Operation Dynamo - Dunkirk 1940

In May 1940, British and French troops moved north into Belgium, to meet the invading German army. German tanks then advanced rapidly through northern France to the sea and split the Allied armies in two. The outflanked Allied troops held a shrinking perimeter around Dunkirk from 26 May to 4 June. During this time a fleet of naval and civilian vessels crossed the English Channel, evacuating troops to the south coast of England. The evacuation, code-named Operation Dynamo, rescued over 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops.

This gallery presents a selection of images taken during the campaign. For more information, please see our Dunkirk Feature.