The History of WWII Podcast XX
[0] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[1] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.
[2] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[3] What do they know?
[4] What are their skills?
[5] And what would you do in their position?
[6] Vengeance felt good seeing these.
[7] People paid for what they'd done, felt righteous.
[8] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.
[9] This episode is dedicated to my brother, Donald Harris, of the United States Army, a hero in every sense of the word.
[10] Hello, and thank you for listening to a History of World War II podcast, episode 28, Those Little Ships.
[11] The military ships of the British Navy had done all they could, but there simply weren't enough of them to save the men in the time estimated the Allies had left before the Germans broke through.
[12] So word went out, and hundreds of privately owned ships of all kinds answered the call.
[13] At 10 p .m. on May 29th, the first convoy of little private ships left Ramsgate.
[14] In tow were eight ships with no navigational instruments, but Lieutenant R .H. Irving, skipper of the motorboat Triton, knew the way.
[15] But before they had gone too far, three boats had to turn back due to engine trouble.
[16] The rest made it to La Pond.
[17] Fortunately, this was not a sign of things to come.
[18] At 1 a .m. on May 30th, another convoy left Ramsgate.
[19] This contained 19 ships, led by the Belgian ferry Easer.
[20] And the flow of privately owned ships only increased.
[21] By the late afternoon of May 30th, it was hard to tell one convoy from another.
[22] And this continued.
[23] All during the night of the 30th and the day of the 31st, the little ships went back and forth, picking up grateful men.
[24] Most convoys had one armed tug or scoot for protection.
[25] And although the English Channel is known for being nasty, It had remained calm for the last three days.
[26] But even better, on the 30th, a heavy mist settled in over the channel that left the Luftwaffe grounded.
[27] The goddess fortune was cradling the little ships, for the most part.
[28] At the Flager Corps, where General Major von Richthofen was, it was sunny and clear.
[29] Exasperated, he ordered Major de Nort of the 2nd Stuka Squadron to try to harass the ships and beaches.
[30] Dunnort dutifully took off, but landed in ten minutes and reported heavy fog.
[31] But it wasn't the planes Ramsey, Tennant, Wade Walker, or Churchill had to worry about.
[32] The convoys, manned by civilians, were full of inexperienced sailors.
[33] Knowing how to sail was one thing.
[34] Knowing how to react to and progress with a major evacuation at a time of war was another thing.
[35] The men of the Navy had done everything they could or were allowed to do.
[36] but there simply weren't enough of them to get the soldiers off the beaches quickly enough.
[37] It was not failure on their part, but simply a matter of numbers and time.
[38] Going back and forth, some of these patriotic but inexperienced men almost didn't finish their first voyage.
[39] The little ships, on more than one occasion, almost ran into the masts of sunken ships.
[40] Also, Destroyers, diligently doing their best for king and country, mistook the smalls, as the little boats were called, for snail boots.
[41] The nervous or inexperienced signalmen had to flash the appropriate signal to stop from being fired upon.
[42] There were more than a few close calls.
[43] And finally, the sailors found out the hard way that most compasses were off or had not been reset since being laid up.
[44] But the men in the ship survived their first trek across the channel.
[45] And once on station, the little ships acted as ferries, taking the men to waiting larger ships or destroyers.
[46] This was the bottleneck.
[47] This had to be overcome, or the evacuation was a mental exercise and some maps.
[48] May 30th.
[49] The beaches at Bray Dunes were mostly covered with French soldiers now, waiting to be picked up.
[50] Some of the private British ships picked them up, but then moved west, looking for their own kind.
[51] They heard rumors about British soldiers further along and were keen to save their countrymen.
[52] Of course, problems kept coming.
[53] The Germans were now within artillery range on almost every part of the Allied perimeter.
[54] The beaches were now exploding as shells hit.
[55] And although the sand lessened the intensity of the blast, the waiting men or ships that came in would never know when a section of beach or surf would explode.
[56] To increase their accuracy, The Germans used an observational balloon to direct the fire.
[57] For some of the rescued men, the day was surreal.
[58] As they came aboard some vessels, they were treated to a taste of home, as some ships played the BBC's children's hour.
[59] The greatest challenge to these volunteers was as those who came before them, being swamped by desperate Allied troops.
[60] But most of the men quickly learned how to deal with the onrushing soldiers.
[61] They would see men wading or swimming toward them through the water and pulling close, but not too close to pick them up.
[62] At times they had to pull back to save themselves and their boat.
[63] The men carrying small arms would get angry, but then understand.
[64] The idea of being left behind for the next boat calmed most of the anxious soldiers.
[65] And showing their mettle, most of the men in the boats worked 17 hours straight on their first voyage.
