The BEF, Dunkirk and Churchill Flashcards
When did Germany invade Poland?
September 1st 1939.
What was expected to happen after Germany invaded Poland?
That Germany would then invade France over the French-German border.
What did Britain do because of their concern about Germany invading France?
Ad soon as war broke out, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was sent to France. By May 1940, it had 394,165 troops defending the French-German border.
How did Germany invade France?
Through Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium.
What did the German invasion of France force the BEF to do?
Retreat.
What happened on April 9th 1940?
Germany invaded Norway and Denmark, both neutral countries.
What happened on May 10th 1940?
Germany launched Operation Yellow, which was the invasion of Western Europe.
What pattern did the Blitzkrieg through Western Europe follow?
- German planes bombed the area to be occupied.
- German tanks moved in and took over the area.
- German troops moved in and occupied the area, under cover of artillery fire.
- The planes and tanks moved on to the next target, leaving the troops to occupy the captured area and put down all resistance.
Why did the BEF retreat from Dunkirk?
The German invasion gave the countries under attack little time to prepare for invasion. It was unexpected, terrifying and very effective. Belgian, British and then French troops were thrown into confusion. They tried to hold back the Germans, but had no plan, while the Germans had a very clear one. The BEF and other Allied troops were forced to retreat to evacuate from the French port of Dunkirk.
When did the first retreating allied troops reach Dunkirk?
On May 21st 1940.
What was Operation Dynamo?
The British Navy’s plans to rescue as many troops from Dunkirk before the Germans took the beach, The government asked owners of small boats to go to Dunkirk to ferry soldiers to the big ships. By May 29th, about 300 boats were doing this. The big boats shuttled from Dunkirk to Britain until June 24th.
When did Operation Dynamo start?
May 26th 1940.
How many troops were brought home?
338,000.
How many troops had been estimated might be brought home?
Between 20,000 and 30,000.
What was the importance of Dunkirk?
- It was widely seen as a victory even though Winston Churchill pointed out that ‘wars are not won by evacuation’.
- However, the evacuation saved many soldiers who could fight again.
- The evacuation helped British morale; ‘Dunkirk spirit’ became a phrase used for keeping going in the face of huge obstacles.
- When France did fall, the fact that the British had snatched so many troops from the overconfident Germans made people less likely to think Britain should just give in or that the Germans could never be beaten.
