Churchill privately called Dunkirk ‘a colossal military disaster’, which showed his concern about the loss of men and equipment. The evacuation of Dunkirk also meant Britain was left to fight against Germany without France, one of its key allies. These losses were hugely damaging to the war effort. Over 400 tanks, six destroyers and 145 aircraft were also lost. However, there were also big losses: over 68,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or unaccounted for. The evacuation was considered to be a success, with 340,000 French and British soldiers brought back to England in one week. Dutch, Belgian, French and Norwegian ships were also involved in the operation. īritain organised a huge evacuation effort, sending over a whole range of naval and civilian boats to pick up stranded soldiers. To find out more about the role of troops from across the British Empire during World War Two, read this guide. He led them through Dunkirk’s heavily bombed harbour. For instance, Major Mohammad Akbar Khan, an Indian soldier, was in charge of 300 Indian soldiers and 23 British troops. They reached the English Channel and waited on beaches at Dunkirk to be rescued.īritain had soldiers fighting from many different countries in its empire. The British Expeditionary Force, which had been sent to France to try and stop the German invasion, had to retreat. They swept through the country, capturing Paris on 14 June. They quickly overwhelmed the defences and armed forces of countries they invaded. Their tactics were known as ‘Blitzkrieg’, which means ‘lightning war’. The German army was sweeping through Europe.
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