[66] They pushed themselves until a lack of fuel made them head for home.
[67] But they still had to make that journey without charts.
[68] Hopefully someone more knowledgeable or possessing charts would lead the way.
[69] When the time came, the motor launch Silver Queen was ready to take the lead.
[70] She was fast, but she did not have the proper charts.
[71] Somehow she got turned around and approached Calais.
[72] She took fire from the beach, but escaped.
[73] Seemingly without damage and made it home.
[74] But then she sank while tied alongside a pier.
[75] But for all of this, the new recruits found that the most dangerous time was at the beaches.
[76] Shells were coming in, the Luftwaffe's bombs came down, and by now the breeze was up and the surf grew stronger.
[77] So loading and unloading men, even when they were calm, was now trickier.
[78] Between the surf, panicked men, and the slowing embarkation rate, something was needed.
[79] It was time for some British ingenuity.
[80] On the beaches of Lepin, Lieutenant Dibbins of the military police had been pondering this problem for days.
[81] What was clearly needed was another mole or pier, but how to construct it and with what?
[82] It was then he really saw for the first time what was in front of him.
[83] Hundreds of lorries and trucks abandoned and scattered all over the place, but they had been purposefully ruined.
[84] To make this work, he needed manpower, but there just happened to be thousands of men...
[85] standing idly by.
[86] Dippins started walking up and down the beach, shouting for volunteers.
[87] A Captain Sykes of the 250th Field Company Royal Engineers stepped up.
[88] What was needed, he asked.
[89] Dippins had no authority to order the captain about.
[90] Instead, he made the superior officer a deal.
[91] Help him build a mole or breakwater out of the lorries, and he and his men could be the first ones to use it.
[92] Captain Sykes agreed.
[93] He got some men who, Once they understood what was being asked, were only too happy to help.
[94] Despite their long march to the beach, spending last evening with the Luftwaffe, and the news of their many losses, desertions, and officers killed, they got to work.
[95] They pushed and pulled the lorries into place, side by side, making a line into the sea.
[96] It took a while, because what had been a 250 -man unit was now only 30 to 40 men.
[97] But they kept at it.
[98] pushing the lorries into place and loading them with sandbags, and then shooting out their tires for stability.
[99] Knowing thousands of men would end up using this, if it worked, they gathered boards from ruined ships to make a walkway on top of the lined -up vehicles.
[100] The Provost Jetty, as it was called, was a success.
[101] Finished that afternoon of May 30th, it was used that evening, that night, and all the next day.
[102] The small boat saw what was happening and picked up the men at the end and ferried them out to the ships.
[103] Over the years, many men have taken credit for the Provost jetty, but German aerial photos show at least ten jetties being made between May 30th and 31st, between Malo Le Bain and Le Pan.
[104] Clearly, the inspiration for another option for the men had come into many minds.
[105] With most of the men now inside the perimeter, it was fully manned.
[106] A ring of artillery outlined the Allied perimeter.
[107] Everyone was expected and ordered to head for the beach.
[108] The majority of the regular army was coming to the beach now.
[109] Discipline went up, and panicked rushes at the boats went down.
[110] So between the mole with all its damage and the jetties on the beach, the rate of men making it to the waiting ships increased.
[111] Big Canadian Clouston was still there, and at one point had the men on the mole trotting to keep up with the waiting ships.
[112] The late afternoon only saw an increase in rescued men as all the modern destroyers were returned to Ramsey, and therefore to Dunkirk.
[113] Earlier that day, Ramsey of the Dynamo Room called Admiral Pound and said he needed the destroyers back.
[114] The lack of protection for the hundreds of private ships was now the bottleneck, and therefore...
[115] the next big issue to be overcome.
[116] The conversation got heated, but in the end, Pound relented.
[117] At 3 .30 p .m., the destroyers set out for Dunkirk.
[118] But the fickle goddess Fortuna was still around.
[119] Everything was clicking on the mole.
[120] Clauston had at least 24 ,000 men trot past him on the 30th, and a few thousand more than that left via the beaches.
[121] But now, the German artillery batteries were firing on Dunkirk Beach from Gravelines.
[122] However, the mole was just out of range, and the weather still had the numerous German bombers grounded.
[123] The many civilian ships saw few German planes that day.
[124] All this good news had the desired effect on the beach.
[125] The men were in much better spirits, more calm, and beginning to relax.
[126] And with the weather being bad for flying, even more ships came for them, and the embarkation rate increased.
[127] Between the mole and the beaches, just over 53 ,000 men were heading home by the end of the 30th.
[128] Although there were many factors involved, the little ships played a large role.
[129] But the god of war Mars was still around as well.
[130] A French destroyer hit a mine and lost some 150 men.
