This is Dunkirk in
the north of France.
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On the second of May,
1940, hundreds of thousands of
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British and allied troops
were amassed here on this beach
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surrounded by enemy forces.
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Trapped on the beach with their
backs to the sea they faced
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an impossible situation
as the enemy closed in.
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There was action everywhere
as the story unfolded on land,
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sea, and air. RAF Spitfires
engaged the enemy in the skies
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above the channel desperately
trying to protect the
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defenseless men below.
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Meanwhile 33 Kilometers
away across the English Channel
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at Dover, hundreds of small
boats manned by both military
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and civilians were mounting
a desperate rescue effort
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risking their lives in a
race against time to save
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even a fraction of their army.
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Join me as we explore
the remarkable story of the
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Dunkirk Evacuation, the
terrifying events that led
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up to it and the providential
events that made it possible.
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In late May 1940 a convoy of
small boats sailed from Dover
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over across the
English Channel towards France,
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it was a dangerous crossing
to make and the sailors were
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apprehensive as they
thought about what lay ahead.
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They crossed the channel without
incident and drew up to the
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beaches at Dunkirk
along the French coast
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The sight that greeted
them was one that they had not
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expected. The beaches were
covered from one end to another
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with a dark
moving mass of humanity.
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All along the shoreline
thousands of soldiers thronged
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the beaches jostling, moving,
ducking for cover. Behind them
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towards the town columns of
smoke spiraled into the skies
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signaling that destruction
that had swept through Dunkirk.
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In the distance was the crack
of machine gun fire and the
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roar of artillery as the
soldiers defending the perimeter
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around Dunkirk and the
beaches returned enemy fire.
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The Dunkirk harbor had
been all but destroyed by German
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Luftwaffe Bombers which
meant that sailing vessels
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could not birth there.
When the soldiers on the beach
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saw the approaching vessels.
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They began to wade out into
the ocean chewing up to their
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chest in water, waiting for
the vessels to get close enough
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so they could board. The sailors
took their boats as close
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to the shore as they
dare and shut down the engines
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Immediately a mass of soldiers
surged forward scrambling
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to get on board the vessels
nearly capsizing them in their
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haste and desperation.
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As the soldiers crowded
onto the boats the sailors tried
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to establish some semblance
of orders and regain control of
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their vessels before long
the low hum of dozens of engines
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filled the air and the little
boats plunged out into the
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open waters towards England.
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But before they could get very
far, they heard the low whining
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drone of German bombers circling
overhead. Suddenly chaos
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reigned around them as they
were peppered with machine gun
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fire and bombs whizzing
past them and pelting the ocean.
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The soldiers on board hefted
their rifles to their shoulders
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and began returning fire,
it was a desperate tussle for
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survival. The Germans
were determined to prevent the
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British from escaping and
the British were determined to
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survive. Some soldiers
were pummeled by unending reign
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bullets while other managed to
evade the firestorm and survive.
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When they finally reached
Dover the boats queued up at the
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harbor and thousands of soldiers
streamed from the vessels,
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they had evaded machine gun
fire, bombs, and mines strewn
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across the ocean
floor to get to safety.
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These vessels were among
hundreds of other little ships
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civilian vessels, that
had volunteered their services
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for the largest
evacuation in military history.
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They were at the heart of
what is known as the Miracle of
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Dunkirk, or Operation Dynamite.
A daring military operation
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launched by the Royal Navy
in an attempt to evacuate the
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British Expeditionary Forces
who were trapped in France
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at the height of World War II
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British Prime Minister,
Winston Churchill called it
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A Miracle of Deliverance
and indeed it was just that
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because amid almost relentless
enemy attack and near impossible
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conditions, over 300,000 men
were evacuated from the beaches
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of Dunkirk and taken
across the channel safely
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to Dover in England.
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Barely nine months earlier
on the first of September 1939
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Germany had invaded
Poland kicking off World War II
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Hitler's aggressive military
agenda set the rest of Europe
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on edge. Since 1936 Hitler
had been acquiring territory
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beginning with the re-occupation
of the Rhineland District
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of Germany. After the successful
occupation of the Rhineland,
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Hitler pushed further afield
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seizing Austria and
Czechoslovakia by 1939.
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By early 1939, Hitler
had set his sites on Poland
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and by this time France
and Great Britain were becoming
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nervous. They saw that Hitler's
ambitions could not be tempered
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and immediately
moved to curb him.
