Why were British soldiers stranded on Dunkirk?

Why were British soldiers stranded on Dunkirk?

After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the British sent in troops to defend France. They marched around the back of the Allies in France and forced them over into Belgium, where they were faced with more Germans to the north. The only option left was to retreat to Dunkirk, where they could be taken back to England.

Why was the rescue at Dunkirk so critical?

The evacuation boosted morale If the BEF had been captured, it would have meant the loss of Britain’s only trained troops and the collapse of the Allied cause. The successful evacuation was a great boost to civilian morale, and created the ‘Dunkirk spirit’ which helped Britain to fight on in the summer of 1940.

How many British soldiers were trapped at Dunkirk?

After the last rescue boats left Dunkirk harbor on June 4, 1940, the Germans captured some 40,000 French troops who’d been left behind as well as at least 40,000 British soldiers in the Dunkirk vicinity.

Why was the Battle of Britain Significant?

Britain’s victory in the Battle of Britain demonstrated the courage and resilience of the country’s military and its people and allowed them to remain free from Nazi occupation. It also enabled the Americans to establish a base of operations in England to invade Normandy on D-Day in 1944.

What happened in the evacuation of Dunkirk?

Evacuation of Dunkirk. by Ben Johnson. The year 2020 will mark the 80th anniversary of the evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France between May 26th and June 4th 1940, during World War II. British, French, Canadian, and Belgian troops had been forced back to Dunkirk by the advancing German army.

How many British troops were saved from Dunkirk?

When it ended on June 4, about 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops had been saved. British and other Allied troops wading through the water to board ships at Dunkirk, France, 1940. Between May 26 and June 4, 1940, some 340,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the French seaport of Dunkirk to England.

What happened to the Belgian BEF in the Battle of Dunkirk?

By 21 May German forces had trapped the BEF, the remains of the Belgian forces, and three French field armies along the northern coast of France. The commander of the BEF, General Viscount Gort, immediately saw evacuation across the Channel as the best course of action, and began planning a withdrawal to Dunkirk, the closest good port.

What is the 80th anniversary of Dunkirk?

The year 2020 will mark the 80th anniversary of the evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France between May 26th and June 4th 1940, during World War II.