[131] Later that evening, another French destroyer was torpedoed by S -boats.
[132] The damage to the ship led off a cloud of steam, which was noticed by a nearby bomber.
[133] The bomber flew over and its bombs hit the stern and ignited the armor in the hold.
[134] There was a huge explosion, a 200 -foot flame, and the ship and crew were gone.
[135] But most of the ships reached southern Britain in safety.
[136] Passengers landed in Dover and other southeastern coastal ports.
[137] They would then steer towards trains, off to rest and warm food.
[138] Only now, on the evening of the 30th, was any official announcement made.
[139] about the evacuation.
[140] Of the many evacuees on May 30th, they consisted of the common soldiers and their immediate officers.
[141] But now, it was the turn of the leader of the BEF, General Gort, and his staff.
[142] Gort would be leaving the next day, but this almost wasn't the case.
[143] In the early morning of May 30th, London found out that Gort did not want to leave.
[144] Churchill was flabbergasted.
[145] Why would Gort let himself be captured by the Germans?
[146] It was bad enough Hitler was having one military victory after another.
[147] Why hand him a political victory as well?
[148] Churchill sent a stern communiqué to Gort.
[149] We will determine when you leave.
[150] Designate someone to take over and be ready to embark.
[151] Then tell the next in command to fight on, but to surrender when needed to stop a slaughter.
[152] Consult with the French on this.
[153] This was how the leader of the BEF found out he would be embarking at 6 p .m. on May 31st.
[154] Gort read out this note at 6 p .m. on the 30th to the 1st Corps Commander Barker and the 2nd Corps Commander.
[155] Around 8 p .m., as Gort was getting ready to leave, he got a visitor, Admiral Wake Walker.
[156] Wake Walker wanted to discuss improving communications between the BEF and Dover.
[157] Gort had every intention of following Churchill's orders.
[158] but he made time to talk to this latest representative of Ramsey.
[159] The talk started smoothly enough between the two branches, but then Wick Walker found out that the Army had an attitude of their job being done.
[160] It was time for the Navy to take over.
[161] The Army, seeing the Navy in a supportive role, wanted the ships to go to the men.
[162] Wick Walker, like Ramsey and Tennant, wanted what was most efficient.
[163] Although this issue was unsettled, the topic switched to the embarkation of the rear guard at the end of the operation.
[164] Earlier, the British Army and the BEF in the person of Lord Gort expected Operation Dynamo to be possible until the night of May 31st, June 1st, because that's how long the BEF was expecting to hold out.
[165] Ramsey at Dover had promised to do his part.
[166] He had Wake Walker tell those who needed to know that a whole new armada of private ships was ready to go.
[167] The rear guard was expected to be composed of about 5 ,000 men.
[168] Of course, at the end of May 30th, there were still tens of thousands of men to be picked up.
[169] Wake Walker headed to the beach at 10 p .m. that night.
[170] General Headquarters at Dunkirk sent a report to the War Office in London at 11 .20 p .m. They said six divisions were left and the eastern side should be cleared.
[171] by the night of May 31st, June 1st.
[172] But, at 11 .59pm, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Dill, called from London.
[173] Dill's message negated all the planning by the BEF.
[174] Dill told Gort the Prime Minister wanted to get as many French evacuated as possible.
[175] He insisted on equality.
[176] Churchill then got on the phone and reinstated all that had been said.
[177] The officers at Dunkirk were stunned.
[178] Their planning was out the window.
[179] Instead of ending this mess on the night of May 31st, June 1st, they now had to help the French army embark, and in equal numbers.
[180] The British, being as nationalistic as anyone else, could only think that, for each French soldier picked up, there would be one less British fighting man brought home.
[181] And wasn't it pretty much over for France anyway?
[182] Clearly, their plans to wrap this up on June 1st.
[183] would have to be reworked.
[184] But what very few knew was that on May 29th, when 47 ,000 men were evacuated, only 655 of them were French.
[185] Gort, who had fought with his men, did not want to give up any of their seats to the Frenchmen, and it was probably best he was heading home.
[186] In the cables he sent out before leaving, he positively fought against giving the French equal opportunity.
[187] But Churchill, allied with the French, had political as well as military considerations.
[188] The situation for the French improved the next day, but was still completely unacceptable.
[189] Ramsey gave out the figures for the 30th.
[190] 45 ,207 British were saved, compared to 8 ,616 French.
[191] Churchill, while mulling this equality issue over, had been bombarded with pro -British views by his countrymen.
[192] But at midnight on May 30th, he decided there would be equal numbers of evacuation from now on.
[193] Churchill got on the phone and said this was important politically.
[194] Paris was already full of rumors about Britain abandoning France.
