Flashcards
Dunkirk
Cards in this deck (17)
- 1What technique of the Germans surprised the allies?The German BLITZKRIEG (lightening war) was very swift
- 2When did the Germans invade France?April 1940
- 3Where were the allied troops trapped?Between the German army and the cold waters of the English Channel.
- 4What was Operation Dynamo?On 27th May 1940 the British government, led by Winston Churchill put a plan called 'OPERATION DYNAMO into action. The plan was to EVACUATE as many troops to Britain by ship.
- 5What kind of ships were used for the evacuation?Ships from the Royal Navy, pleasure steamers and fishing boats.
- 6Why did the French think that the Germans would not be able to fight their way through the defence system?Because they had built the MAGINOT LINE - huge fortresses on the French - German border. They didn't think that the GERMAN GENERAL VON KLEIST would bypass the Maginot line and go through the ARDENNES FOREST which was a region in BELGIUM since the French thought that it was impossible to move tanks through that region, which exactly what they did.
- 7When was the Dunkirk evacuation?26th May – 4 June 1940
- 8How many soldiers were rescued? (British and French)330,000 British soldiers and 10,000 french troops
- 9How many were left behind?40, 000 soldiers
- 10Who were the soldiers ie; BEF?The BEF - BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
- 11Why was Dunkirk a defeat?- The BEF were driven out of Europe
- The British troops had left most of their equipment ( especially heavy equipment) behind destroyed or for the Germans such as field guns, anti-aircraft guns, tanks and motor vehicles.
- 40, 000 soldiers were left behind - 12How was Dunkirk viewed as in Britain?As a victory - Small boats rescued 80,000 troops. This was known as the Dunkirk Spirit.
- 13What were the soldiers at the beaches of Dunkirk constantly bombed with by the Germans?With Stuka dive bombers
- 14What did Hitler do that enabled the evacuation of Dunkirk?He ordered the advancing German troops to halt.
- 15Why might have Hitler done this?For reasons not clear however some guesses are:
- He wanted to make an alliance with Britain
- The German losses were severe ie; tanks
- Hitler suspected a trap (?) - 16What famous quote by Winston Churchill described the situation?" Wars are not won by evacuation..."
- 17How did the government and media handle the situation to try and make it look like a victory? Why did they do this?The media were not allowed to write about it 5 days after the evacuation. They manufactured the ' Dunkirk myth' in the newspapers, radios and other media.
They didn't want to damage morale.
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- IGCSE History and Culture Flashcards on Dunkirk, created by Ritika Mehta on 15/05/2017.
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- Ritika Mehta
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