‘Operation Dynamo’ The Spoils of War (1 Viewer)

[King & Country]

Hi Guys,

Last week we presented one little ‘snapshot’ of the Dunkirk evacuation with some British troops making their way towards the beaches and, hopefully, back to ‘Blighty’.

This week’s ‘snapshot’ is just a miniscule fraction of what they left behind...
64,000 Military Vehicles of all shapes, size and use.
76,000 Tons of Ammunition for all kinds of weapons from.303 rifle and machine gun rounds to a wide variety of artillery shells of all calibres... Plus of course...
2,500 Artillery Guns including everything from 2-Pounder Anti Tank Guns, 25-Pounders to 6 inch Howitzers and even heavier Field Guns.
Also included among the 64,000 vehicles were virtually all of the 445 British Tanks sent over to France with the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force)
Also 400,000 tons of General Supplies (Food, Clothing, Fuel, Tents etc., etc., etc.)

Finally, the human cost...
For every seven British soldiers who escaped through Dunkirk, one man was left behind, killed, wounded or captured... 68,000 in total.
One of those captured was my Uncle Alec, a piper in The Gordon Highlanders, who fought at St. Valery in France as part of the famous 51[SUP]st[/SUP] Highland Division.

The 51[SUP]st[/SUP] fought a desperate last stand in this small French coastal town in the days after the successful Dunkirk evacuation. The Division became separated from the rest of the B.E.F. and was put under the command of the French Army. It was there that they came face-to-face with Erwin Rommel’s 7[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Division to whom they eventually surrendered.

Uncle Alec and the remainder of the 51[SUP]st[/SUP] were then force marched from St. Valery all the way into Germany and then onto Prisoner-of-War camps. He spent the next 5 years in StalagⅧ B in Poland.

At the very end he and his comrades were liberated by U.S. troops while on a month long ‘death march’ back into Germany alongside retreating German soldiers.
And that’s his story...

All the best,
Andy

 

[villagehorse]

You have certainly achieved the crush aspect to the evacuation that was in progress. The dio board is overflowing with vehicles and the Germans snapping at their heels. Another fine display Andy. Robin.

 

[wayne556517]

Great story about you Uncle Alec, Andy.

 

[Obee]

Finally, the human cost...
For every seven British soldiers who escaped through Dunkirk, one man was left behind, killed, wounded or captured... 68,000 in total.
One of those captured was my Uncle Alec, a piper in The Gordon Highlanders, who fought at St. Valery in France as part of the famous 51[SUP]st[/SUP] Highland Division.

The 51[SUP]st[/SUP] fought a desperate last stand in this small French coastal town in the days after the successful Dunkirk evacuation. The Division became separated from the rest of the B.E.F. and was put under the command of the French Army. It was there that they came face-to-face with Erwin Rommel’s 7[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Division to whom they eventually surrendered.

Uncle Alec and the remainder of the 51[SUP]st[/SUP] were then force marched from St. Valery all the way into Germany and then onto Prisoner-of-War camps. He spent the next 5 years in StalagⅧ B in Poland.

At the very end he and his comrades were liberated by U.S. troops while on a month long ‘death march’ back into Germany alongside retreating German soldiers.
And that’s his story...

All the best,
Andy

Yes, the human cost was heavy too.

A similar story of my father in law, a gunner/driver with the Royal Artillery who was in the defence of Calais and when all of the troops had been evacuated form Dunkirk, they were told there would be no boats coming into Calais to evacuate them, so 'every man for himself' .... !!!

They surrendered and he was also marched to Germany, then to Poland to work as forced labor, and in 1945 when the Russians advanced, they were then marched back into Germany and liberated finally.

After the war he emigrated to Australia and took up farming again.

Thanks for your story and the diorama, it sure shows the chaos of retreat!

John

 

[Desertkiwi]

I always marvel at these European dioramas and the detailed buildings and scenery. With their backs to their walls and a growing sense of desperation it’s simply amazing how many managed to escape across the channel given what they faced.

 

[Guy]

Great dio Andy, a lot of vehicles cramped in a narrow street( although I am not so sure about the Mickey Mouse camo )

In 1940 my father fought with the Belgian army ( heavy artillery unit -liaison officer)until the end, when they surrendered to the Germans . He was then put on a barge that set sail inland for Germany. The barge in front hit a mine and exploded. 148 men were lost. The trip was stopped and he spent 1 week in an open field garded by German troops . Not knowing what to do with the Belgian prisoners , they were allowed to go home. My uncle who was also taken prisoner was not so lucky he spent the rest of the war in a concentration camp in Poland and so did my father in law. My father stayed very active in the resistance ( never told us a lot about his activities) and in sept 1944 he guided the Canadian troops ( The Manitoba Dragoons) into the city of Bruges after the Germans had left . Bruges is a mediëval city ( Unesco heritage); the Canadians threatened to shell the city if the Germans refused to leave . The mayor and the city council could persuade the Germans to leave and to spare the city of destruction . They withdrew to the Knokke - Walcheren saillant were they stayed until November1944. Until his death ( he was 103 years old) my father remained an honorary member of the Manitoba dragoons . I still have his silver sigarette case offered to him by the officers of this regiment.
Guy