)
1 June (64,229 men)
2–4 June (up to 54,000 men)
In accordance to military principle where priority is given to men over arms, the Allies left behind 2,000 guns, 60,000 trucks, 76,000 tons of ammunition and 600,000 tons of fuel supplies.

10,252 German soldiers lost
42,000 wounded
8,467 missing
1,212,000 Dutch, Belgian, French and British prisoners taken
30,000 British died
338,000 men saved in the evacuation
The Germans gained:

1,200 field guns
1,250 anti-aircraft guns
11,000 machine guns
25,000 vehicles
Aftermath

The successful evacuation of 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk ended the first phase in the Battle of France. It provided a great boost to British morale, but left the remaining French to stand alone against a renewed German assault southwards. German troops entered Paris on June 14 and accepted the surrender of France on June 22.

A marble memorial was established at Dunkirk (Dunkerque), it translates in English as: "To the glorious memory of the pilots, mariners, and soldiers of the French and Allied armies who sacrificed themselves in the Battle of Dunkirk May June 1940"

The loss of so much materiel on the beaches meant that the British Army needed months to resupply properly and some planned introductions of new equipment were halted while industrial resources concentrated on making good the losses.

hope that has given u the answer too ur question

It was a rout but the rearguard was withering, according to my history teacher.

See HERE Mr. Fisher.

Ill have too keep my eye out for that

Thanks for the info FPBeast - very comprehensive!

1.2 Million prisoners taken in such a short period - must have been a nightmare for both sides. But I guess tactically it was the right thing for the allies to do - better than staying put and getting annihilated.

I have never been able to understand why so many ships were able to get so many men from Dunkirk, surely Hitler knew that he was letting these soldiers free to fight another day when all he needed to do was send in a few more Stuka's?

I guess he was more focused on taking France - I think sorting out Britain was next on his agenda, and once he'd forced us out of the mainland he had us nicely pinned down in an island - little did he know

i wonder wot the world would have been like if he did take over. not a nice as it is today

The book I linked to stresses the fighting that took place, and the often overlooked part in the success of the evacuation played by those that were left behind to fight on while the rest of the armies retreated.

It's shocking to discover that French General Georges - who was in charge of the BEF aswell as French and Belgian forces - broke down and sobbed at the news that his Sedan front was breached on 14th May.

There is also a lot of detail about the exploits of British soldiers in French brothels.....

Originally Posted by Dave

There is also a lot of detail about the exploits of British soldiers in French brothels.....

I wonder if they thought of "Dear Old Blighty" at the time dave ..