The Battle of Dunkirk 1940

The British Army

1940 – The British Army is in France hoping to stop a German invasion.

This Army is known as the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F).

The British Army

British troops were stationed on the French-Belgian border.

France was further protected by the French Maginot Line

The ran along the German border and was made of concrete, steel, trenched and ditches.

The Maginot Line

The French Maginot Line

The Maginot Line

The Maginot Line

The Maginot Line

The Maginot Line

The Maginot Line

The Maginot Line

The Escape to Dunkirk

When the BEF arrived at Dunkirk they were surrounded.

Royal Navy Ships attempted to rescue British troops.

BUT, the German bombing over Dunkirk destroyed the boat pier.

The BEF were stranded

Evacuation

May 1940, Operation Dynamo made use of 860 small yachts and motorboats to rescue soldiers

Evacuation

Evacuation

Evacuation

Conclusion

The rescue was a success, 300’000 British soldiers were evacuated, but the Battle at Dunkirk was a disaster for the British.

The British army left behind 2,500 guns, 84,500 vehicles, 77,000 tons of ammunition, 416,000 tons of supplies and 165,000 tons of petrol, 68,000 soldiers were killed or taken prisoner.