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In March 1939, Great Britain
declared that they would do
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everything in their power
to ensure that Poland remained
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independent pledging military
assistance towards us in any
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German advances. France
soon allied itself with Britain
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and pledged its
support for Poland as well.
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Undaunted by this Hitler signed
a non-aggression treaty with
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the Soviet Union and on
the first of September 1939,
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invaded Poland.
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Tensions were already running
high in Europe and Hitler's
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invasion of Poland was the
final straw that set in motion
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a chain of events that
kick- started World War II.
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At 9:00 a.m. on the
3rd of September 1939
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the British Ambassador to
Germany Sir Neville Henderson
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delivered an
ultimatum to the Nazis.
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The Germans were asked to cease
their hostilities by 11:00 a.m.
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that morning, if they failed
to do so, they were told that
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Britain would be
at war with Germany.
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Hitler refused to respond
and by 11:15 a.m. on the 3rd of
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September 1939 British
Prime Minister Nevil Chamberlain
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announced that Britain was
officially at war with Germany.
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Shortly after the
prime minister's announcement
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the air-raid sirens in
London began to wail mournfully
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over the stunned city.
It was only a drill but it
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brought home the chilling
reality that England was now
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at war and the grim uncertainty
of war-time settled over the
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the whole nation.
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Shortly after the British
had declared war on the Germans
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the French had a similar
announcement allying themselves
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with their neighbors across
the channel. The French were
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prepared to go to war in much
the same way they had during
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World War I using their
famous Maginot line as an almost
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impregnable defense.
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The Maginot line is a series
of concrete fortifications
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obstacles and weapons
installations built along the
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French side of the borders
they share with Germany, Italy,
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Belgium and Luxembourg, but
Hitler chose a military strategy
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that blind-sided the allies.
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First, he invaded Norway
and Denmark in April of 1940,
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then a month later he launched
his first victory against
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the Netherlands and Belgium.
The sudden and swift attack
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left the allied
troops dazed and reeling.
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Thousands of refugees
flooded the roads fleeing the
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approaching German front. German
dive bombers crowed the skies
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unleashing a hail of
machine gunfire and bombs on
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unprepared targets.
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In the ensuing chaos the allied
forces mounted the best defense
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they could muster but their
efforts did little to stave off
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the advancing
German military machine.
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The Germans completely
ignored the mighty Maginot line
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and instead carved a path
into France through Luxembourg
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and the Ardennes Forest.
Hitler's tanks then turned
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and pushed towards the sea
reaching the English Channel
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and isolating the
armies in the north.
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They turned again pushing north
and securing more coastal ports
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along the way until the allied
forces, in particular, the
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British Expeditionary Forces
found themselves increasingly
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trapped with
little hope of survival.
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Then, just as everything seemed
to be slowly caving in around
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them, the German high command
called for its army to halt
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their advance, it seemed
like a miracle and the allied
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forces seized the
opportunity without hesitation.
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During the providential
reprieve which lasted 48 hours,
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the commander of the
British Expeditionary Forces
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Lord Gort directed his
commanders to fall back
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to Dunkirk where they
were to await evacuation.
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The mission seemed impossible.
In order to arrive at Dunkirk
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the British Expeditionary Force
would have to fight their way
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through enemy lines and
hold the town against formidable
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German attacks.
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And not only that, they would
need to hold it long enough
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for the ships to arrive
from England and ferry out the
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thousands of soldiers who made
up the British Expeditionary
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Force. By the time the
evacuation was set in motion
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there were over 333,000 troops
trapped on the beaches around
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Dunkirk waiting for a ride home.
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The evacuation was code-named
Operation Dynamo and was
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carried out by the royal
navy under the command of
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Vice Admiral Burtram
Ramsey and a small team of men.
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Ramsey chose Dover
Castle as his base of operations
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and began making arrangements
for the evacuation on the
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19th of May, 1940. When the
allied forces arrived in Dunkirk
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one of the first things
they did was set up a perimeter
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of defense to hold of German
attacks, but this didn't stop
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the Luftwaffe from deploying
Stuka's or dive bombers
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to fly over the town.
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As thousands of soldiers
streamed into the abandoned
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streets of Dunkirk, a
pool of smoke hung over them
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and piles of rubble littered
the streets. Many soldiers
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retreated into the basement
of buildings in an attempt to
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take cover while
others huddled on the beaches.
