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Dunkirk Evacuation
Dunkirk Evacuation (World War II) (27 May–4 June 1940) In May 1940 German tank forces, advancing rapidly through Belgium and northern France, encircled over 200,000 British troops, 140,000 French soldiers, and a contingent of the remnant Belgian army around the port of Dunkirk. Believing that victory was assured, Hilter ordered a brief two-day halt to the German advance on 23 May, in order to wait for reinforcements. This allowed the British, under the command of General Gort, to carry out plans for an evacuation by sea, in which most of the troops were safely transported to England by an armada of over 850 hurriedly gathered vessels. Although disaster was averted, it represented a tremendous blow to the British army, which had to leave all its heavy equipment behind.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Dunkirk Evacuation." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Dunkirk Evacuation." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-DunkirkEvacuation.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Dunkirk Evacuation." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-DunkirkEvacuation.html |
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Dunkirk evacuation
Dunkirk evacuation A seaborne rescue of British and French troops in World War II (26 May–4 June 1940). German forces advancing into northern France cut off large numbers of British and French troops. General Gort, commanding the British Expeditionary Force, organized a withdrawal to the port and beaches of Dunkirk, where warships, aided by small private boats, carried off some 330,000 men-most, but not all, of the troops.
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"Dunkirk evacuation." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunkirk evacuation." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Dunkirkevacuation.html "Dunkirk evacuation." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Dunkirkevacuation.html |
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