1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Photographs: The Miracle of Dunkirk (2)

Operation Dynamo, the Evacuation from Dunkirk

From Burning Oil Storage Tanks to a Cup of Tea

German photographs of British and French prisoners at Dunkirk, June 1940.

Photo - German official photographer, Imperial War Museum MH 2397

Introduction:

In the process of reading The Miracle of Dunkirk by Walter Lord I began searching for the odd, related photograph at the Imperial War Museum (IWM). Of course, with a deep archive of 11,000,000+ photos, the IWM did not disappoint. Yes, they had a few related pictures, maybe in the 100s - 1,000s.

Interested readers can visit and peruse IMW's deep files by using the following links -

The Dunkirk Evacuation, 27 May - 4 June 1940

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205401212

Why the Dunkirk Evacuations were an unexpected success

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/why-the-dunkirk-evacuations-were-an-unexpected-success

As well, please enjoy the following, all items attributed to the Imperial War Museum:

What you need to know about the Dunkirk evacuations,

26 May - 4 June 1940

1. It was a rescue mission

On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, pushing the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), along with French and Belgian troops, back to the French port of Dunkirk. A huge rescue, Operation 'Dynamo', was organised by the Royal Navy to get the troops off the beaches and back to Britain.

A column of German MkIV and Czech-built 38(t)s tanks halted in valley

in escarpment on the far side of the Somme river after Rommel's force had

crossed the river, 26 May - 4 June 1940. Film exists of Rommel crossing a

small bridge and heading south to cross the Paris-Calais railway line proving

this photograph must have been taken after his force crossed the river.

Photo attributed to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel © IWM (RML 257)

[Link to more photographs related to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]

2. The evacuation was code-named Operation Dynamo

Admiral Bertram Ramsay directed the evacuation. Ramsay had retired before the war but was recalled in 1939. He and his staff worked in a room deep in the Dover cliffs that had once contained a dynamo, a type of electrical generator, giving the operation its name.

A head and shoulders portrait shot of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay

who was in charge of the naval evacuation at Dunkirk. Photograph taken

at his London Headquarters in October 1943. By Lt. C. J. Ware, Royal

Navy Photographer. Imperial War Museum, © IWM (A 23440)

[Link to more photographs taken by Lt. C.J. Ware, Royal Navy Photographer]

3. The evacuation began on 26 May

'Dynamo' began on 26 May. Strong defences were established around Dunkirk, and the Royal Air Force sent all available aircraft to protect the evacuation. Over 800 naval vessels of all shapes and sizes helped to transport troops across the English Channel. The last British troops were evacuated on 3 June, with French forces covering their escape.

A Royal Navy destroyer, crowded with evacuated British troops,

mooring at Dover, 31 May 1940. © IWM H 1661

4. The 'Little Ships' helped

The gently shelving beaches meant that large warships could only pick up soldiers from the town's East Mole, a sea wall which extended into deep water, or send their boats on the beaches to collect them. To speed up the process, the British Admiralty appealed to the owners of small boats for help. These became known as the 'little ships’.

A view over a sea filled with vessels of different sizes. Fires burn on the

horizon filling the sky with clouds of thick grey smoke. There are several planes

above, trails of thick smoke, and explosions on the water amongst the boats.

5. Over 300,000 soldiers were rescued

Churchill and his advisers had expected that it would be possible to rescue only 20,000 to 30,000 men, but in all 338,000 troops were rescued from Dunkirk, a third of them French. Ninety thousand remained to be taken prisoner and the BEF left behind the bulk of its tanks and heavy guns. All resistance in Dunkirk ended at 9.30am on 4 June.

Object description Evacuated troops on a destroyer about to berth

at Dover, 31 May 1940. © IWM (H 1637)

6. The evacuation boosted morale

The Dunkirk evacuation was an important event for the Allies. If the BEF had been captured, it would have meant the loss of Britain's only trained troops and the collapse of the Allied cause. The successful evacuation was a great boost to civilian morale, and created the 'Dunkirk spirit' which helped Britain to fight on in the summer of 1940.