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Dunkirk
Dunkirk. North-eastern French port, whence, and from neighbouring beaches, 27 May to 4 June 1940, 200,000 British troops were brought back to England. On 10 May 1940 German troops attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. French and British troops moved north to join the Belgian army in resisting the main German attack which they expected to develop north of Namur; instead it came further south on the river Meuse below Sedan. By 20 May German units had reached the English Channel, splitting the allied forces. On 25 May Gort, commanding the British Expeditionary Force, deciding that Belgian retreats might expose his rear, gave up attempts to cut the German corridor to the sea, and began British retreat to the coast. On 26 May the British government ordered evacuation. French troops, hoping to maintain a bridgehead for counter-attack, played the main role in enabling the British to depart. Coincidentally, the British war cabinet discussed whether Britain could fight on alone. Churchill's view that Britain could and should continue the war against Germany, whatever happened to France, was reinforced by a promising start to the Dunkirk evacuation. Its success, in spite of German confidence that it was impossible, made more difficult any German invasion of England that summer, by increasing the size of the force the German army would need to land. The drama of the evacuation, including the part played by small civilian pleasure boats, raised British morale. But in his speech to Parliament on 4 June 1940, Churchill, while commending the bravery and resolution of the troops, put the matter in perspective: ‘We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.’
Professor Ged Martin |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Dunkirk.html JOHN CANNON. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk , Fr. Dunkerque, town (1990 pop. 71,071), Nord dept., N France, on the North Sea. It is a leading French port with daily ferry service to Ramsgate and Dover, England. It is a steel center; oil refining, shipbuilding, food processing, and the manufacture of electrical equipment are also important. Among Dunkirk's chief exports are construction materials, steel products, cement, fruits and vegetables, sugar, fertilizer, and pre-assembled structures. Probably founded c.7th cent. AD and often fortified, Dunkirk played a key role in the struggles in Europe that extended over centuries; it was ruled successively by Flanders, Burgundy, Austria, France, England, and Spain. Ceded briefly in the 1650s to Oliver Cromwell, it was bought back permanently from Charles II by Louis XIV in 1662. The town withstood an Anglo-Dutch bombardment in 1694 and an English siege in 1793. During the 19th cent. improvements were made on the harbor, and Dunkirk grew in commercial importance. During World War II, more than 300,000 Allied troops who were cut off from retreat on land by the German breakthrough to the French Channel ports were evacuated (May 26–June 4, 1940) from Dunkirk. The retreat was carried out by all kinds of available British craft, some manned by civilian volunteers, and was protected by the Royal Air Force. It is considered one of the epic actions of naval history.
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"Dunkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-DunkirkFr.html "Dunkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-DunkirkFr.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk North‐eastern French port, whence 27 May to 4 June 1940, 200,000 British troops were brought back to England. On 10 May 1940 German troops attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. On 20 May German units reached the English Channel, splitting the allied forces. On 25 May Gort, commanding the British Expeditionary Force, gave up attempts to cut the German corridor and ordered British retreat to the coast. Churchill's view that Britain should continue the war, whatever happened to France, was reinforced by a promising start to the Dunkirk evacuation. The drama of the evacuation, including the part played by small civilian pleasure boats, raised British morale.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Dunkirk." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Dunkirk." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Dunkirk.html JOHN CANNON. "Dunkirk." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk city (1990 pop. 13,989), Chautauqua co., SW N.Y., on Lake Erie; founded c.1800, inc. as a city 1880. It is a port of entry and trades extensively with other Great Lakes' ports. Dunkirk, located in the grape belt, produces wines and other grape products. The city also manufactures steel, food products, and clothing. In 1946, Dunkirk developed a program to help Dunkirk , France (for which it was named), recover from World War II. Other U.S. cities followed Dunkirk's example and established a program, called the One World Plan, to aid war-damaged European cities. |
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Cite this article
"Dunkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-DunkirkUS.html "Dunkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-DunkirkUS.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk a port of northern France, which in the Middle Ages was a centre of privateering activity. In modern times, Dunkirk was the scene of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940. Forced to retreat to the Channel by the German breakthrough at Sedan, 335,000 Allied troops were evacuated by warships, requisitioned civilian ships, and a host of small boats, under constant attack from the air.
Dunkirk spirit used (sometimes ironically) for the refusal to surrender or despair in a time of crisis. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Dunkirk.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk (Dunkerque) Port at the entrance to the Straits of Dover, Nord department, nw France. It came under French rule in 1662. In World War II, more than 300,000 Allied troops were evacuated from its beaches between May 29 and June 3, 1940, when the German army broke through to the English Channel. Today, it is France's third-largest port and one of the principal iron and steel producers in w Europe. Industries: oil refining, shipbuilding. Pop. (1999) 70,850.
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"Dunkirk." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunkirk." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Dunkirk.html "Dunkirk." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk French Dunkerque the northernmost seaport of France which was the site of a massive week-long evacuation of Allied European troops to England after France fell to the Germans in May–June 1940. The effort, involving dozens of military and voluntary private boats, succeeded in rescuing more than 330,000 troops amid heavy shelling and bombardment while British and French forces held back the Germans from land attack.
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"Dunkirk." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunkirk." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-Dunkirk.html "Dunkirk." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk, France, USA 1. France (Nord‐Pas‐de‐Calais): locally Dunkerque and formerly Dunkerk ‘Church of the Dunes’ from the Middle Dutch dune ‘dune’ and kerke ‘church’, a church having been built here on the coast in the 7th century.2. USA (New York State): originally Chadwick's Bay and renamed because the harbour here closely resembled the one in France.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dunkirk." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dunkirk." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Dunkirk.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dunkirk." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
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A. D. MILLS. "Dunkirk." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Dunkirk." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Dunkirk.html A. D. MILLS. "Dunkirk." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Dunkirk.html |
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Dunkirk
Dunkirk
•berk, berserk, Burke, cirque, dirk, Dunkirk, erk, irk, jerk, kirk, lurk, mirk, murk, outwork, perk, quirk, shirk, smirk, stirk, Turk, work
•Selkirk • Falkirk • Atatürk
•patchwork • handwork • waxwork
•artwork, part-work
•craftwork • headwork • legwork
•metalwork • guesswork
•fretwork, network
•breastwork • daywork • spadework
•framework • brainwork
•casework, lacework
•paintwork • beadwork • fieldwork
•needlework • teamwork • piecework
•brickwork • handiwork • bodywork
•basketwork • donkeywork • telework
•clockwork • knotwork • formwork
•coursework • falsework
•groundwork • housework
•coachwork • roadwork • homework
•stonework • woodwork • bookwork
•footwork • brushwork • firework
•ironwork • underwork • wickerwork
•paperwork • openwork • camerawork
•masterwork, plasterwork
•earthwork
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"Dunkirk." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunkirk." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Dunkirk.html "Dunkirk." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Dunkirk.html |
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