[195] Britain needed a content France for future use.
[196] May 31st Churchill flew again to Paris the morning of May 31st.
[197] By 2 p .m., he was seated in the French Ministry of War.
[198] He had been here several times since May 10th.
[199] This was the first time the group was joined by Marshal Pétain.
[200] Of course, General Vega was there looking after military affairs, as was his purview, but he was also keenly sensitive to the political situation, and that should have been left to Renault.
[201] The same could be said at Baton.
[202] Churchill started the conversation by saying 165 ,000 men had been taken safely so far.
[203] Vega immediately asked, but how many French?
[204] Churchill, embarrassed by the answer he was about to give, talked of other issues for a while and then answered about 15 ,000.
[205] Premier Reynaud was shocked.
[206] He said he couldn't face the French public with those numbers, and Churchill agreed.
[207] He announced that the three British divisions would stay with the French troops until the evacuation was complete.
[208] Tennant would be sent a telegram stating that British soldiers would be used as the rear guard.
[209] To impress his audience even more, Churchill jumped to his feet.
[210] and talked in his abrasive French.
[211] Partillage bras desous, bras desous.
[212] While saying this, he was gesturing that the British and the French would be arm in arm.
[213] But the final draft, written in London, said the British would act as a rear guard as long as possible.
[214] The difference was subtle on paper, but would be less so on the beaches.
[215] And finally, that the French Admiral Abrial was in overall command.
[216] Premier Renaud was caught in the middle.
[217] On one side, Marshal Patin, highly respected, was rumored to be desiring a separate peace, and he hated the British.
[218] Vega was all over the place, but certainly not for keeping the resistance going.
[219] He was focused on after the war.
[220] On the other side was de Gaulle.
[221] He was for fighting and resisting no matter what.
[222] He wanted the government moved to North Africa, along with enough troops to continue the fight.
[223] Renault, understandably caught in between these powerful personalities, told each man, what they wanted to hear.
[224] Lord Gort, who was getting ready to leave all this behind, was also getting ready to argue the point of each country taking care of their own, when it was made clear to him that Churchill's decision meant equality from now on.
[225] Of course, the British on the beach saw all of this as bad news.
[226] He and his successor were expected to hold out longer than originally planned.
[227] But how much longer?
[228] He had recently found out that the Germans were planning a big attack on Furness.
[229] which is located in the southeast corner of the Allied perimeter.
[230] But at 9 a .m. on May 31st, Gort got a phone call from Anthony Eden, the Secretary of War.
[231] Eden told Gort to use his judgment.
[232] London wanted no useless sacrifices.
[233] In other words, do what you can as long as it was safe.
[234] Obviously, Eden and Churchill did not see eye to eye on this.
[235] Very relieved, Gort, who didn't know what Churchill was saying to the French, drove to Dunkirk and met with Admiral Abrial at 10 a .m. at Bastion 32.
[236] Also in attendance was General Fagal, who was in charge of the French forces in the perimeter.
[237] With him were the respected French troops that had survived Lille.
[238] Welcome to True Spies.
[239] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[240] Suddenly out of the dark, it's appeared in love.
[241] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[242] What do they know?
[243] What are their skills?
[244] And what would you do in their position?
[245] Vengeance felt good.
[246] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[247] True Spies from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.
[248] Gort had his staff head to the beach first.
[249] He would meet with Abriel, more or less, alone.
[250] But having heard from Eden, Gort was less confrontational with Abriel and enthusiastically talked of equal numbers.
[251] His duty to the ally done, Gort then returned to Lepan and called in General Alexander.
[252] The departing leader of the BEF told Alexander that he, not Barker, would take over.
[253] It's not sure if Gort, who rarely took advice from anyone, took into consideration Monty's doubts about Barker.
[254] General Alexander would be the commander of the 1st Corps with three weak divisions.
[255] So technically, Alexander would be under Abrial, but with an escape clause.
[256] If needed, Alexander could call on London.
[257] So it was done.
[258] Command of the BEF had been passed on.
[259] Technically, Gort's command and replacement became official at 6 p .m. that day on the 31st.
[260] But really, it started right now for a smoother transition.
[261] So now it was Alexander's turn to visit Abriel and General Fagal at Dunkirk.
[262] No one has been able to prove if there was a secret plan, miscommunication, or if the French were waiting for the intractable Gort to leave, but the meeting between Alexander and the French did not go well.
[263] The French wanted to hold the beach indefinitely, and they wanted the British rearguard to participate.
[264] The British wanted out.
[265] The French were pulling rank, and it's quite possible Vega's hand was in this, but Alexander had his out.
[266] He called London.
