Chapter 233: Dunkirk
The next day, at dawn, the final ten miles were broken through by the Third Armored Division under Manstein's personal command.
The price was twelve tanks.
The flames of war spread into Dunkirk, accompanied by the direct fire of 88mm anti-aircraft guns.
Inside the city, the final defensive line was under the command of John Gort, commander of the Northern Army.
At that moment, he was staring blankly at the sky as it gradually took on the pale color of dawn.
Gort had spent half his life being tormented by London's gloomy rain. Yet now, more than anything, he wished tomorrow would bring the worst weather possible, a day soaked in rain and buried in fog.
"Sir, we have discovered a large number of German troops breaking through the temporary defensive line in the western district."
The adjutant's voice was tense and urgent.
"Their tanks are advancing very quickly, and artillery support is coming in wave after wave. Division Commander Card of the Fourth Division says that if no more troops are sent, they can only retreat toward the city center."
"Order the Second and Third Divisions, as well as the French Twelfth Tank Battalion, to support them."
Gort's voice was hoarse but decisive.
"The remaining troops are to board the night ferries immediately and retreat to London."
"We have paid enormous losses for this evacuation. Even if we must fill the gap with our lives, we have to hold for two days."
He clenched his jaw.
"We wait until the one hundred and forty thousand retreating troops arrive. Only then do we leave."
God did not answer Gort's prayer.
Although light rain fell that day, it was still a fine day.
That also meant they still could not carry out evacuation during daylight. They could only continue withdrawing at night, which undoubtedly increased the pressure on the defenders.
Western District.
Two Panzer IV tanks smashed through the hastily erected barricades, reducing them to ruins.
Under the cover of the tanks, two German Army squads quickly advanced toward the high ground.
Inside a small building, a British soldier raised his Lewis gun.
Tat tat tat!
A continuous spray of bullets knocked down two German soldiers.
The British troops were just about to evacuate when a tank turret slowly turned.
Boom!
The muzzle rose.
The shell struck the building, blasting it apart and causing the structure to collapse. Rubble and broken stone became the tomb that buried the soldiers inside.
At the same time, two anti-tank vehicles darted out from the street corner.
Two shells followed in quick succession.
One pierced the track of a tank, while the other struck the front of a Panzer IV Ausf. S.
However, the tank's unique sloped armor caused the shell to ricochet away.
Seeing that one of the tanks still had room to counterattack, the two anti-tank vehicles immediately tried to retreat.
What they did not know was that the German soldiers who had already reached the high ground on the other side had raised their rocket launchers.
Whoosh!
A rocket trailed a long plume of fire and struck the underside of one anti-tank vehicle.
Bang!
Its weak armor was penetrated. The sympathetic detonation caused the assault vehicle to instantly shatter into pieces.
Although the other anti-tank vehicle had already sped away, it was caught by a Stuka providing close air support.
A string of bombs fell.
When the smoke cleared, the anti-tank vehicle had vanished. Only charred wreckage remained in the ruins, with flames still burning along the twisted body of the vehicle.
By afternoon, the western district had become a ruin.
The western ferry crossing was completely under German control, and the German Army began advancing toward the city center.
The British and French troops retreated into the eastern district.
Because another ten thousand soldiers had been evacuated the previous night, the entire Dunkirk garrison was now roughly equal in number to the German Army, with fewer than fifty thousand men remaining.
The severity of the situation had already exceeded Gort's imagination.
But he still wanted to wait a little longer.
Commander Carter, who was organizing the evacuation of the one hundred and forty thousand troops, had given him a clear answer.
By dawn the day after tomorrow at the latest, one hundred and forty thousand men would arrive in Dunkirk.
In other words, if they could hold on for just two more days, they would receive reinforcements from one hundred and forty thousand men. With them, they could organize a counterattack and extend the evacuation time further.
Gort understood this.
Manstein, who was personally commanding at the front, understood it even more.
After receiving photographs from the Air Force and confirming that the remaining British and French troops were already very close, he said to the division commanders of the Third Armored Division and the Eleventh Infantry Division, "No matter the casualties, no matter the cost, the eastern district must be taken before the day after tomorrow."
The next day, Germany's offensive became even fiercer.
Tanks pushed toward the eastern district regardless of losses, and by noon, the tactical space of the British and French troops had been compressed even further.
Several shells even exploded beside Gort's command center.
"Sir, we must retreat."
The adjutant urged him repeatedly.
"The German Army has gone mad. They are still advancing even if they have to drive over landmines. At this rate, the city's defensive line will completely collapse by dusk."
"The forty thousand troops can only maintain the defense line near the coast. We have already lost control of the urban area."
His voice tightened.
"Tonight is the last ship."
Gort nodded slowly.
"Can the forty thousand men disengage from combat?"
The adjutant shook his head.
"No, sir. Those forty thousand men are the last rearguard. If they all leave, then no one will make it."
He lowered his voice.
"If those forty thousand are sacrificed, at least the remaining ten thousand still have a chance to evacuate."
"Then…"
Gort took a deep breath.
"Organize the retreat."
The German Army's speed was too fast.
They had rushed toward Dunkirk almost without hesitation. If he had three more days, Gort was confident he could evacuate everyone back to London.
But there were no ifs on the battlefield.
Only forty thousand men had been evacuated.
This operation was undoubtedly a complete failure.
That afternoon, the remaining ten thousand reserve troops stood in the seawater.
Because the pontoon bridges and seawalls had all been destroyed, they could only rely on this method to climb one by one onto the ships using rope ladders lowered from cargo vessels.
There was still a great deal of space on the cargo ships.
But there was no room left for the other forty thousand men.
Those men were fighting fiercely on the defensive line inside the city.
The evacuation spots were left for fleeing residents.
As soon as darkness fell, the ships set sail.
Looking back at Dunkirk, now blazing with fire behind him, Gort's heart could not calm for a long time.
Their departure also meant that nearly two hundred thousand men had fallen into the German Army's encirclement.
Just after midnight, after confirming that the General Headquarters and the remaining troops had all evacuated, the defending force, numbering just over thirty thousand, chose to surrender.
This also meant that the final ferry crossing to London had been cut off by Germany.
Upon hearing the news, Carter, who was commanding the evacuation of the one hundred and forty thousand British and French troops, was completely stunned.
He could only call Paris again and again, requesting a new evacuation plan.
Paris.
Churchill had completely run out of ideas.
The only way he could think of to save those one hundred and forty thousand men was Belgium.
But Belgium's attitude was very firm.
Was there any way to make them relent?
After thinking for a long time, Churchill came up with a plan that could barely be called a plan.
Move the one hundred and forty thousand troops to the Belgian border.
After all, they were going to be surrounded and annihilated anyway.
Rather than let them die uselessly in the open, it was better to use those one hundred and forty thousand men to pressure Belgium directly and make one final attempt.
If Belgium relented, the troops could be transported back to London through Belgian ports.
If Belgium refused, it would only offend a neutral country that leaned toward Germany.
It should not create too great a change in the overall war situation.
Thinking of this, Churchill turned to Montgomery and said, "Order General Carter to immediately move the Army toward the Belgian coastal border region."
His voice was heavy.
"This is their last chance."
.....
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