Andrew Azmy's List: Dunkirk Tipping Point

Introduction- draft

During war history, victory does not always mean victory militarily; sometimes there could be victories that are morale. A great example of a morale victory happened during the beginning of World War two, when Germany invaded France. This event was very significant to the history of war. It had many effects on the the war after it happened. When the invasion happened, the French were completely defeated. Great Britain sent in many troops for their aid. However, they were all outnumbered. Great Britain then sent many ships to rescue the soldiers, called Operation Dynamo. British and French soldiers were completely devastated and it was a miracle when the evacuation happened. There are many details that go along with this event; and it also is a huge tipping point in history.

Common knowledge: Paragraph explaining the event fully- draft

At the onset of World War Two, the Germans on the side of the Central Powers attack France, which is one of the Allies. Germany invades France in 1940. France was not well equipped; they were in great need of aid. Great Britain sent all their troops for aid to France but they were outnumbered. It was a disaster; France was near to be Germany's territory and Great Britain's army was trapped in France. The Allies needed to have an evacuation plan. They needed to evacuate all those soldiers; which was code named Operation Dynamo. (QUOTE) Vice-admiral-Ramsey led it and it took place in around ten days. Eight hundred and fifty ships came to aid but two hundred and fifty five of them were sunk by the enemy during rescue. The big victory for the Allies came when Rookie Armada saved three hundred and forty thousand allied troops. it was not a military victory for the allies but it was just a moral victory. The fact that soldiers were saved from a land heavily occupied by enemy troops was dangerous; but successful.

Explanation paragraph- why is it a tipping point- draft

During the battle of Dunkirk, the soldiers were devastated by the conditions (QUOTES HERE). They needed a miracle to happen in order for this to end. 338,000 lives in total were saved on that day. They were given another day to live. They were given another chance to fight in the war. It was also a great tipping point because it lifted the spirits of the British to a great extent. This event changed the course of History as well. After this evacuation, France was left to fight by itself. Unfortunately, France later falls because they did not have enough aid and support by the other Allies. It takes three weeks for France to fall after the evacuation. France was not trained to this kind of war and so, lost badly to Germany after they attacked from the North. Vichy France was created under Petain. When the evacuation happens, at least it gave the troops another chance to fight... at least they were not all outnumbered. Due to that, France gets liberated by combined forces including the British; if the evacuation did not happen these soldiers would not have helped France get liberated.

Book source- with explanation

"Only a miracle can save the BEF now," wrote General Alan Brooke, a senior officer in the BEF.

Some 217,000 British troops were evacuated by June 4, along with 110,000 French.


BOOK SOURCE citation: PAGE 22
Murray, Aaron R. World War II battles and leaders. London: DK Pub, 2004. Print.

The quote shows that the battle of Dunkirk had very hard conditions on the troops as well.

Conclusion- draft

Operation Dynamo was legendary. It had many effects on the course of History. It saved the soldiers so that they could fight another day and another war. The help the British offered was legendary. It really sets a great example to how allied countries help each other out during wars. It lifted the people's spirits; the soldiers were considered heroes. The evacuation also helped during the liberation of France because the troops did not die thanks for Dynamo. This is defiantly a morale victory for the Allies. Overall, this event is a great tipping point in history.

Works cited

Murray, Aaron R. World War II Battles and Leaders. London: DK Pub, 2004. Print. P. 22.


"1940: Dunkirk Rescue Is over - Churchill Defiant." BBC News. BBC, 06 Apr. 1940. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.