26 May in military history: Dunkirk evacuation begins, 1940

Quick answer

On 26 May 1940 the British Admiralty ordered Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk of the British Expeditionary Force and its allies, cut off by the German drive to the Channel. By 4 June about 338,000 men had been brought to England. On the same date in 1831, the Russians defeated the main Polish army at Ostrołęka.

The Dunkirk Evacuation

26 May 1940 · 86 years ago

With the Battle of France already lost, Allied troops held a shrinking perimeter around the port of Dunkirk against the German advance. Their stand covered the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and many other Allied soldiers to Britain.

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The Battle of Ostrołęka, 1831: Bem's guns at the Narew

26 May 1831 · 195 years ago

The Battle of Ostrołęka was fought on 26 May 1831, during the November Uprising against Russian rule. After a failed attempt to destroy the Russian Guard, General Jan Skrzynecki's main Polish army was crossing the Narew at Ostrołęka when Field Marshal Diebitsch's army fell on it.

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Frequently asked questions

When did the Dunkirk evacuation begin?

On the evening of 26 May 1940, when the Admiralty ordered Operation Dynamo to begin. Admiral Ramsay's despatch gives the time as 1857, and the official historian L. F. Ellis as shortly before seven o'clock.

How many men were evacuated from Dunkirk?

L. F. Ellis counts 338,226 men evacuated in Operation Dynamo, which ended on 4 June 1940, and Admiral Ramsay's table 338,682. Churchill told the House of Commons on 4 June that over 335,000 men, French and British, had been carried to England.

Who won the Battle of Ostrołęka?

The Russians. They took the town and held their crossing of the Narew, and that night the Polish army retreated toward Warsaw. Generals Ludwik Kicki and Henryk Kamieński were killed.

What did Józef Bem do at Ostrołęka?

In the evening his horse battery went forward and fired for about a quarter of an hour; it was the last action of the day. Augustyniak judges its psychological effect considerable.