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The soldiers on the beaches
were particularly vulnerable
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to the constant aerial bombing
and shelling unleashed by the
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Germans. The men were like
sitting ducks being picked off
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indiscriminately by the near
constant Luftwaffe machine-gun
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fire. The German bombers paid
special attention to bombing
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the harbor at Dunkirk,
they rendered it unfit for use
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and the British forces had
to figure out another location
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to stage the evacuation.
They set their sights on the
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eastern Mole at Dunkirk, a
mole derived from the French
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word Mull. Referred to
massive structures made of wood,
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concrete or stone to act
as breakwaters around harbors.
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The British quickly
decided to use the Eastern moll
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as a main point of evacuation.
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Just a few minutes before
7:00 p.m. on the evening of
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the 26th of May, the evacuation
of the British Expeditionary
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Force began with a short message
declaring Operation Dynamo
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is to commence, the first
ship to sail for England was
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the Isle of Man
Steam Packet Mona's Isle.
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The boat embarked with
1,420 troops from Dunkirk,
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as it was navigating the channel
towards Dover, artillery was
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fired from the shore at Grave
Lachs? and dive bombers launched
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an ariel assault. Twenty-three
men were killed on that first
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trip across the narrow
seas and this would set the tone
00:14:41.34\00:14:44.81
for the entire evacuation effort
and the uncertain and tenuous
00:14:44.85\00:14:49.25
days that follow. Mona's Isle
arrived in Dover around noon
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on the 27th of May and
dis- embarked its cargo of weary
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but grateful soldiers.
00:14:59.26\00:15:01.36
At the beginning of Operation
Dynamo, British expectations
00:15:01.40\00:15:06.27
for evacuation were low,
there were so many nearly
00:15:06.30\00:15:10.27
insurmountable logistical
problems, not to mention
00:15:10.31\00:15:13.58
the fact that the allies were
trapped in a small sliver of
00:15:13.61\00:15:18.08
territory fighting
against much stronger forces.
00:15:18.11\00:15:21.32
It would take a miracle to
evacuate them all to safety
00:15:21.35\00:15:25.69
but the British continued
with their efforts undaunted,
00:15:25.72\00:15:29.82
determined to save as many
men as they were able to save.
00:15:29.86\00:15:33.90
By the 27th of May, the
British commanders at Dunkirk
00:15:33.93\00:15:38.43
radioed Dover Castle asking for
every available ship to be sent
00:15:38.47\00:15:43.41
to Dunkirk to aid
the evacuation in.
00:15:43.44\00:15:47.81
Soldiers found
themselves curing on the beaches
00:15:47.84\00:15:50.95
waiting for small passenger
boats to approach as near
00:15:50.98\00:15:54.78
the shore as they dared. Others
cured on the Mole waiting to
00:15:54.82\00:15:58.95
board ships that
managed to birth there.
00:15:58.99\00:16:01.46
As part of the evacuation
process smaller vessels would
00:16:01.49\00:16:07.03
fairy boatloads of
soldiers out into the open ocean
00:16:07.06\00:16:10.90
where massive Royal Navy
destroyers waited anchored in
00:16:10.93\00:16:14.67
deep water. Soldiers were
off-loaded onto the destroyers
00:16:14.70\00:16:18.84
and then the smaller vessel
would head back towards the
00:16:18.87\00:16:22.14
shore to pick up more men.
00:16:22.18\00:16:24.21
But the Germans were determined
to destroy the British forces
00:16:24.25\00:16:28.88
and in addition to the
aerial bombing, the Luftwaffe
00:16:28.92\00:16:33.15
began to lay sea mines
dropping them into the water
00:16:33.19\00:16:37.03
along the course that
the British ships navigated.
00:16:37.06\00:16:40.86
The soldiers struggled
during their time on the beaches
00:16:40.90\00:16:44.90
all around them was the
pop of machine gun fire and the
00:16:44.93\00:16:50.47
dull thundering roar of dropping
bombs. They watched as their
00:16:50.51\00:16:54.48
brothers in arms died around
them, or as a boat filled with
00:16:54.51\00:16:58.25
soldiers sank under enemy fire
drowning all the men on board.
