Bomb-damaged docks patrolled by French Troops, where the remains of stores lay in rubble after Nazi air attacks. Within the span of just two days, Germany stormed Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, before entering France through the northwest corners of the Maginot Line. (March of Time/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
July 20, 2017
These Photos Depict the "Miracle of Dunkirk" That Saved 338,000 Lives
In May of 1940, German soldiers swept through Belgium and Northern France in a blitzkrieg that cut off all communication and transport between the Allies’ northern and southern forces. The Allied armies in the north, trapped by the sea near Dunkirk, France, were encircled on all sides. Stranded along the beaches, the Allies engaged in an enormous evacuation of soldiers across the North Sea to England called Operation Dynamo. More than 338,000 soldiers were saved in what would later be known as the “Miracle of Dunkirk.”
A German soldier looking out at Allied Forces trying to evacuate. German fighters combated the Allied efforts by bombarding the beach and attempting to destroy any rescue vessels. (Ullstein Bild via Getty Images)
Lockheed Hudson, of the RAF Coastal Command, flying past burning oil tanks on Dunkirk beach. With Allied forces being trapped along the beaches and in the ocean, they were an easy target for the Germans using torpedoes, bombs, and even ruthless airborne attacks. (Keystone/Getty Images)
For the evacuation of British troops, most soldiers had to wade out in the water to find a rescue vessel. British forces called in all the ships they could to transport the masses of stranded men. The British Admiralty even called on civilian British citizens with ships to lend a hand in evacuation efforts, despite the risk involved with the dangerous German warfare. (Photo 12/UIG via Getty Images)
Not all rescue efforts were successful. The French destroyer Bourrasque sunk after hitting a mine on the way back from Dunkirk, with some 1,200 men aboard, many of whom died. It was one of many ships that was unsuccessful in returning safely. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
After swimming out to be rescued, some men still found themselves back in the water after abandoning ship due to German attacks. These three men luckily grabbed onto a rescue ladder. (Picture Post/Hulton Archives/Getty Images)
For wounded soldiers, the trip back home would not be as easy. Here, men rowed a life boat to help a wounded soldier on a stretcher get back to a destroyer for evacuation. (March of Time/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
A wounded Frenchman arrives at Dover having been evacuated from Dunkirk. Casualties for the Allied Forces reached over 60,000 soldiers. (Hulton Archives/Getty Images)
By June 4, the operation had come to an end and 338,000 soldiers returned home. British evacuees from Dunkirk walk off their rescue vessel after landing in Britain. (Corbis via Getty Images)
Not all men were able to escape the harbor. Thousands of French troops that were not rescued were held captive by the Germans. (Hulton-Deutsch/Corbis/Getty Images)
Two soldiers enjoying refreshments they received upon their arrival in Britain after the week-long evacuation process. (Fox Photos/Getty Images)
A soldier of the British Expeditionary Force, arriving back from Dunkirk, is greeted affectionately by his girlfriend. (Topical Press/Getty Images)
