Dunkirk Evacuation in World War II

Dunkirk Evacuation in World War II Conflict The battle and evacuation of Dunkirk occurred during World War II. Dates Lord Gort made the decision to evacuate on May 25, 1940, and the last troops departed France on June 4. Armies Commanders: Allies General Lord GortGeneral Maxime Weygandapprox. 400,000 men Nazi Germany General Gerd von RundstedtGeneral Ewald von Kleistapprox. 800,000 men Background In the years prior to World War II, the French government invested heavily in series of fortifications along the German border known as the Maginot Line. It was thought that this would force any future German aggression north into Belgium where it could be defeated by the French Army while sparing French territory from the ravages of war. Between the end of the Maginot Line and where the French high command expected to meet the enemy lay the thick forest of the Ardennes.  Due to the difficulties of the terrain, French commanders in the early days of World War II did not believe that the Germans could move in force through the Ardennes and as a result, it was only lightly defended. As the Germans refined their plans for invading France, General Erich von Manstein successfully advocated for an armored thrust through the Ardennes. This attack he argued would take the enemy by surprise and allow for a rapid movement to the coast which would isolate Allied forces in Belgium and Flanders . On the night of May 9, 1940, German forces attacked into the Low Countries. Moving to their aid, French troops and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) were unable to prevent their fall. On May 14, German panzers tore through the Ardennes and began driving to the English Channel. Despite their best efforts, the BEF, Belgian, and French forces were unable to halt the German advance. This occurred even though the French Army had fully committed its strategic reserves to the fight. Six days later, German forces reached the coast, effectively cutting off the BEF as well as a large number of Allied troops. Turning north, German forces sought to capture the Channel ports before the Allies could evacuate. With the Germans at the coast,  Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay  met at Dover Castle to begin planning the evacuation of the BEF from the Continent. BEF responding aerial attack. Fox Photos/Getty Images Traveling to Army Group As headquarters at Charleville on May 24, Hitler urged its commander, General Gerd von Rundstedt, to press the attack. Assessing the situation, von Rundstedt advocated holding his armor west and south of Dunkirk, as the marshy terrain was unsuitable for armored operations and many units were worn down from advance west. Instead, von Rundstedt suggested using the infantry of Army Group B to finish off the BEF. This approach was agreed upon and it was decided that Army Group B would attack with strong aerial support from the Luftwaffe. This pause on the part of the Germans gave the Allies valuable time to construct defenses around the remaining Channel ports. The following day, the commander of the BEF, General Lord Gort, with the situation continuing to deteriorate, made the decision to evacuate from northern France. Planning the Evacuation Withdrawing, the BEF, with support from French and Belgian troops, established a perimeter around the port of Dunkirk. This location was chosen as the town was surrounded by marshes and possessed large sand beaches on which troops could gather prior to departure. Designated Operation Dynamo, the evacuation was to be carried out by a fleet of destroyers and merchant ships. Supplementing these ships, were over 700 little ships which largely consisted of fishing boats, pleasure craft, and smaller commercial vessels. To execute the evacuation, Ramsay and his staff marked out three routes for vessels to use between Dunkirk and Dover.  The shortest of these, Route Z, was 39 miles and was open to fire from German batteries.   In planning, it was hoped that 45,000 men could be rescued over two days, as it was expected that German interference would force the end of the operation after forty-eight hours. As the fleet began to arrive at Dunkirk, the soldiers commenced preparing for the voyage. Due to time and space concerns, almost all heavy equipment had to be abandoned.  As German air attacks worsened, the towns harbor facilities were destroyed.  As a result, departing troops boarded ships directly from the harbors moles (breakwaters) while others were forced to wade out to waiting boats off the beach. Commencing on May 27, Operation Dynamo rescued 7,669 men on the first day and 17,804 on the second. Escape Across the Channel British and French troops awaiting for evacuation. German forces were rapidly advancing and retreat to Britain was the only option. Historical/Getty Images   The operation continued as the perimeter around the port began to shrink and as the Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes of Air Vice Marshal Keith Parks No. 11 Group from the Royal Air Forces Fighter Command battled to keep German aircraft away from the embarkation areas. Hitting its stride, the evacuation effort began to peak as 47,310 men were rescued on May 29, followed by 120,927 over the next two days. This occurred despite a heavy Luftwaffe attack on the evening of the 29th and the reduction of the Dunkirk pocket to a five-kilometer strip on the 31st.  By this time, all BEF forces were within the defensive perimeter as was over half of the French First Army. Among those to leave on May 31 was Lord Gort who gave command of the British rearguard to Major General Harold Alexander. On June 1, 64,229 were taken off, with the British rearguard departing the next day. With German air attacks intensifying, daylight operations were ended and the evacuation ships were limited to running at night. Between June 3 and 4, an additional 52,921 Allied troops were rescued from the beaches. With the Germans only three miles from the harbor, the final Allied ship, the destroyer HMS Shikari, departed at 3:40 AM on June 4. The two French divisions left defending the perimeter were ultimately forced to surrender. Aftermath Troops of the British Expeditionary Force are greeted as they arrive home.   Hulton Deutsch/Getty Images   All told, 332,226 men were rescued from Dunkirk. Deemed a stunning success, Churchill cautiously advised â€Å"We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. During the operation, the British losses included 68,111 killed, wounded, and captured, as well as 243 ships (including 6 destroyers), 106 aircraft, 2,472 field guns, 63,879 vehicles, and 500,000 tons of supplies. Despite the heavy losses, the evacuation preserved the core of the British Army and made it available for the immediate defense of Britain. In addition, significant numbers of French, Dutch, Belgian, and Polish troops were rescued.