00:16:58.28\00:17:03.49
Yet, despite all this horror,
whenever the men saw a boat
00:17:03.52\00:17:08.16
approaching the shore,
they waded out into the water
00:17:08.19\00:17:11.69
rushing towards it as though
00:17:11.73\00:17:14.10
it were their only
lifeline, their only sliver of
00:17:14.13\00:17:17.70
hope in a world gone
mad, looking increasingly
00:17:17.73\00:17:21.07
like hell on earth.
00:17:21.10\00:17:23.44
By Sunday, June 2nd, there were
only about 11,000 men remaining
00:17:23.47\00:17:29.01
in Dunkirk, many of these were
on the beaches but some were
00:17:29.04\00:17:33.72
hiding in the town while other
were defending the perimeter.
00:17:33.75\00:17:37.52
Those defending the perimeter,
would take time to withdraw
00:17:37.55\00:17:42.12
and time was running out fast.
00:17:42.16\00:17:45.49
With the German tanks and
troops nearly on top of them the
00:17:45.53\00:17:50.60
British commanders on the ground
at Dunkirk realized that they
00:17:50.63\00:17:54.44
would need to deploy a massive
flotilla of vessels to evacuate
00:17:54.47\00:17:58.71
the remaining men in a
single swoop. Back at Dover
00:17:58.74\00:18:03.75
Admiral Ramsey realized
that they would need to evacuate
00:18:03.78\00:18:07.95
the remaining men within
the space of 12 hours or else
00:18:07.98\00:18:12.42
they would risk losing
them as prisoners of war to the
00:18:12.45\00:18:15.79
advancing German line. Ramsey
immediately sent out a call to
00:18:15.82\00:18:21.93
every available Royal
Navy destroyer and minesweeper
00:18:21.96\00:18:25.80
telling them that the final
evacuation was to take place
00:18:25.83\00:18:30.21
on the night of the 2nd of June,
and that all available navy
00:18:30.24\00:18:34.74
ships were to report to
Dover as soon as possible.
00:18:34.78\00:18:38.28
At 5:00 p.m. that evening a
massive amount of Royal Navy
00:18:38.31\00:18:43.79
ships moved silently out of
Dover headed towards Dunkirk
00:18:43.82\00:18:48.22
the vessels reached Dunkirk
at 6:54 p.m. and began boarding
00:18:48.26\00:18:53.80
large number of eager
soldiers. Just after 11:30 p.m.
00:18:53.83\00:18:59.63
British Commanders on the ground
signaled Dover that the last
00:18:59.67\00:19:04.44
British Expeditionary
Forces had been evacuated
00:19:04.47\00:19:08.21
and they themselves
boarded Navy vessels for Dover.
00:19:08.24\00:19:12.41
The evacuation efforts continued
however in an attempt to
00:19:12.45\00:19:17.62
evacuate as many French soldiers
as possible. The last ships to
00:19:17.65\00:19:22.69
depart Dunkirk left at
3:00 a.m. on the 4th of June,
00:19:22.72\00:19:26.43
having evacuated 20,000
French soldiers that night.
00:19:26.46\00:19:30.77
By then the Germans were
only five kilometers away and
00:19:30.80\00:19:35.70
12,000 French troops remained
stranded at Dunkirk to be
00:19:35.74\00:19:40.21
taken as prisoners of war.
At 2:23 p.m. on Tuesday the
00:19:40.24\00:19:45.51
4th of June, 1940
Operation Dynamo was terminated.
00:19:45.55\00:19:51.49
All together the Royal
Navy evacuated 338,000 troops
00:19:51.52\00:19:58.39
which was almost the entire
British Expeditionary Force.
00:19:58.43\00:20:02.23
Of the 933 ships that
were deployed to help with the
00:20:02.26\00:20:07.04
evacuation 236 were
destroyed by German firepower.
00:20:07.07\00:20:12.47
The evacuation of Dunkirk
was followed closely by the
00:20:12.51\00:20:16.78
surrender of France to
Germany about three weeks later
00:20:16.81\00:20:19.98
leaving Britain isolated
and vulnerable to the threat of
00:20:20.02\00:20:24.92
imminent invasion
by Hitler's forces.
00:20:24.95\00:20:26.96
The British Expeditionary
Force had abandoned or destroyed
00:20:26.99\00:20:32.13
nearly all their heavy equipment
in Dunkirk and millions of
00:20:32.16\00:20:36.10
pounds worth of equipment
had literally gone up in smoke.
