|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of the British and Allied forces that had been separated from the main body of the French defenses by the German advance.
After the seven months of the Phoney War, the Battle of France began in earnest on 10 May 1940. The Phoney War, also called the Twilight War by Winston Churchill, der Sitzkrieg in German ("the sitting war" a In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. To the east, the German Army Group B invaded and subdued the Netherlands and advanced westwards through Belgium. Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those On the 14 May, Army Group A burst through the Ardennes region and advanced rapidly to the west toward Sedan, then turned northwards to the English Channel, in what Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein called the "sickle cut" (known as the Manstein Plan). Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Army Group A was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. For the political subdivision of France see Ardennes (department. Field Marshal General, in German Generalfeldmarschall ( (usually translated simply as Field marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall Erich von Manstein ( November 24, 1887 &ndash June 9 1973) served the German military as a lifelong professional soldier The Manstein Plan was the primary War Plan of the German Army during the Battle of France in 1940.
A series of Allied counter-attacks, including the Battle of Arras, failed to sever the German spearhead, which reached the coast on 20 May, 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. The Battle of Arras (1940 took place during the Battle of France, in the early stages of World War II. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. The First Army (Ire Armée was a field Army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. 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.
Contents |
The battle
On 24 May, Hitler visited General Gerd von Rundstedt's headquarters at Charleville. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt ( December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region 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. [1] 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,[4] so the destruction of the Allied forces was initially assigned to the Luftwaffe and the German infantry organised in Army Group B. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. 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 Operation Fall Rot. During World War II, Fall Rot ( Case Red in German was the second phase of the conquest of France by the German Army begun on 5 June, 1940 [4]
On 25 May 1940, General Lord Gort, the commander of the BEF, decided to evacuate British forces. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker 6th Viscount Gort VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, From 25 May to 28 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. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Salient Salients can be formed in a number of ways An attacker can produce a salient in the defender's line by either intentionally making a Pincer movement around the Dunkirk ( French: Dunkerque, dœ̃kɛʀk or; Dutch:; is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the Poperinge is a Municipality located in the province of West Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. The Belgians surrendered on 28 May, followed the next day by elements of the French 1st Army trapped outside the Dunkirk Pocket. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling The First Army (Ire Armée was a field Army of France that fought during World War I and World War II.
Starting on 27 May, the evacuation of Dunkirk began. Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British was the Evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk The German Panzer Divisions were ordered to resume their advance on the same day, but improved defenses halted their initial offensive, although the remaining Allied forces were compressed into a five km wide coastal strip from De Panne through Bray-Dunes to Dunkirk by 31 May. A panzer division is an Armored division in the German Army (Panzerdivision De Panne is a Municipality located along the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. Bray-Dunes ( Brayduinen in Dutch) is a village and commune of the Nord département, in Flanders, France Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
A total of five nations took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk — Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Poland.
The defense 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. The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry Regiment of the British Army. The Le Paradis massacre was a War crime committed by members of the 14th Company SS Division Totenkopf, under the command of Hauptsturmführer Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place More than 35,000 French soldiers were made prisoners. Nevertheless, in the nine days from 27 May to 4 June, 338,226 men left France, including 139,997 French and Belgian troops, together with a small number of Dutch troops. Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China.
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 with 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. Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China.
- 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
- 34,000 British captured
- 338,226 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. In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries It provided a great boost to British morale, but left the remaining French to stand alone against a renewed German assault southwards. The British 51st (Highland) division was left behind by the British to cover the allied retreat. The division was made up of the Black Watch, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Gordon Highlanders, Seaforth Highlanders and Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. The Black Watch 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS is an Infantry Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army Infantry Regiment from 1881 until 1994 This page is for the historical Scottish regiment For the Canadian regiment of the same name see The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an Infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793 Many were captured or killed. German troops entered Paris on 14 June and accepted the surrender of France on 22 June. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom.
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 re-supply properly and some planned introductions of new equipment were halted while industrial resources concentrated on making good the losses. Materiel (from the French "matériel" for equipment or hardware related to the word Material) is a term used in English to refer to the Troops falling back from Dunkirk were told by their officers to burn or otherwise disable their trucks (so as not to let them benefit the advancing German forces). The shortage of army vehicles after Dunkirk was so severe that the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was reduced to retrieving and refurbishing numbers of obsolete bus and coach models from UK scrapyards to press them into use as troop transports. Some of these antique 1930s workhorses (some with only rear-wheel braking, which made them illegal for use on British roads) were still in use as late as the North African campaign some two years later.
The Dunkirk Spirit
The successful evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, and particularly the role of the "Dunkirk little ships" was subsequently exploited very effectively in British propaganda. The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British was the Evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk The little ships of Dunkirk were 700 private boats that sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk in France between May 26 and June 4, 1940 Many of the "little ships" were private vessels such as fishing boats and pleasure cruisers, but commercial vessels such as ferries also contributed to the force, including a number from as far away as the Isle of Man and Glasgow. These smaller vessels, guided by Naval craft across the channel from the Thames Estuary and from Dover, assisted in the official evacuation. Being able to reach much closer in the beachfront shallows than larger craft, the "little ships" acted as shuttles to and from the larger craft, lifting troops who were queuing in the water, many standing shoulder-deep in water for hours in the wait for a craft. For many decades after the war, the term "Dunkirk Spirit" stood for a romantic belief in the solidarity of the British people in times of adversity.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b Taylor and Mayer 1974, p. The United Kingdom, along with the British Empire 's crown colonies, especially British India, declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939 after the Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries 59.
- ^ Rickard, J. "Operation Dynamo, The Evacuation from Dunkirk, 27 May-4 June 1940." Retrieved: 14 May 2008. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b Hooton 2007, p. 74.
- ^ a b Taylor and Mayer 1974, p. 60.
Bibliography
- Holmes, Richard, ed. "France, Fall of". The Oxford Companion to Military History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-19-866209-2.
- Hooton, E. R. Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West. London: Chevron/Ian Allen, 2007. ISBN 978-1-85780-272-6.
- Keegan, John. The Second World War, New York: Viking Penguin, 1989. ISBN 0-670-82359-7.
- Liddell Hart, B. H. History of the Second World War. New York: G. P. Putnam, 1970. ISBN 0-30680-912-5.
- McEwan, Ian, Atonement, London: Jonathan Cape, 2001. ISBN 0-224062522.
- McGlashan, Kenneth B, with Zupp, Owen P. Down to Earth: A Fighter Pilot Recounts His Experiences of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, D-Day and Beyond. London. Grub Street Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1-90494-384-5.
- Murray, Williamson and Millett, Allan R. A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press, 2000. ISBN 0-674-00163-X.
- Salmaggi, Cesare and Alfredo Pallavisini. 2194 Days of War:: An Illustrated Chronology of the Second World War. New York: Gallery Books, 1993. ISBN 0-8317-8885-2.
- Taylor, A. J. P. and Mayer, S. L. , eds. A History Of World War Two. London: Octopus Books, 1974. ISBN 0-70640-399-1.
- Weinberg, Gerhard L. A World at Arms, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-521-44317-2.
- Wilmot, Chester. The Struggle for Europe. Old Saybrook, Connecticut: Konecky & Konecky, 1952. ISBN 1-56852-525-7.
External links
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic