Evacuation Dunkirk Research Paper

The evacuation Dunkirk is though as the turning point of World War II. When all hope was lost they pulled together and beat the stacked odds. It gave new hope for the alleys and kept them in the war. From the Royal air force to the lone fishermen every one contributed. Along with the men in the rear fighting off the Germens, so there buddies could pack onto the hundreds of boats.
Dunkirk is a city in north France. On May 10th Field marshal Grdvon Rudsted directed 101,500,000 men and 1,500 tanks, two thirds of Germany's forces and in the west, and nearly three quarters of it's tanks, against the weakest point of the front (Macdonald 9). It was defended by just twelve infantry divisions and four Calvary divisions, mounted on horse (Macdonald 9).. The British and French had imagined that the German attack would come through liege and Numar in begum, but
instead they came through dense and hilly Ardennes Forest, the French thought was impassible.
They also calculated that they would sweep across Belgium to the coast and then turn southward as they did in the First World War. Instead they moved southward into France then swept around in an arch to the was and the north. This move was known as the Schmitt (sickle cut). Quickly defeating the troop in the south the troops in the north were trapped in northern France (Macdonald 10). And in need evacuation. And Dunkirk was the launching pad. How this evacuation going to effect the rest of the war? The evacuation commenced on May 26, by which time the encircled Allies were being forced to retreat ever closer to the coast. On May 28 the Belgian Army surrendered and by May 30 the whole of what remained of the BEF, along with a large number of French troops, withdrew within a narrow coastal strip between Nieuport (Nieuwpoort) in Belgium and Mardyk, west of Dunkirk. The defense of this perimeter was aided by the presence of embanked canals. Further assistance to the Allies came in the form
of a decision by Rundstedt, confirmed by Hitler himself on May 24, to halt his tanks. This halt, which lasted until May 26, has been much discussed—largely with the benefit of hindsight. At the time, the majority of the French army remained in the field, and both Rundstedt and Hitler felt the need to conserve their Panzer forces for the final battle to conquer France. As this situation developed, the British began to form plans to mount a sea-borne evacuation of their encircled troops. The operation, codenamed "Dynamo", was directed by Vice-Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey. British troops were sent to hold the ports of Boulogne and Calais, but these towns fell to the Germans on May 25 and 26 respectively. It was therefore decided to evacuate the Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk (Dunkerque). It soon became evident that this port, which was under German air attack, could not cope with the volume of men needing to be embarked. Consequently, it was decided to lift men directly from the beaches to the east of the town. The evacuation fleet was based on 41 destroyers, but these were supplemented by 900 smaller vessels, including fishing boats, ferries, and pleasure craft manned by civilians. The small boats were used to pick up men from the shallow waters of the beaches. The sea journey was complicated by the presence of German guns at Calais and French minefields off Dunkirk. RAF fighters, operating from bases in south-east England, provided air cover.