Evacuation of Dunkirk
Our exhibit is focused on the Home Front, where the majority of Canadians, especially women and children, would have experienced the war. However, there were just over a million Canadians who left home and served in the conflict. This blog series will look at 5 major battles or campaigns that involved Canadians during WWII: Dunkirk, Dieppe, Sicily, Normandy, and the Netherlands.
Evacuations of Allied troops from Dunkirk began in May 1940. This year, 2020, marks the 80th anniversary of the evacuation. Germany invaded France on May 10, 1940 and following the evacuation Germany had successfully kicked the Allies out of mainland Western Europe. The Allies would not successfully land in France again until the 1944 Normandy Landings.
Allied troops in France were no match for the powerful German army at this point in the war and had been pushed all the way to the beaches of France, on the coast of the English Channel. Rather than lose all the troops, which included Canadians, the Allies decided to mount a large-scale evacuation. Initial estimates by British military officials thought they would be able to save around 30 000 troops. However, they were able to save many more because the Germans did not put up a large-scale counterattack to keep the troops stranded on the beach. Rather, Hitler halted attacks prior to the evacuation, which gave the Allies precious time to plan their withdrawal.
The evacuation at Dunkirk was called Operation Dynamo. It began in the evening on May 26th, 1940. Though there was not a large-scale attack, Allies still faced heavy fire from the Luftwaffe (the German air force). On their side, the Allies had pilots from the RAF engaging in battle in the air to ward of the Luftwaffe as troops escaped by sea. The harbour became unusable as the area took more and more damage from German fire and some Allied ships sunk, blocking access to the harbour. Troops were now needed to be picked up from nearby beaches, however the shallow waters made it impossible for large vessels to get close to the shore. Therefore, troops had to be ferried out from the ships. Smaller ships were recruited to move soldiers, including many privately-owned motor yachts and fishing boats; sometimes naval officials took over the vessels, but many were still operated by civilian owners. Some men moved out toward deeper water on two concrete and stone breakwaters called the western and eastern mole; the east mole jutted out almost a mile into the sea. Almost 200 000 soldiers were routed along the east mole and loaded on vessels en route to Britain. The man who organized the soldiers on east mole was actually a Canadian, a Montreal-born man named Cmdr. James Campbell Clouston; he is credited with saving the lives of thousands. In 2017, Campbell was honoured by Parks Canada with a plaque on the Lachine Canal.
WOUNDED SOLDIERS EVACUATING FROM DUNKIRK, MAY 31, 1940. IMAGE FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
By June 4, 1940, over 330 000 British, Canadian, French, and Belgian troops were evacuated from Dunkirk; heavy equipment, like artillery and vehicles, were left abandoned. Still, many soldiers were unable to escape and were taken as German prisoners of war. Nevertheless, this episode in the Second World War is often called a miracle. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the rescue of the troops a “miracle of deliverance.” However, even though the evacuation itself was certainly a success, the withdrawal of France was still a defeat for Allies.