1940 20th May
Battle of Dunkirk
Reaches the Channel Coast
Second World War · permanent subject timeline
Battle of Dunkirk
The fighting and evacuation around Dunkirk in May and June 1940. This page combines historical context with 12 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database World War II battle archive.
Historical context
Battle of Dunkirk: overview and significance
What happened?
Allied forces cut off in northern France withdrew toward Dunkirk as German forces reached the Channel. Operation Dynamo evacuated British and Allied troops by naval vessels and civilian craft under continuing air and ground pressure.
Why was it important?
The evacuation preserved a large part of the British Expeditionary Force and many Allied soldiers, allowing Britain to rebuild its army. Strategically, however, the operation accompanied a major Allied defeat in France.
World History Database records
Battle of Dunkirk timeline
The records below are selected from the 797-record World War II battles archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1940
1940 21st May
Battle of Dunkirk
An Allied counter-attack briefly stops the Germans
1940 23rd May
Battle of Dunkirk
Drafts a "halt order" after concerns about the Allied counter-attack at Arras
1940 24th May
Battle of Dunkirk
1st Panzer Division breaches the Aa Canal, 15 kilometers from Dunkirk
1940 24th May
Battle of Dunkirk
Hitler orders the left wing to stop, it is forbidden to cross the Aa
1940 24th May
Battle of Dunkirk
"Dunkirk is to be left to the Luftwaffe". A "Fuhrer order" is issued from Rundstedts HQ forbidding the left to cross the Aa
1940 24th May
Battle of Dunkirk
Explains to Hitler his concerns about the Allied counter-attack at Arras. A "Fuhrer order" is issued from Rundstedts HQ forbidding the left to cross the Aa
1940 24th May
Battle of Dunkirk
Halts his forces behind Dunkirk to allow the Luftwaffe the finishing blow
1940 26th May
Battle of Dunkirk
The "halt order" is lifted & the Panzers resume their advance
1940 26th May
Battle of Dunkirk
The "halt order" is lifted & the Panzers resume their advance
1940 4th June
Battle of Dunkirk
The French rearguard surrenders
1940
Battle of Dunkirk
When the Allied resistance collapsed, works closely with Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, the commander of 11 Fighter Group, in organizing cover for the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Second World War records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Imperial War Museums · National WWII Museum · Australian War Memorial
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