More cheering evidence of the success of this amazing military exploit is the presence in Britain of large numbers of French soldiers They are showered with hospitality and find the tea of old England almost as refreshing as their familiar coffee. Enjoying an unexpected seaside holiday, they bask in the sun, awaiting orders to return to France. The story of that epic withdrawal will live in history as a glorious example of discipline (amongst our troops) … We passed ship after ship packed with men who the long arm of the Royal Navy had brought off the beaches of Dunkirk. Every kind of small craft — destroyers, paddle steamers, yachts, motor boats, rowing boats — have sped here to the burning ruins of Dunkirk to bring off the gallant British and French troops betrayed by the desertion of the Belgian king. Here in these scenes off the beaches of Dunkirk you have one of the dramatic pictures of the war. Men wade to a vessel beached at low tide, its crew waiting to haul them aboard. Occasional German planes fleck the sky, but where was the German Navy? Of German sea power there was little trace.

1 As early as 22 May, the British were getting ready to evacuate their troops. They pulled back from the fighting. This helped the Germans to defeat the French and the Belgians. 2 The British started to take out their troops on 26 May. They did not tell the French until three days later. While the French Army was trying to defend Dunkirk, the British were taking out their troops – the French held back the Germans while the British escaped. 3 Large-scale evacuation from the beaches was only tried on two days (30-31 May). It failed, as the vessels got stuck on the sand. Most of the soldiers were taken from Dunkirk port by ferries. 4 A few British troops behaved badly. · On one occasion, British solders ran away because of a (false) rumour that German tanks were nearby· Some British troops stole food and drink from the local people· Some officers deserted their troops so they could be evacuated first.

5People in Britain did not hear about the evacuation until 31 May. Then, it is true, many small private vessels did sail across the Channel, but only 25,000 soldiers were taken off the beaches this way – a tiny part of the whole number. 6 Many of the French soldiers who were evacuated did not like Britain. They went back to France, where they were put into concentration camps. 7 The British Army left behind: · 2,500 guns,· 20,500 motor cycles,· 64,000 other vehicles,· 77,000 tons of ammunition,· 416,000 tons of supplies and · 165,000 tons of petrol.· 68,000 solders were killed or taken prisoner.In private, Churchill called Dunkirk ‘the greatest military defeat for many centuries.