Operation Dynamo Research Paper

The Evacuation from Dunkirk was the largest, and most successful military evacuation in world history. Over 330,000 soldiers were evacuated from the beaches of France after a failed attempt at defending it from the Nazi occupation. When the Germans invaded France in 1940, the British sent soldiers to help in the defence of the country. German tactics and technology allowed the Nazis to beat back the French and the British to the coast line. Not being able to counter-attack, the British decided to evacuate all of the troops on the shore to warships in the English Channel. The docks were destroyed forcing the British government asked civilians to take their small boats to rescue them. Saving the soldiers allowed the Allies to save experienced …show more content…
Sadly, German technology, training and prior experience from fighting on the Eastern fronts. When the Allies knew they were being defeated, they decided to retreat to the cities. Eventually, the Germans were able to push them back to the coast and surround the surviving allied troops. When the British realized that they were about to be overrun by the Germans they decided to initiate Operation Dynamo. Operation Dynamo was the attempt to save countless lives and resources by using small vessels to transport troops to larger ships. Preparations for the evacuation began on May 22. Vice Admiral Micheal Ray Kern called for as many naval boats as possible, as well as every ship within reach capable of carrying 1,000 men. The effort expanded to include shallow-draft civilian boats from 30 to 100 feet (9 to 30 m) in length, as of May 27. A large number of craft, including fishing boats, fire ships, paddle steamers, private yachts, and Belgian barges, plus Merchant Marine and Royal Navy boats, departed from Sheerness, Chatham and Dover, over the following days. Some of the boats came from as far away as the Isle of Man and the West Country. Winston Churchill, who had recently been appointed Prime Minister, spoke of the gravity of the situation. On May 23, the King of Great Britain and the churches called for a national day of prayer for May 26. The next day, to the surprise and …show more content…
Most of the rescued British troops were assigned to the defense of Britain. Once the threat of invasion receded, they were transferred overseas to the Middle East and other theaters, and also provided the nucleus of the army which returned to France in