[267] Mercifully, London replied to Alexander, the plan was to finish up the evacuation on the night of June 1st through 2nd.
[268] Alexander told Abriel this, who then countered, if the British leave, the port will be lost.
[269] The French did not have the troops needed to hold on, and they could not get reinforcements past the River Somme to the south.
[270] Alexander felt obligated to reply he would talk to London.
[271] So at 7 .15pm May 31st, Alexander reached Eden.
[272] Eden, bless his British soul, replied, Alexander and the rear guard were to withdraw ASAP, but at a 50 -50 rate.
[273] The evacuation was to end the night of June 1st through 2nd.
[274] Alexander, relieved, put on his poker face and went back to Bastion 32.
[275] While Alexander was gone, Abriel called Venga.
[276] Venga, who was not happy and possibly playing his own game, called London.
[277] While Venga waited for a reply, Alexander returned.
[278] He told Abriel he would hold his section until 11 .59 p .m., June 1st, as ordered.
[279] He would then withdraw to the beaches in darkness.
[280] The French were welcome to come along and share the British ships.
[281] Abriel, not hearing from Venga yet, agreed.
[282] To Alexander, the military man, This political shell game was too much.
[283] Exhausted, he decided it was too late to go back to Lepan.
[284] So at 11 p .m. May 31st, Alexander slept at Bastion 32 on the stone floor.
[285] Gort was scheduled to leave at 6 p .m. The evacuation was now Alexander's headache.
[286] But typical of Dunkirk, the orders to pick up Gort were confused, or not followed.
[287] Gort left his villa at 6 p .m., but for some reason...
[288] He and his staff did not head for the designated area.
[289] He was separated from his men, and ultimately, Gort left on the minesweeper Heeb, his staff departed on the destroyer Keith, and his batman, or servant, driver, and luggage went on the motor yacht Thiel.
[290] Gort came aboard, said hello to the skipper, and probably had something to say for posterity.
[291] But at that moment, all hell broke loose.
[292] The sky had finally cleared enough for the Luftwaffe to take to the skies.
[293] There would be ten raids that evening, but Gort was done with his duties.
[294] He left off whatever he was about to say and just sat down and watched the skies through binoculars.
[295] This was for the Navy to handle.
[296] But after the raid was over, the Hebe waited where it was and took on all the men it could hold, then headed for home.
[297] I can only imagine that Gort was in full agreement with this.
[298] Due to the confusion, London did not know where Gort was.
[299] But to make it more confusing, Gort decided to take a launch to find the Keith and be with his staff.
[300] So now, Wake Walker didn't know where Gort was and couldn't confirm his safety.
[301] But, just after midnight, the first minutes of June 1st, Gort emerged from the darkness and was reunited with his staff.
[302] He was then transferred to a speedboat and headed for Dover.
[303] At 6 .20 a .m. June 1st, Gort reached Admiralty Pier and got on a train for London.
[304] It was over, but for the men on the beaches, the embarkation was more complex.
[305] To back up a bit, as the sun came up on May 31st, the wind started blowing toward the shore for the first time since the evacuation started.
[306] The surf got nasty.
[307] The embarkation process got harder.
[308] At 10 .35 a .m., Wick Walker radioed over that the process on the beaches was slowing down.
[309] He offered his opinion that only the mole should be used.
[310] Tennant, giving the man on the water his way, agreed.
[311] So Wake Walker started steering the many little ships to the eastern mole.
[312] But again, Ramsey wanted everything used.
[313] The beaches were certainly slower than the mole, but there were numerous points along the beaches where the men could embark.
[314] For Ramsey, it was always about eliminating bottlenecks.
[315] At 11 .05 a .m., Wake Walker telegraphed Ramsey again and re -intimated that the mole was the only hope.
[316] But more importantly, it was being shelled from the west.
[317] Could the Admiral at Dover have those guns silenced?
[318] Up until May 31st, the German guns were mostly annoying.
[319] Luck, more than anything else, determined casualties.
[320] But now, the batteries had been moved to their side of Gravelines.
[321] It made a huge difference.
[322] Ships of the Mole had been harassed by the guns since 6 a .m. It took the prostrate men a few minutes to realize it did no good hiding from the planes.
[323] There were no planes.
[324] It could be easily argued that the Mole was blessed by some higher power.
[325] Bombed from the sky, shelled from gravelines, rammed by the minesweeper King Ori, its tip was beyond hope, but most of it was still there for the men, repaired, bandaged, and usable.
[326] At high tide, using the Mole to climb onto ships was dangerous enough, but at low tide, the ships' decks were fifteen feet from where the men stood.
[327] More ingenuity was apparent.
[328] as someone grabbed telephone poles and lowered them alongside the mole.