00:20:36.13\00:20:40.10
Hitler declared the
evacuation a victory for Germany
00:20:40.14\00:20:44.64
but Britain had an entirely
different view of the matter.
00:20:44.67\00:20:49.04
By rescuing the bulk of its
army, the British felt that they
00:20:49.08\00:20:54.08
had gained an important or
be a temporary victory. They had
00:20:54.12\00:20:59.42
lived to fight another day and
Britain was still independent of
00:20:59.45\00:21:03.63
Nazi aggression unlike many
other nations on the continent.
00:21:03.66\00:21:07.50
Had Operation Dynamo failed,
and the British troops been
00:21:07.53\00:21:12.30
killed or taken prisoner,
the whole war would have taken
00:21:12.33\00:21:16.81
a different course
and we would be narrating
00:21:16.84\00:21:19.84
a different historical story
right now. The evacuation of
00:21:19.87\00:21:24.25
Dunkirk was a critical moment
for Britain and the allied
00:21:24.28\00:21:28.42
forces at the
outset of World War II.
00:21:28.45\00:21:30.79
Speaking of the evacuation
on the 4th of June, 1940
00:21:30.82\00:21:35.86
Prime Minister Winston
Churchill referred to the entire
00:21:35.89\00:21:40.06
episode as a miracle. The
evacuation boosted public morale
00:21:40.10\00:21:45.50
and was thereafter referred
to as the Miracle of Dunkirk.
00:21:45.53\00:21:50.41
The Miracle of Dunkirk
and the nightmarish conditions
00:21:50.44\00:21:54.88
the soldiers endured remind
us of another war being fought
00:21:54.91\00:21:59.18
all around us at
this very moment.
00:21:59.21\00:22:01.98
The Bible refers to it as
a Cosmic Conflict between the
00:22:02.98\00:22:06.55
forces of good and evil. A
conflict that began in heaven
00:22:06.59\00:22:11.59
and then spilled out onto
our tiny planet wrapping this
00:22:11.63\00:22:15.73
pale blue dot we call home in
a constant fog of heartbreaking
00:22:15.76\00:22:20.54
fear. Because of the great
conflict between the forces
00:22:20.57\00:22:24.67
of light and the forces of
darkness, we find ourselves
00:22:24.71\00:22:28.74
much like the soldiers on
the beaches of Dunkirk pummeled
00:22:28.78\00:22:33.98
by the constant thundering
roar of catastrophe and calamity
00:22:34.02\00:22:37.69
We need only read the news
today to realize just how much
00:22:37.72\00:22:42.26
our world is reminiscent
of a war zone fires blazing
00:22:42.29\00:22:46.90
mercilessly throughout
the drought-ridden coast of
00:22:46.93\00:22:50.13
Australia and other
countries of the world.
00:22:50.17\00:22:53.13
Millions of refugees fleeing
conflict zones all over the
00:22:53.17\00:22:58.17
world risking their lives as
they undertake dangerous voyages
00:22:58.21\00:23:02.38
across rough seas.
00:23:02.41\00:23:04.45
Thousands affected by the
Corona-Virus, the sharp increase
00:23:04.48\00:23:09.75
in crime and violence
in society, the pain and
00:23:09.78\00:23:13.29
heartbreak that accompany
a rising tide of mental and
00:23:13.32\00:23:17.19
emotional illness,
the list goes on and on.
00:23:17.23\00:23:20.36
And sometimes it might be
easy to feel we too are soldiers
00:23:20.40\00:23:26.17
stranded forlornly on a crowded
beach waiting desperately
00:23:26.20\00:23:31.11
for some glimmer of
hope on the horizon.
00:23:31.14\00:23:35.14
And perhaps that is one of
the keys of the story of Dunkirk
00:23:35.18\00:23:38.95
It's a story of hope.
When those beleaguered soldiers
00:23:38.98\00:23:43.08
spotted the ships bobbing
on the horizon, their hearts
00:23:43.12\00:23:46.99
lifted with hope, hope
of survival, hope of life,
00:23:47.02\00:23:51.09
hope of a future
with their loved ones.
00:23:51.13\00:23:54.06
In the midst of the strife and
conflicts of life that we face
00:23:54.10\00:23:58.50
today as a global community,
Jesus offers us hope on the
00:23:58.53\00:24:04.54
horizon. Jesus himself
tells us this in John 14: 1-3.
