However, the offensive launched from the south of the Somme failed, and the position of the northern wing of the British expeditionary force commanded by Lord Gott was also in trouble because of the defeat of the Belgian army. On May 25, the British-French joint counterattack in northern Arras was defeated by the Germans; On May 26th, Charles de Gaulle, who was appointed as brigadier general temporarily, led the 4th armored division and six infantry battalions to launch a successful attack on Abuwell. However, due to the lack of reinforcements and air cover, his achievements were not consolidated. On May 27th, Belgium surrendered; On May 30th, Charles de Gaulle was forced to withdraw south. Due to the unfavorable development of the war, the British War Department ordered Lord Gott to open the passage to the seaside on May 26th, and ordered the British troops stationed in Calais to stick to it and give protection from the south, so as to "evacuate as many people as possible" from Dunkirk. At this time, many coastal ports have either fallen into the hands of the Germans or are within the range of German artillery fire. About 400,000 British and French troops were forced to shrink in a small pocket area around Dunkirk, with the sea in front and the pursuers behind. If the Germans continue to pursue, 400,000 British and French troops may be wiped out. Strangely, on May 24th, Hitler gave the order that the tank troops stay on the canal line and stop moving forward, which gave the Allies an unexpected and important breathing space and bought time for consolidating the bag-shaped positions around Dunkirk.
At 7 o'clock on the evening of May 26th, the British Admiralty, according to Churchill's instructions, issued a notice to start the Dunkirk retreat code-named "Generator Plan". 86 1 Ships of all types and powers, from cruisers and destroyers to small sailboats, have participated in the emergency action of the Allied withdrawal from Dunkirk. According to statistics, a total of 135438+00000 people were evacuated in the first four days; 7,669 people on May 27; No.28 1.7 people; 47,000 people on the 29th; On the 30th, 58,000 people. In these four days, the communiqué of the German high command repeatedly declared that "the fate of the French army in Artois has been decided" and that "the British army forced to retreat into the surrounding areas of Dunkirk is heading for destruction under our concentrated attack". The Germans think that only some ships have little influence on the allies who want to leave; But on May 30th, the German Army Commander-in-Chief Blauchic and the Chief of Staff finally discovered the great role and significance of these pitifully small ships. Under the desperate attack and fierce bombing, the pocket position of the allied forces remained motionless, and the Germans could only watch the allied forces flee to the other side of the English Channel under their own eyes.
Because the enemy had already noticed that there was no need to keep it secret, the British Admiralty simply publicly called on coastal residents to participate in rescue activities. Many people with boats came voluntarily to speed up the evacuation, and the number of evacuees reached more than 68,000 on May 3 1 day. On the same day, Churchill flew to Paris for the third time to attend the meeting of the Supreme Military Commission. The meeting decided that the allied forces would retreat from Narvik, Norway, to avoid further losses. And the plan to launch a joint air and sea attack on Italy once it enters the war. Churchill also tried to avoid misunderstanding by the French at the meeting, stressing that the British and French troops in Dunkirk "must retreat arm in arm with each other". He found that the enthusiasm and confidence of the French side to continue fighting was weaker than last time, especially Marshal Petain's cold and even hostile reaction.
Dunkirk's retreat continues. Colonel Pim, director of the Map Office of the Ministry of Lian Haijun, and two or three of his colleagues also drove a Dutch boat and brought back more than 800 people in four days. In order to inspire everyone's fighting spirit, Churchill issued a general order to government officials: "In this dark day, the Prime Minister will be grateful if all colleagues and important officials in the government can maintain high morale around them; This is not to reduce the seriousness of the situation, but to express our confidence in our ability. We have unshakable determination to continue fighting until the enemy's ambition to rule the whole of Europe is completely shattered. " By June 4th, a total of 338,000 British and French soldiers had been evacuated from Dunkirk to Britain. However, due to limited conditions, these troops only carried rifles and other light weapons, while most of the heavy weapons and a large number of quartermaster equipment had to stay in Dunkirk.