June 28, 2023 - France
Dunkirk

The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940.   It was one of the key events in WWII.  It was also one of Hitler's greatest mistakes.  It's on any top ten  "What If " lists of WWII.

If you haven't seen it, I recommend seeing the excellent movie Dunkirk that came out in 2017.  It's like you were there back in 1940.

Arriving in Dunkirk, we immediately went to the Dunkirk Museum which is dedicated to the 1940 Dynamo operation.  It's within walking distance of the beaches and East Mole where the evacuation took place.  The museum is very well done. 
 
   
But first,a few maps to set the stage.  On 21 May, Guderian's panzers had reached Abbeville and were starting their turn north to capture the channel ports of Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk.  The Belgian, French and British armies in the north were retreating west.
   

Boulogne was captured on 23 May.  Calais was isolated on 22 May.

Late on 23 May, a halt order was issued by Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group A. Adolf Hitler approved this order the next day, and had the German High Command send confirmation to the front. Attacking the trapped British and  French armies was left to the Luftwaffe until the order was rescinded on 26 May. This gave Allied forces time to construct defensive works and pull back large numbers of troops to hold a perimeter at Dunkirk.
   

The British evacuated British and French troops from Dunkirk, transporting them back to Dover.  It was called Operational Dynamo.  The British used everything that could float.  The Royal Air Force tried their best to prevent the Luftwaffe from bombing the beaches and interdicting the sealift.  It was the first time the Luftwaffe encountered the Spitfire fighter.

Troops landed from Dunkirk
27 May – 4 June 1940[69]
Date Beaches Harbour Total
27 May — 7,669 7,669
28 May 5,930 11,874 17,804
29 May 13,752 33,558 47,310
30 May 29,512 24,311 53,823
31 May 22,942 45,072 68,014
1 June 17,348 47,081 64,429
2 June 6,695 19,561 26,256
3 June 1,870 24,876 26,746
4 June 622 25,553 26,175
Totals 98,671 239,555 338,226
Here is a table of the number of Britsh and French troops evaucated from Dunkirk:
   

A map from the museum showing all the ships that were sunk at Dunkirk by the Stukas, U-boats and E-boats.

Overall, Six British and three French destroyers were sunk, along with nine other major vessels. In addition, 19 destroyers were damaged.  Over 200 British and Allied sea craft were sunk, with a similar number damaged.
   

British army uniforms.

Although it was a huge accomplishment to extract all their troops, the British lost most of their equipment.
   
Turret from a French light tank: the Hotchkiss H35, captured by the Germans.   The Germans re-used everything they captured.  This turret was used on a nearby Atlantic Wall bunker.
   
Millions of French and Belgian refugees fled to get away from the Germans.  Here is a French car loaded up with personal effects.
   
A diorama of the Dunkirk beach.
   
 
   
A big diorma of ships tied up to the East Mole, trying to embark troops while under Stuka dive bomber attack.
   
Stukas dive bombing a ship underway trying to get away.
   

Mona's Queen was one of the first vessels to make a successful round trip during the Dunkirk evacuation. Under the command of Captain Radcliffe Duggan, she arrived back in Dover during the night of 27 May with 1,200 troops. The next day the ship returned to sea and was shelled off the French coast by shore guns but escaped damage.

In the early hours of 29 May, the Mona's Queen set sail for Dunkirk from Dover loaded with water canisters because troops on the Dunkirk beaches were short of drinking water. However, the ship struck a magnetic sea mine outside Dunkirk harbour at 5:30am. The Mona's Queen sank in two minutes.

Captain Archibald Holkham, who had taken over as Master, and 31 members of the crew were picked up by destroyers. Twenty-four of the crew were lost. The wreck is designated as a war grave.
   
Merlin engine from a Spitfire fighter.  The Luftwaffe had only encountered Hurricane fighters until Dunkirk.
   
The museum had information on each day leading up to and including the evacuation.  On 26 May, the British began Operation Dynamo.
   
A memorial commemorating the Battle of Dunkirk.
   

Walking towards the east mole where the bigger ships docked.
   
 
   

This whole area looks much as it did in 1940.

This is a good look at the East Mole and the west end of Dunkirk Beach.
 
   
Looking west.
   
Imagine this beach covered with long lines of British soldiers.
   
Now we're out on the beach.
   
 
   
Crossing the Grand Large pedestrian Bridge
   
At far right, a boardwalk begins.  Our B&B was near there and we had a nice French dinner outside on the boardwalk.
   
Our B&B was that narrow red brick building.  It was very nice.  The B&B host couldn't speak English but he was very friendly and we managed to communicate well enough.
   
The B&Bs small but pretty courtyard.
   
Yay, Dunkirk.
   
 
   
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