The evacuation from Dunkirk on the French coast was hailed in Britain as an extraordinary achievement and the ‘little ships of Dunkirk’ swiftly entered the mythology of wartime brave deeds.
British soldiers wade out to a waiting destroyer off Dunkirk during the evacuation.
Troops evacuated from Dunkirk on a destroyer about to berth at Dover, 31 May 1940.
Troops evacuated from Dunkirk enjoying tea and other refreshments at Addison Road station in London, 31 May 1940.
Some of the 'little ships' used during the evacuation of Dunkirk being towed back along the River Thames past Tower Bridge, 9 June 1940.
German forces moved into Dunkirk hours after the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. Here German officers inspect a memorial on the sea front at Dunkirk.
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Supermarine Spitfires of No. 32 Squadron RAF undergoing maintenance in a dispersal area at Foggia Main, Italy, as a Boeing B-17F of the 15th USAAF takes off into the evening sky. Two of the Squadron's aircraft, HF Mark VIII, JF 404 'GZ-M', and HF Mark IX, MA619 'GZ-B', painted overall cerulean blue for high altitude offensive reconnaissances over the Dalmatian coast, are at left and centre, while standard camouflaged Mark IXs, such as MA802 'GZ-D', can be seen on the right.
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