[329] But nothing was fastened together, so poles and ships moved with the water.
[330] The men had to climb down or slide down the pole to get to the ship.
[331] Of course, if someone missed and fell into the water, there was a good chance of being crushed between the bobbing boat and the stone wall.
[332] Equality was now enforced.
[333] But for the French, that meant dealing with what the British had gone through already.
[334] Specifically, fear, and the rushing and swamping of boats, thereby reducing the number of ways to get off the continent.
[335] But, Frenchmen were finally being picked up at the Mole, Bray Dunes, and La Pont.
[336] Some of the British ships heading out to save their countrymen had never been to sea before, but it was their very size or ability to cruise shallow waters that made them valuable to the Admiralty.
[337] Fire boats like the Massey Shaw would be able to get in close to the beaches, and so got the call or message from the Navy.
[338] It had no navigation, but made it to the continent.
[339] At first, as the Shaw approached the beach with her crew, it looked like an ordinary holiday, but soon, differences started standing out.
[340] Everyone on the beaches was male, and everyone was dressed in khakis.
[341] And what looked like small, strangely formed breakwaters were really men wading into the water, arms linked.
[342] But the Massey Shaw could only get so close.
[343] Her crew watched as the first three ships used to ferry men were swamped and lost.
[344] This part of the beach was soon just left with their small boat that could only carry six men besides the two needed.
[345] They would have to, like everyone else, make do.
[346] Back home, now that the word was out, even more private ships went to help, without checking in at Dover or Ramsgate.
[347] Their names were not recorded then.
[348] but only afterwards.
[349] Ships like the stylish yacht Quicksilver, or the Bonnie Heather, or the Dutch Eel Johanna.
[350] These freelancers, as Ramsey called them, left from ports along the southern coast, like Folkestone, Eastbourne, New Haven, and Brighton.
[351] Now, the French and Belgian fishing vessels made an appearance off the coast.
[352] Names like Pierre et Marie and René de Flau would always be remembered by the men they picked up.
[353] As the weather cleared the second half of the day, the German planes kept coming, often in groups of 50, coming in at 15 ,000 feet.
[354] They harassed destroyers and the larger ships until the RAF showed up and chased them away.
[355] The men on the ships blessed the pilots, but danger was all around the brave crews and their ships.
[356] There were always mines below and the shells from above.
[357] At 3 .30 a .m. on June 1st, the battlecruiser, renowned, had its engine give out.
[358] and it was being pulled by another ship.
[359] But then, the Renown brushed by a mine.
[360] There was a flash, a huge war flame, and the Renown and her crew were gone.
[361] On May 31st, 68 ,014 men were evacuated.
[362] Of that number, 10 ,842 were French.
[363] The French were sometimes making this operation more difficult than it had to be.
[364] Some insisted on taking all of their equipment, or staying with their units.
[365] Again, the mole seemed to be handling the lion's share of the work, but the lorry jetties were doing respectable work from the beaches.
[366] The destroyer Malcolm, mentioned a few times in the last few episodes, certainly did its part, going back and forth numerous times in a single day.
[367] But with the constant movement, its steam -filled engine room got to 140 to 150 degrees.
[368] By the end of May 31st, shipping was not the bottleneck it had been 24 hours ago.
[369] There were now enough ships for everyone, but there were always new problems to replace any before them that had been worked out.
[370] The RAF was doing its job when it was flying patrols over Dunkirk, but that wasn't always.
[371] In the late afternoon of May 31st, the German bombers were back and mostly unopposed.
[372] The shelling at La Pond had been more intense than before, and it dawned on Generals Alexander and Montgomery that if the eastern end of the perimeter gave way, the entire evacuation would be over.
[373] And General Bach's Army Group B was doing everything possible to make that happen.
[374] May 31st, the eastern perimeter.
[375] The eastern end was under constant pressure from German infantry, looking for that one point to penetrate.
[376] If they could find it or make it, then reinforcements could come in, widen it, and attack the defensive line from the sides.
[377] At 5 a .m. on May 31st, there had been penetration at Newport.
[378] German infantry crossed the canal in rubber boats, as they had in Sedan.
[379] But the British 1st East Surries rushed in to help their beleaguered sister battalion.
[380] But it literally took every man in the battalion to push the invaders back.
[381] Even the two battalion commanders manned a Bren gun.
[382] But the real test came at 20 minutes after noon on the 31st, three miles to the west, as the Surrey battalions were desperately holding on.
[383] The British discovered that the Germans had found their penetration point and were pouring over the canal.
[384] Reinforcements in the form of the cracked 2nd Grenadier guards were sent in to contain the Germans.
