All British eyes by now were focussed on Dunkirk. The great evacuation was reaching its peak. Completely contrary to expectations 30 to 40 thousand troops a day were being taken off. However, the waiting men, standing in long queues on the beaches, were having a very trying time. There can be few worse experiences than standing in disciplined lines for hours on end while being bombed.
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May 2010.
27 May – 3 June 1940
27 May 1940 is today regarded as the beginning of Operation Dynamo – the final evacuation of British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk with the use of hastily assembled fleet of 850 vessels. As we have seen in the previous week’s post, fierce action at sea and in the air started already during the preceding days.
Dunkirk. 33,558 British troops are evacuated from Dunkirk harbour and 13,752 from the beaches. As the weather clears, Luftwaffe planes strafe and bomb the ships and waiting soldiers. Despite Göring’s promise, it is clear that the Luftwaffe cannot prevent the evacuation in the face of RAF patrols and anti-aircraft fire from the Royal Navy ships.
Narvik, Norway. British, French, Polish & Norwegian forces attack across the Rombaksfjord from Oyord in landing craft and by land from the East and West. Naval bombardment of German positions begins at midnight, aided by the broad daylight at this latitude (it is dark at the same time at airfields further South, preventing Luftwaffe bombers taking off in response). French Foreign Legion comes ashore with 5 French light tanks at 12.15 AM. Luftwaffe arrives at 4.30 AM, forcing the Allied fleet to withdraw & damaging the command vessel cruiser Cairo with 2 bombs (10 killed, 7 wounded). Narvik is in Allied hands by midday after several hours of back & forth hand-to-hand fighting. http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Norway/UK-NWE-Norway-13.html
14-31 May, 1940
Dramatic developments which took place in London during May 1940 included the beginning of one of the most peculiar government structures in modern British history – the Ministry of Aircraft Production, or MAP.
Dunkirk. British & French fall back towards the coast, pressured by Panzer divisions (released from Hitler’s stop order) and bombed by Luftwaffe at Poperinge. 4 British divisions under General Alan Brook hold the Ypres-Comines canal (Battle of Wytschaete). The first 7,669 British troops are evacuated from Dunkirk harbour. Germans advance within 4 miles, bringing Dunkirk in artillery range.
200 German bombers and artillery pound the Citadel at Calais and German troops cross the canals forming the last Allied defensive line. At 4 PM, Brigadier Claude Nicholson surrenders at the Citadel. British losses are 300 killed, 200 wounded evacuated by boat and 3500 taken prisoner. Thousands of French and Belgian troops are captured. German losses are 750-800 killed or wounded.
France was in its death agonies. The Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, General Gamelin, had been dismissed. General Maxime Weygand, fresh from Syria, had been appointed in his place. Meanwhile, nothing could stop the pell-mell advance of the Wehrmacht. The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force, consisting mainly of Fairey Battles, along with a number of Blenheims, had been decimated as they were committed to the bombing of bridges which the retreating armies had failed to blow up. Several squadrons of Hurricanes were operating as cover for the BEF, and had been holding their own in the air, but so continuously that their losses too were now very serious.
20-25 May, 1940
On 20 May the armoured spearheads of the German Army Group A reached the Channel coast at Abeville, concluding their exemplary push through northern France initiated in the Ardennes only ten days previously. The exhausted British Expeditionary Force, Belgian Army along with elements of the French 1st Army found themselves completely surrounded by the Army Group A from the west and Army Group B advancing through Belgium to the east. After reaching the Channel the Germans turned north along the coast, threatening to capture the ports and annihilate the British and French forces in a rapidly decreasing perimeter.