The Pros and Cons of Teaching in Block Schedules

The Pros and Cons of Teaching in Block Schedules Education is full of ideas like year-round schooling, vouchers, and block scheduling, so its important for administrators and educators to look at the pros and cons of an idea before implementing it. Strategies for one popular idea, block schedules, can  help make the transition easier and more effective. In block scheduling- unlike a traditional school day that typically has six 50-minute classes- the school might schedule two traditional days a week, with six 50-minute classes, and three nontraditional days, with only four classes that meet for 80 minutes each. Another type of block schedule that many schools use is called the 4X4 schedule, where students take four classes instead of six each quarter. Each yearlong class only meets for one semester. Each semester class only meets for a quarter. There are pros and cons to block schedules compared to traditional school scheduling. Block Scheduling Pros In block scheduling, a teacher sees fewer students during the day, thereby giving him or her the ability to spend more time with each one. Because of the increased span of teaching time, longer cooperative learning activities can be completed in one class period. There is more time for labs in science classes. Students also have less information to deal with during each school day, but over the course of a semester or quarter, they can delve more deeply into the curriculum of four classes, instead of six. Because of the decreased number of classes, students also have less homework on any given day. The teacher is able to provide more varied instruction during class, and he may find it easier to deal with students with disabilities and different learning styles. Planning periods are longer, allowing educators to spend more time preparing for classes and doing the administrative work required for teaching, such as grading, contacting parents, and meeting with fellow teachers. Block Scheduling Cons In a block schedule, teachers typically only see students four times a week- such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday- which means that students lose continuity on the days they dont see a given teacher. If a student misses a day under the block schedule, he is actually missing the equivalent of nearly two days compared to the traditional 50-minute-class schedule. No matter how well planned, on many days, the teacher can end up with 10 to 15 minutes of extra time, where students often begin their homework. When all of this time is added up at the end of the semester, the teacher covers less information and curriculum. In the 4X4 schedule, the teacher has to cover all of the required information in one quarter. In an economics class at a typical high school, for example, if the quarter happens to be during football season and while homecoming is occurring, the teacher can lose valuable class time due to interruptions. In the 4X4 schedule, it is especially difficult to cover the necessary material for Advanced Placement courses in the time allotted. To compensate, many schools have to extend United States history so that it is a two-part course and lasts the entire year in order for the teacher to cover all of the required material. Strategies for Teaching Under the Block Schedule When used in the proper setting with the right students and a well-prepared teacher, block scheduling can be very useful. However, schools need to keep a close eye on such things as test scores and discipline problems to see if the schedule has any noticeable effect. In the end, it is important to remember that good teachers are just that; regardless of what schedule they teach under, they adapt. Though block schedule classes are longer than traditional class periods,  lecturing  for 80 minutes will likely cause any teacher to become hoarse over the course of a few days and possibly lose the attention of students, resulting in decreased learning.  Instead,  teachers should vary their instruction in a block schedule, using teaching techniques such as debates,  whole group discussions, role-plays, simulations, and other  cooperative learning activities. Other strategies for block schedule teaching include: Engaging Howard Gardners  multiple intelligences  and tapping into varying the learning modalities, such as kinesthetic,  visual, or  auditory. This can help a teacher keep up the interest and attention of students.Having two or three  mini-lessons  on hand to fill any extra time in case the lesson plan doesnt take the full block schedule period.Taking full advantage of the time allotted to institute projects that can be difficult to complete in shorter class periods.Doing a review of material from previous lessons. This is especially important in block schedule formats where students dont see the teacher every day. In a block schedule, a teacher need not feel he or she has to be the center of attention at all times during the class period. Giving students independent work and allowing them to work in groups are good strategies for these longer class periods. Block schedules can be very taxing on a teacher, and its important to use strategies to manage teacher burnout since educators are the glue that holds block schedules together.