Operation Dynamo

E33603

Operation Dynamo was the World War II Allied evacuation mission that rescued hundreds of thousands of troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Allied military operation
World War II military operation
military evacuation operation
alsoKnownAs Dunkirk evacuation
belligerent France
United Kingdom
britishTroopsEvacuated about 198000
cause encirclement of Allied forces in northern France
rapid German advance through France and the Low Countries
commander Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay
conflict World War II
consequence boost to British morale
enabled continued British resistance against Germany
preservation of British military manpower
coordinatedBy British Admiralty
Royal Navy
country France
dateEnd 1940-06-04
dateStart 1940-05-26
followedBy Operation Ariel
Operation Cycle
frenchTroopsEvacuated about 140000
headquarters Dover Castle
involved French Navy
Royal Air Force
civilian vessels
location Dunkerque
Dunkirk
namedAfter dynamo room at Dover Castle operations center
notableFor large-scale evacuation under enemy fire
saving core of British Expeditionary Force
use of civilian vessels in military evacuation
objective evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk
opposedBy Nazi Germany
partOf Battle of Dunkirk
precededBy Fall Gelb
German invasion of France
result Allied success
troopsEvacuated about 338000
over 330000
used destroyers
fishing boats
lifeboats
merchant ships
pleasure craft
the "Little Ships" of Dunkirk
year 1940


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