The next few days of May, the second week of Churchill’s premiership, were to put the new leader under severe strain. Would the circumstances arise under which the British Government would have to seek terms from Hitler? There were, undoubtedly, waverers who thought that if the situation deteriorated further, we would be forced to seek terms. But Churchill was absolutely firm and determined. In his view, there should be no parley, no negotiations. But if Britain was attacked following the fall of France, Churchill would have to rely on the preparations to repel such an attack which had already been made, and made, furthermore, under his predecessor, Chamberlain. The problem here was that for the previous five years, Churchill had personally led a campaign in the House of Commons against, first, Stanley Baldwin’s Government, then the Chamberlain Government, for what he considered to be their alleged failure to take Hitler seriously.
10 May 1940
On 10 May 1940, Winston Churchill was appointed Prime Minister. More Hurricane Squadrons were sent over to France in support of the defensive campaign which was just about to unveil. In a month, things would have gone disastrously wrong beyond everyone’s imagination; soon, Churchill would be wearing an air-raid helmet for his publicity photos.
Welcome to the first post of the Battle of Britain Blog. For the next nine weeks updates will be weekly. The daily blog will begin on July 10th, the start of the Battle of Britain.
Post-tweeting 1940
If you want just a little bit more, check out our new Storify piece remixing some key events of May 1940 http://t.co/alkpygoj7 months ago
I'm confident @ukwarcabinet will return. This after all is not even (quite) the end of the beginning. Thanks for reading.7 months ago
I've certainly developed a new appreciation for their work during the war and hopefully you have too.7 months ago
Before I go I'd like to take a second to pay tribute to all the ordinary people doing extraordinary things captured in these records.7 months ago
...and that's it from me. I'm starting a new research role here at the Archives. Wish me luck. It's been a fascinating few years.7 months ago
Chiefs of Staff: Considerable reinforcements have reached Australian forces in New Guinea. Japanese withdrawn 10 miles http://t.co/sG3eEdGX7 months ago
Chiefs of Staff: Road blocks "and now rain" holding up UK advance in Madagascar but civilians friendly and co-operating http://t.co/vytOZfVV7 months ago
Chiefs of Staff: Germans well established in Stalingrad city centre and may hold substantial part of southern suburbs http://t.co/ZS0Au7y57 months ago
Bomber Command: Karlsruhe and Bremen attacked with good results. More than half of Dusseldorf "effectively devastated" http://t.co/zpruoCro7 months ago
India Secretary supports dismissal of the Prime Minister of Sind after he publicly criticised "British Imperialism" http://t.co/IEf8sQc37 months ago
UK to admit only Jewish refugee children with parent "already in this country" from Unoccupied France. Over 60s refused http://t.co/ixfrn46O7 months ago
Cabinet approves celebration on 15th November of 2nd anniversary of Defence of Great Britain from "blitz" of 1940-41 http://t.co/ttl1WTW97 months ago
PM: Situation in a fortnight's time will "make it very much easier to reach a decision as to the proper line of action" http://t.co/idWX9al97 months ago
General Wilson asks permission to establish advanced bases in North Persia to meet a possible German advance http://t.co/XVIEkjtZ7 months ago
Cabinet rejects offer from General Chiang Kai-shek that 8,000 Chinese troops could be flown into India http://t.co/6dCHu9tb7 months ago
General Brooke: We have made successful attacks on Benghazi and Tobruk. UK forces have entered Tananarive in Madagascar http://t.co/HX1RfuZq7 months ago
Air Chief: Bad weather has restricted bomber operations but Gestapo HQ at Oslo has been bombed by 4 Mosquitoes http://t.co/6HJ3NpdQ7 months ago
UK continues to plan for evacuation of Soviet fleet from Black Sea. "Not an appropriate moment" to raise this with USSR http://t.co/VWcq0mcS7 months ago
Lord Cherwell: Agent has obtained German army casualty figures: 1m in first 6 months of 1942, 3.5m since start of war http://t.co/DdxuKxrd7 months ago
Eden: German morale "has risen only slightly this summer and remains spiritless" but morale of armed forces "high" http://t.co/FVBgg4Y57 months ago