The Battle of Dunkirk was an important battle that took place in Dunkirk, France, during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. As part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May�4 June 1940.
After the Phoney War, the Battle of France began in earnest on 10 May 1940. To the east, the German Army Group B had invaded the Netherlands and advanced westward. In response, the Supreme Allied Commander�French General Maurice Gamelin�initiated “Plan D” and invaded Belgium to engage the Germans in the Netherlands. The plan relied heavily on the Maginot Line fortifications along the German-French border, but the Germans had already crossed through most of Holland before the French forces arrived. Thus, Gamelin committed the forces under his command, three mechanized armies, the French First and Seventh and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to the River Dyle. On 14 May, German Army Group A burst through the Ardennes and advanced rapidly to the west toward Sedan, then turned northward to the English Channel, in what Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein called the “Sickle Cut” (known as “Plan Yellow” or the Manstein Plan), effectively flanking the Allied forces.[9]
A series of Allied counter-attacks�including the Battle of Arras�failed to sever the German spearhead, which reached the coast on 20 May, separating the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) near Armenti�res, the French 1st Army, and the Belgian Army further to the north from the majority of French troops south of the German penetration. After reaching the Channel, the Germans swung north along the coast, threatening to capture the ports and trap the British and French forces before they could evacuate to Britain.
In one of the most widely-debated decisions of the war, the Germans halted their advance on Dunkirk. Contrary to popular belief, what became known as “the Halt Order” did not originate with Adolf Hitler. Gerd von Rundstedt and G�nther von Kluge suggested that the German forces around the Dunkirk pocket should cease their advance on the port and consolidate, to avoid an Allied break. Hitler sanctioned the order on 24 May with the support of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW). The army was to halt for three days, giving the Allies time to organize the Dunkirk evacuation and build a defensive line. Despite the Allies’ gloomy estimates of the situation, with Britain discussing a conditional surrender to Germany, in the end over 330,000 Allied troops were rescued.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk
We are now heading into the heart of World War II.
It is now very difficult for me to pick just one event per month and create a poll about it.
I know that some of my polls arent as interesting as some of my others, but trust me, the input you A&A Fans are giving me is so awesome, that i am reading everything that you guys are writing.
Now i will have two or more polls in each month of the 75th Anniversary.
Why?
Well…because there is so much to discuss.
The European Theater of Operations.
The War in North Africa is about to start.
The Battle of the Atlantic i have yet to touch upon.
Among others to come.
I just want to thank you for all that have replied and i will continue to read.
I still will not respond, however, because its your opinions im interested in.
I have my own views, but they are of no account in my polls.
Its okay to criticize my polls and questions if they dont make sense.
I am a WWII historian and i have been studying this conflict since i was very young…i will be 46 years old on May 18.
I dont know everything about the war, of course, and thats why i needed input from the guys who know more than me or have been there or are more learned on the subject.
I would like to thank some of the guys that have always answered my polls and put me in my place.
CWO MARC, KURTGODEL7, AB WORSHAM, NARVIK, WITTMAN, GARGANTUA, PRIVATE PANIC, and HERR KALEUN.
Now to the 2nd poll of May 1940!
You are Germany!
The BEF is on the ropes with their backs to the sea at Dunkirk!
The British initiate Operation Dynamo!
The German Army approaches the enemy!
What do you do and what do you think would have happened after Dunkirk?