Malo-les-Bains

The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, between 26 May and 4 June 1940.

Our apartment looks out across the exact location where it occurred and this morning we will walk about 2 kms to a famous museum at the port.

The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France. The German Panzer units had advanced through Belgium at rapid speed and wanted to catch the French and British off guard and defeat them.

On the first day, only 7,669 Allied soldiers were evacuated, but by the end of the eighth day, 338,226 had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 vessels. Many were French and from Belgium too.

Some were ferried to the larger ships by what became known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats.

It is estimated that around 22,000 allied troops were killed in the Battle of Dunkirk and around 2,000 civilians lost their lives. The German military suffered around 20,000 casualties either wounded, killed or missing.

The flotilla of boats from England were sent over to collect troops from the beach because it was too shallow to get rescue ships in close. They ferried troops back and forwards in very difficult circumstances because of the constant bombardment and machine gun fire from the Germans.

Further down the beach was the wharf that could berth ships, but it was a target for the Luftwaffe as it was so crowded with troops. The French & British command decided to do evacuations only at night as the casualties were too high during the day.

At one stage the troops creatively pushed military vehicles into the sea to build a pontoon.

After time ran out for evacuations the flotilla returned laden with anyone who could climb aboard.

The French front held off the nazis as long as they could but eventually 35,000 troops surrendered on the beach. The Germans took full advantage of the vehicles, food and ammunition that the Allies had built up in Dunkirk.

Whilst the retreat was a setback the “spirit of Dunkirk” was born in Britain and their resolve was to win the war.

France fell three weeks later, and it would be nearly four years later before they were liberated.

Later in the afternoon we embarked on our drive to Belgium which is not too far north.

Sharon said “it’s raining, you're driving a manual, you can’t read the signs and you are on the wrong side of the road! What could possibly go wrong!”

Well, we had a great day. My copilot and google maps got us through the day. We drove for an hour to Tyne Cot.

Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war. The cemetery and its surrounding memorial are located outside Passendale, near Zonnebeke in Belgium. There are 22,000 graves here.

Stats:
Australia: 1,353,
New Zealand: 519

Total burials
11,965, of which 8,369 are unnamed

This cemetery has a significance for Aussies because it was in 1917 there was a German occupied blockhouse on this site as the highest point of area. The Australian troops broke through and captured the two concrete bunkers that are still in the cemetery.

Together with the Kiwis the Aussies tried to advance in vain until the Canadians arrived and saved the day.

The original cemetery was a mass burial site with each corpse being buried and marked with a wooden cross marking the trooper when possible. Over time the graves were renovated into a beautiful but solemn remembrance cemetery.

The cost of lives in this part of the war was over 295,000 and we saw more cemeteries as we drove on to Ypres for the Menin Gate Last Post ceremony.Read more