| Show Dunkirk Withdrawal Was as Masterpiece Of Military Daring I Realizing that the small British force in France and Belgium in the spring of 1940 could not hope to stem the swift German advance that was crushing French resistance the British British British Brit Brit- ish commanders ordered a retreat to the channel ports On May 20 1940 units of the British expeditionary expedition expedition- ary force began moving towards Os Ostend tend and Zeebrugge Belgian and French troops screened the with with- By the German armored columns columns columns col col- had thrust through to the channel channel channel chan chan- nel coast hemming in the British French and Belgian troops On the the Belgians surrendered and the British and a few French units had to fall back to the neighborhood of Dunkirk a sized medium-sized channel channel channel chan chan- nel port By the it was obvious that there was nothing for tor the Br British tish to todo todo todo do but to try to get home to England England Eng Eng- land which would soon be in dan dan- ger So abandoning their heavy equipment the men of ot the hastened to the waterfront and began embarking in any ship they could find So began the epic withdrawal withdrawal withdrawal with with- of Dunkirk Constant Bombardment Under constant bombardment and from the German air force as we well as submarines and destroyers destroy destroy- ers the British piled into any sort of craft that would float Men came back to England in rowboats ferryboats ferryboats ferryboats ferry ferry- boats private yachts and fishing boats and of ot course troopships and naval vessels Many of these craft had been obtained obtained ob ob- tamed from private citizens who risked their lives and crafts crafts to to sail their vessels through the choppy channel The Royal navy and Royal A Air r force did their best best to protect the thousands of boats in m the channel Fortunately fog hampered the Nazi planes somewhat but the boats that reached the English coast had been under almost constant attack for hours The Germans knowing that Britain would be almost defenseless if the men who were in the bo boats ts were destroyed made extreme efforts efforts efforts ef ef- ef- ef forts to kill as many as possible Because of the stout British defense defense defense de de- de- de and the fact that so many miscellaneous craft were dispatched to evacuate the the Germans failed All during the and boats and d ships streamed back and forth fortH across the channel and by the first of June the most remarkable withdrawal withdrawal withdrawal with with- in history had been Only a few thousand of the were captured by the Nazis Most 1 of the sorely needed force was safely returned to England L l. I. I |
