When did the Dunkirk evacuation begin and end?
The Dunkirk evacuation began on the 26th of May 1940 when Churchill ordered Operation Dynamo to start. The operation concluded on the 8th of June 1940 after rescuing a total of 338,226 troops.
Questions about Dunkirk evacuation
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was in charge of organizing the Dunkirk evacuation?
General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort planned the withdrawal to Dunkirk as the only viable option for the British Expeditionary Force. Captain William Tennant later directed evacuations directly from beaches and re-routed troops to the east and west moles.
How many soldiers were rescued during the Dunkirk evacuation?
A total of 338,226 men were rescued by the end of the eighth day of Operation Dynamo. This figure includes over 200,000 troops who embarked from the east mole alone.
Why did German panzer units stop their advance near Dunkirk?
Gerd von Rundstedt issued an order halting the advance of his panzer units late on the 23rd of May 1940. Adolf Hitler approved this decision the following day and sent confirmation to the front lines before the order was rescinded on the 26th of May.
What role did small civilian boats play in the Dunkirk evacuation?
Nearly four hundred small craft voluntarily participated in the rescue effort after an emergency call resulted in a wide variety of vessels being pressed into service. These included speedboats, Thames river boats, car ferries, pleasure craft, and motor lifeboats that ferried personnel from beaches to larger ships.