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Allied troops on the beach at Dunkirk waiting for evacuation

Code-named Operation Dynamo, the Dunkirk Evacuation took place May 26 to June 4, 1940, during World War II as part of the Battle of France. During the operation, more than 338,000 Allied troops were successfully evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk (Dunkerque) following the German invasion of France.

Background

When Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands in a blitzkrieg attack in May 1940, its troops also unexpectedly pushed into France through the lightly defended Ardennes forest region, which the French had believed to be impenetrable.

Under the onslaught, Allied troops fell back toward the English Channel, where they became trapped in an increasingly smaller pocket on the northern French coast.

Dunkirk Evacuation

The British decided to evacuate their expeditionary force (the BEF) from the harbor at Dunkirk, though they initially expected only about 45,000 troops could be saved.

But Hitler and the German high command unintentionally gave the Allies more time to evacuate by ordering Germany’s armored units to pause their advance. Air support from the Royal Air Force also facilitated the evacuation, as did the defense of the Dunkirk perimeter, particularly by French troops.

Despite deadly attacks on Dunkirk by the Luftwaffe, Britain evacuated more than 338,000 troops across the English Channel, including some 140,000 French and Belgian soldiers. Navy ships were aided by hundreds of civilian watercraft that afterward became known as the “Little Ships of Dunkirk.”

Aftermath & Legacy

The evacuation ended June 4, when the Germans occupied Dunkirk. That same day, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave his famous “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech.

The evacuation came to be known in Britain as the “Miracle of Dunkirk,” and the term “the Spirit of Dunkirk” became a symbol to the nation of resilience and resolve. Although Dunkirk was a victory for Germany, Hitler’s halting of his armored troops is viewed today as one of Germany’s major mistakes of the war.

Learn more about the Dunkirk Evacuation through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.