Latest news with #OperationDynamo
ITV News
2 days ago
- General
- ITV News
The Little Ships of Dunkirk: All you need to know about Operation Dynamo
In May 1940, 85 years ago, a military operation began to evacuate British and French soldiers from northern France following the German advance. The mission became known as Operation Dynamo. Around 70 small vessels, including fishing boats, yachts, and pleasure steamers, braved treacherous conditions to rescue over 336,000 troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. Background: In 1940 Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, cutting through British, French and Belgium troops in the process. The Allies were pushed back to the French port of Dunkirk where they were vulnerable to attack with their backs to the sea. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the men to be rescued in what became the largest military evacuation in history. Codenamed Operation Dynamo it was co-ordinated from the tunnels deep beneath Dover Castle. Dynamo was a type of electrical generator that had been used there. John Evans was a boy living in Southampton and talks about his memories of seeing troops returning from Dunkirk. The evacuation lasted from 26 May – 4 June 1940, and under intensive firing and bombing 338,000 troops were brought back over the English Channel to ports such as Dover, Margate and Ramsgate . Hundreds of civilian ships were commandeered to help shuttle the stranded troops from the beaches to the deeper waters where larger Royal Navy ships were waiting. These have become known as 'The Dunkirk Little Ships'. Many were privately owned and included fishing vessels, yachts, tugs, motorboats and paddle steamers including the Medway Queen. The operation was a success because of the heroism of the rescuers and the dogged rearguard action that was fought. But the Germans also paused the advance on Dunkirk which allowed many more men to escape. Britain's soldiers, the British Expeditionary Force were trained professionals and their loss would have meant almost certain defeat and surrender early in World War Two. Morale was boosted as tragedy was turned into triumph and the rescue was dubbed by Churchill as ''The Miracle of Dunkirk.'' But the country was at its lowest point following this disaster as its main Allies had been defeated and it had lost much of its military equipment. The invasion it feared that summer never came though. The RAF went on to defeat the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain a few months later and Hitler instead embarked on a mass bombing campaign known as the Blitz. Britain did not return to France until D-Day four years later. How Operation Dynamo unfolded- 20/05/1940 - Winston Churchill orders preparation of vessels to evacuate the British Expeditionary Forces from Northern France. 24/05/1940 - Hitler orders his forces not to cross the Lens-Bethune-St Omer-Gravelines line, allowing the Allied forces more time to reach the French coast. 24/05/1940 - Allied defensive positions are hit by by German Luftwaffe bombers around Dunkirk. 25/05/1940 - More and more retreating Allied units arrive at Dunkirk. 26/05/1940 - Hitler orders his forces towards Dunkirk. 26/05/1940 - The evacuation of Allied forces from the French port officially begins. It's called Operation Dynamo and is based in Dover Castle. 26/05/1940 - Over 850 British civilian vessels assist military forces to awaiting transports. It would become the largest military evacuation in history. 29/05/1940 - More than 72,000 British soldiers had been evacuated from France to ports such as Dover, Margate, Ramsgate and Sheerness. 01/06/1940 - Defense of the outlying region near Dunkirk now passes to French XVI Corps 04/06/1940 - Some 40,000 French soldiers are taken prisoner by Germany at the fall of Dunkirk. 04/06/1940 - The evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk officially ends. Over 338,000 soldiers are saved. Little Ships Abdy Beauclerk Abdy Beauclerk was towed across the English Channel by a drifter they arrived at a beach just East of Dunkirk harbour on 31st May. Aberdonia Aberdonia went to Dunkirk where she is thought to have made four trips to the beaches even before they had time to repaint her in battleship grey. Advance Advance was one of the first Little Ships to arrive at Dunkirk - but was one of a group of little ships which were machine-gunned by two aircraft. Alusia Alusia was built as a pleasure boat, but soon after the outbreak of war she was called up for more serious duties as a patrol boat, and assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk. Angele Aline Angele Aline is almost 100 years old, but there is no record of the number of trips she made ferrying troops from the harbour to the warships anchored in deep water off the coast. Anne Anne was the only 'little ship' to return to Dunkirk in 2010 on her original engines. She is now berthed in Chichester. Aquabelle Aquabelle was delivered to the Royal Navy to go to Dunkirk and as she was fitted with a gun, she went on to defend lighthouses from air attack. Beatrice Maud Beatrice Maud crossed the channel on 31st May and around 260 soldiers, reported to be French, boarded her on 4 June and a British Naval ship towed her in to Dover the following day. Bessie In 1940, Bessie was taken from Wells-next-the-Sea to Ramsgate as part of Operation Dynamo to help evacuate the British Expeditionary Forces from Dunkirk. Bluebird Bluebird made two false starts in getting to Dunkirk. The first time she developed engine trouble. Then, when she got as far as Sheerness, there were too many volunteers and she was left behind. Braymar Braymar suffered major damage, not from air attack, mines or shells at Dunkirk but she was laid up ashore for ten years after the war and completely dried out so that her planks and topsides started to deteriorate.