00:24:04.57\00:24:10.51
Jesus is preparing the greatest
rescue operation ever known
00:24:28.30\00:24:34.27
to mankind. It's a rescue
operation that is geared towards
00:24:34.30\00:24:38.87
saving millions of stranded
survivors languishing on the
00:24:38.91\00:24:42.84
shores of human hopelessness
and grief. Millions of stranded
00:24:42.88\00:24:47.12
survivors longing for something
this world cannot offer
00:24:47.15\00:24:51.52
a peace and hope that's
seems just beyond our reach.
00:24:51.55\00:24:56.59
Jesus promises us if we
reach out and grasp His hand
00:24:56.62\00:25:02.90
he will hold on to us and
evacuate us from this far-flung
00:25:02.93\00:25:07.44
shore. He will take us by the
hand and lead us safely home.
00:25:07.47\00:25:12.57
When you look around you at
the mounting chaos and turmoil
00:25:12.61\00:25:17.38
in this world,
don't you long for peace?
00:25:17.41\00:25:21.02
Do you long for hope? Do
you long for something better?
00:25:21.05\00:25:24.72
Jesus is waiting for you
to open your heart to Him
00:25:24.75\00:25:29.62
to let Him into your
life. He has promised us that
00:25:29.66\00:25:33.16
He is coming soon, coming
to rescue us, to evacuate us
00:25:33.19\00:25:37.93
to a brighter
shore, a better place.
00:25:37.97\00:25:40.80
The Bible tells us this.
00:25:40.84\00:25:43.10
Jesus offers you and I a
future full of hope, a future
00:25:57.49\00:26:03.36
free from pain, suffering
and death, and a future that is
00:26:03.39\00:26:08.53
filled with a
promise of eternal life.
00:26:08.56\00:26:11.67
If you are longing for a better
life and want to reach out and
00:26:11.70\00:26:16.54
grab hold of this opportunity
today, to find out more about
00:26:16.57\00:26:20.51
this hope and the promise
of eternal life that Jesus
00:26:20.54\00:26:23.61
offers us then I'd like
to recommend the free gift
00:26:23.65\00:26:26.88
we have for all our Incredible
Journey viewers today.
00:26:26.92\00:26:31.32
It's a booklet How The War Ends,
this small booklet will answer
00:26:31.35\00:26:37.23
your questions about the end
of the Cosmic Conflict and what
00:26:37.26\00:26:40.93
will happen here on earth.
00:26:40.96\00:26:42.56
This booklet with give you
the hope, peace, and assurance
00:26:42.60\00:26:46.03
that we are all seeking.
00:26:46.07\00:26:47.97
I guarantee there are no
costs or obligations whatsoever.
00:26:48.00\00:26:52.34
So, why not take the
opportunity to receive the
00:26:52.37\00:26:56.44
free gift we have for you today.
00:26:56.48\00:26:59.11
Phone or text 0436.333.555
in Australia or 020.422.2042
00:26:59.15\00:27:09.06
in New Zealand. Or
visit our website at TIJ.tv,
00:27:09.09\00:27:14.36
or simply scan the QR Code on
your screen and we'll send you
00:27:14.40\00:27:18.10
today's free offer, totally
free of charge and with no
00:27:18.13\00:27:21.70
obligation. Write to us at
GPO Box 274, Sydney NSW 2001
00:27:21.74\00:27:28.74
Australia or P.O. Box
76673 Manukau, Auckland 2241
00:27:28.78\00:27:35.95
New Zealand. Don't
delay Call or text us now.
00:27:35.98\00:27:39.25
Be sure to join us again next
week when we will share another
00:27:39.29\00:27:45.49
of life's journeys together.
Until then, I invite you
00:27:45.53\00:27:50.07
to join me as we pray.
00:27:50.10\00:27:52.43
Dear Heavenly Father,
Our hearts are troubled
00:27:52.47\00:27:56.64
when we see the strife and
turmoil in our world today.
00:27:56.67\00:27:59.97
Please grant us the peace
that you offer and lead us to a
00:28:00.01\00:28:04.35
place where our hearts
can find hope and peace.
00:28:04.38\00:28:07.68
Thank you for rescuing us and
for the gift of eternal life.
00:28:07.72\00:28:12.05
We want to reach out and accept
your offer and we ask this
00:28:12.09\00:28:16.86
in Jesus' name. Amen!
00:28:16.89\00:28:19.93