Although the mission saved the core of the British Army, it was a major military defeat. The Allies abandoned nearly all their heavy equipment, including over and 2,400 field guns . In his famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, Winston Churchill cautioned the public that "wars are not won by evacuations," but the successful rescue created a "Dunkirk Spirit" that galvanized British morale. Dunkirk Evacuation World War 2 - What You Need To Know
Over two-thirds of the rescued troops actually boarded from the East Mole , a long stone sea wall that allowed larger ships to dock despite the harbor's destruction. Dunkirk 1940: Operation Dynamo
The operation was launched after German "Blitzkrieg" tactics trapped the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and elements of the French and Belgian armies against the English Channel. Although the mission saved the core of the