[385] But it was then that a 2nd Lieutenant Jones witnessed two battalions who were utterly exhausted, pulling themselves out of the line on their own authority.
[386] If they left, the 2nd Grenadier guards would be surrounded.
[387] Jones tried to explain the situation to the frightened men.
[388] but they would not turn around.
[389] So Jones had no choice.
[390] He shot a few of the more panicked men, and the rest were turned around by bayonet.
[391] Jones called for help, got the men in line, and the Germans were held back.
[392] The men calmed down, and morale returned.
[393] Unable to break the British here, the Germans moved their attempt southwest to Furness.
[394] They managed to cross the canal at Boulescombe, but were held up.
[395] The standard way to deal with a stubborn defense was with an artillery barrage, so the British were shelled by the determined Germans.
[396] By dusk, the British infantry had had enough.
[397] They gave ground, but slowly, in an organized fashion.
[398] The area they held was shrinking, but the line was not broken.
[399] General Bach knew he was expected to break the line in his area of attack and tried again.
[400] That evening, he returned his main attack again to Newport.
[401] The East Surys had been through hell that day and were exhausted.
[402] They knew they wouldn't win this time, as the Germans massed before them, but they were determined to try.
[403] However, right before the German infantry attacked, 18 RAF bombers, being supported by six fighters, flew in from the sea and smashed the German infantry.
[404] Thankfully, the situation on the western side of the Allied perimeter was less desperate.
[405] The defensive line from Fort Mardyke three miles west of Dunkirk, goes on a southeasterly line towards the town of Berghese, which was in French hands.
[406] Berghese is a few miles south and just east of Dunkirk.
[407] Fortunately for the French 68th Division, there was a series of ditches to help them make a stand.
[408] The town of Berghese itself was manned by both British and French troops.
[409] They were both pleasantly surprised to find the medieval walls of the ancient city.
[410] handle the German shells rather effectively.
[411] To the east of this town, the Berghese -Furness Canal Line was used as the Allies' southern perimeter.
[412] It was mostly flat so the Allies could see if the Germans were coming.
[413] Of course, the Allies were out in the open as well.
[414] Although not attacked with any intensity, the shelling was constant.
[415] Rust was only possible if one could sleep through a bombardment every 15 minutes.
[416] Some of the men along the line were able to pick up the BBC.
[417] They heard that by this time, two -thirds of the British Expeditionary Force was safely back in Britain.
[418] Of course, by hearing this, the men realized that they were part of the rear guard and the chances of them getting home were shrinking by the hour.
[419] But good news soon came to the men listening to the radio.
[420] After nightfall, the non -commissioned officers were told that they and their men were going home.
[421] After planning out the route to be taken, the men started pulling back at 10 p .m. on May 31st.
[422] The men pulled out according to plan, and things went smoothly.
[423] Of course, that's no surprise, since they had been retreating since the dial line and had gotten good at it.
[424] Normally, the trick was maintaining silence, but with the explosions of the German guns aiding them, the men had no trouble retreating.
[425] By 2 .30 a .m. on June 1st, the men were gone from the defensive line.
[426] The same could be said all along the canal line.
[427] The men walked for a while, then loaded into trucks to head for the beach.
[428] Once the men were close enough, the trucks were abandoned.
[429] The vehicles were dealt with as many others had been.
[430] A quick bullet into the radiator while running would eventually cause the motor to seize.
[431] All along the eastern end of the perimeter, the orders went out to make for Lapan.
[432] Heading for the beach, an eerie silence dominated everything.
[433] Then, flares lit up the sky, town, or village the men were in, and artillery, like never before, landed everywhere.
[434] Men ran for cover, wherever they thought would work.
[435] After an hour and a half, the word went round.
[436] Make for the beach.
[437] Don't stop for anything.
[438] Leave the wounded behind.
[439] They would be attended by medical orderlies.
[440] So at 2 .45 a .m., June 1st, the gun stopped for a moment, and every man took to his heels.
[441] The sound of thousands of boots running on broken glass would have easily given their positions away if the German artillery didn't already know where they were.
[442] Soon the sound changed as the men made it to the beach.
[443] Now thousands of boots were crunching in the sand.
[444] The shelling then started again, but this time it landed where the men were going.
[445] It was as if the Germans knew their plans.
[446] Once the men made it to the surf, though, it was time for another surprise.
[447] No one was waiting for them to tell them where to go.
[448] Also, there wasn't a single ship waiting either.
[449] The men of higher rank knew that Le Pond could not be held past 4 a .m. that morning.
[450] With the light, the Germans would figure out about the retreat and push with everything they had.
[451] One of the officers estimated that there were still 6 ,000 men coming to the beach.
[452] The men soon found a Lieutenant Commander McClellan, the senior naval officer at Le Pond.