ITV News
2 days ago
- General
- ITV News
'Incredible welcome' as Little Ships return to Kent after weather delays
Watch: Commodore Kevin Finn, from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, describes the week's events and the reception given at Ramsgate harbour. Dozens of Little Ships have returned to Kent from Dunkirk, after commemorating 75 years since Operation Dynamo. The fleet had been due to return last weekend, but poor weather conditions returned the sailing. Hundreds of people lined the harbour wall on Saturday evening to welcome the boats, which had set off for France on May 21st. Commodore Kevin Finn, from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, described the reception as 'amazing' and said the unexpected delays had been a chance to build relationships. " Friends that we knew we liked became friends that we loved, people we didn't know very well became great friends. "The people of Dunkirk were amazing and the people of Ramsgate have been incredible, coming out to welcome us home on a Saturday evening."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Queen Camilla Releases Rare Personal Statement—and Ends it with Her Unique Signature
Royals watchers and especially Queen Camilla stans are reaching for a tissue after reading her just-released statement. In it, Camilla reveals a seldom-seen look into her family history (as well as insight into her royal duties today) through a story about her father's war service. It's part of her commemoration of the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the WW II civilian war effort at Dunkirk that saved 338,000 troops. Buckingham Palace Shares Striking New Portrait of the King and Queen—But I Can't Get Over What's Around Charles's Neck Along with black-and-white archival photos of heavy machinery grounded on British shores, Queen Camilla shares a strikingly emotional narrative: "Today and together with the nation, The King and I would like to remember the unprecedented civilian war effort of Operation Dynamo on its 85th Anniversary. Over nine days, an eclectic collection of seafarers, ferry masters, barge hands, fishermen, and children, with their Little Ships, achieved the great evacuation of more than 338,000 troops who were fighting with their backs to the sea at Dunkirk." Victoria Jones/Pool/Getty Images "My father, who was amongst their number and safely transported home 85 years ago today, recalled wading out to a cement ship to find refuge and rest in its wheel-house. He noted in his memoirs that 'The ship was commanded by a midshipman who looked about twelve, assisted by a boatswain, aged eighty.'" Queen Camilla concludes her statement by expressing her conviction that her father, his fellow service members and allied forces would today be "grateful beyond words" for this daring and historic rescue. (Interestingly, King Charles previously awarded a CBE, or Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, to film director Christopher Nolan, whose 2017 film Dunkirk dramatized the evacuation.) The Queen signs her statement in a new and perfectly fitting way. She uses her recent royal title "R," which stands for The Rifles group. Back in 2020, the royal was appointed as the new Colonel-in-Chief of 'The Rifles,' taking over the role from the late Prince Philip, who held the position since 2007. In a commemoration of civilians and troops working together to save Britain, Queen Camilla's nod to the Rifles is right on target for her nation and the world. Queen Camilla Wears the Most Beautiful Ice Blue Trench on Stage with King Charles—and It's Perfect for Spring
Sky News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Dunkirk anniversary: 85 years on from historic rescue of Allied troops, little ships recreate Operation Dynamo
Eighty-five years on from the historic rescue of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from France, a flotilla of little ships have recreated the biggest evacuation in military history. Operation Dynamo, from 26 May to 4 June 1940, saw more than 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops, trapped by the invading German forces around Dunkirk, brought home by roughly 1,000 vessels in a desperate and near-miraculous rescue over more than a week of sailings. It was one of the turning points of the Second World War, saving the Allied cause in Europe from total collapse, allowing them to regroup after the Nazi Blitzkrieg threatened to sweep Germany to a rapid and complete victory. One of the soldiers saved in what came to be known as the Miracle of Dunkirk was Queen Camilla's father, Major Bruce Shand, and she paid tribute to him on Saturday. In a post on Instagram, the Queen pointed to the "eclectic collection of seafarers, ferry masters, barge hands, fishermen and children, with their little ships" that carried out the stunning rescue. In his memoirs, she said, Major Shand wrote that he took shelter in a ship "'commanded by a midshipman who looked about 12, assisted by a boatswain aged 80'". She said he and his comrades "would today be grateful beyond words for this lifeline". Scroll down for pictures of the boats that took part in the memorial sailing.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dunkirk anniversary: 85 years on from historic rescue of Allied troops, little ships recreate Operation Dynamo
Eighty-five years on from the historic rescue of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from France, a flotilla of little ships have recreated the biggest evacuation in military history. Operation Dynamo, from 26 May to 4 June 1940, saw more than 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops, trapped by the invading German forces around Dunkirk, brought home by roughly 1,000 vessels in a desperate and near-miraculous rescue over more than a week of sailings. It was one of the turning points of the Second World War, saving the Allied cause in Europe from total collapse, allowing them to regroup after the Nazi Blitzkrieg threatened to sweep Germany to a rapid and complete victory. One of the soldiers saved in what came to be known as the Miracle of Dunkirk was Queen Camilla's father, Major Bruce Shand, and she paid tribute to him on Saturday. In a post on Instagram, the Queen pointed to the "eclectic collection of seafarers, ferry masters, barge hands, fishermen and children, with their little ships" that carried out the stunning rescue. In his memoirs, she said, Major Shand wrote that he took shelter in a ship "'commanded by a midshipman who looked about 12, assisted by a boatswain aged 80'". She said he and his comrades "would today be grateful beyond words for this lifeline". Scroll down for pictures of the boats that took part in the memorial sailing.