[453] He told them, yes, there should have been ships there, but no, he didn't think any would be showing up.
[454] It was decided that all able men would head west towards Dunkirk.
[455] The German guns found the men again and were making waiting around impossible.
[456] So the men started west, but some tried out a lorry jetty as they came across it.
[457] The wounded were left behind.
[458] The rear guard was moving out.
[459] After covering two miles, coming closer to Bray Dunes, Lieutenant Commander McClellan saw three ships, but they were dark and quiet.
[460] Some of the men, more panicked and impatient than others, shot a few rounds into the air to give the ship's attention.
[461] Still nothing.
[462] Finally, McClellan decided to make up for the Navy letting these men down.
[463] He walked into the water and swam for the ships.
[464] When he got there, he was hauled aboard.
[465] He was exhausted.
[466] demoralized, and a shell had nicked his left ankle.
[467] He managed to say that Lepon was empty, and all ships should focus on the beaches west of it.
[468] Commander Ross of the minesweeper Gossamer was happy to have this news.
[469] He and his were assigned to getting the rear guard back home.
[470] Now they had something to do.
[471] The plan for fetching the rear guard was painstakingly worked out in every detail, except the part about chance.
[472] The rear guard was unable to hold the Germans back and started retreating before schedule.
[473] No one could blame them, but it meant they missed their time and place to be picked up.
[474] Strangely, the Germans knew more about the plans to evacuate the rear guard than the men themselves.
[475] A radio interception allowed the Germans to realize what was going on and to make plans to stop the BEF from getting away.
[476] General Georges van Koeckler's 18th Army was ready to pounce on the BEF if they tried to get away.
[477] The plan was to try to get the British to sit still by freezing them with regular artillery fire.
[478] Thus, the artillery barrages at regular intervals experienced by the Allies.
[479] The next part of the plan was to see if, indeed, the British started moving out at dawn on June 1st.
[480] But besides the artillery, nothing worked out as planned for the attackers.
[481] It wasn't a rare occasion of unorganization or implementation of orders at fault.
[482] Many German officers were now simply focused on Fall Rot, or Operation Red.
[483] Red was the next part of Germany's plans to take France out of the war.
[484] It would start in six days.
[485] The units along the River Somme were readying themselves for another great adventure, but resting as well.
[486] General Rundstedt, commanding officer of Army Group A, already had all of his attention on attacking France proper.
[487] General Bach of Army Group B had just received orders for the new dispositions of his men in order to get them ready for the drive on Paris.
[488] Intellectually, the German high command and generals in the field knew it was a bad idea to let the British escape, but there was so much to do, so much to plan.
[489] The war in the West wasn't over, but it was going well enough.
[490] Besides, there were ten battle -hardened divisions pushing against a few thousand Allied troops.
[491] In reality, it was all but over.
[492] So uncharacteristically, but also unintentionally, the Germans had an unorganized approach to Dunkirk.
[493] This was recognized and had to be changed, so General Kugler's 18th Army was put in charge of stopping the evacuation.
[494] Kugler's plan was simple and direct.
[495] He would have the BEF and French forces bombarded by artillery throughout May 31st and all during the first part of June 1st.
[496] Then at 11 a .m. June 1st, the final charge would begin with help from General Keller's Flicker Corps 4.
[497] So even when the Germans found out through the radio interception that the British were pulling out of the eastern end of the perimeter, they did not attack like they should have.
[498] The plan was already made and set.
[499] Of course, the British on the beaches did not know this.
[500] So according to plan, the Allies were shelled like never before and the Luftwaffe got ready to join into the fray.
[501] But ground fog ruined almost every flight attempt on the 30th and most attempts on the 31st.
[502] But June 1st looked like it was going to be a clear, bright day for the beaches and for the Luftwaffe.
[503] On May 30th, the number of evacuated men from the beaches was 29 ,512.
[504] The number evacuated from the mole was 24 ,311 for a total of 53 ,823.
[505] On May 31st, the number evacuated from the beaches was 22 ,942.
[506] The number evacuated from the mole was 45 ,072 for a total of 68 ,014.
[507] And so far, at the end of May 31st, the grand total was 194 ,620.
[508] So, before I let you go, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for those who donated or for those who wrote in and said something nice.
[509] I really appreciate it, and it means more to me than you will ever know.
[510] So, from me and mine, thank you.
[511] Thank you.
[512] Thank you.
[513] Thank you.
[514] Thank you.
[515] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[516] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.
[517] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[518] What do they know?
[519] What are their skills?
[520] And what would you do in their position?
[521] Vengeance felt good seeing these.
[522] People paid for what they'd done, felt righteous.
[523] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.