Dunkirk

[Ed Storey]

No Canadians at Dunkirk, 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division did have a short foray into southern France a week after DYNAMO had finished.

[Mark W. Tonner]

I concur with Ed Storey. There were no Canadian units/formations present at Dunkirk, nor on the continent at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation.

Cheers

[maple_leaf_eh]

Since the level of scholarship of this forum demands veracity, I cracked my copy of CP Stacey's WW2 history. Pages 10 to 16 relate the situation of early summer of 1940.

As the French and British armies were being overwhelmed and isolated by German pincer arms, a rescue was contemplated involving 1st Canadian Division under Andy McNaughton (hero of Vimy and other WW1 battles). Yes, the plan included Allied troops and 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade, which included the Hasty Pees, 48 Highlanders, 3 Fd Regt RCA, two anti-tank batteries and some engineers. It was embarked and ready to leave Dover for Calais on 23 May. McNaughton and staff took a RN destroyer forward to recce Dunkirk and interviewed several senior officers on the Continent. Their conclusion was the situation was too chaotic for the Canadians to have any beneficial effect,. The mission was cancelled upon debrief to the War Office, including the brand new PM, one Mr. Churchill (you may have heard of him). The Brigade was returned to barracks feeling excluded. No so-called Dover Dash for them.

The Dunkirk perimeter continued to collapse, and quote fresh troops unquote were considered to reinforce the bridgehead. The same Brigade was warned again by the War Office to be ready. Again McNaughton and now Crerar argued against what was labelled "Angel Move". With plans being overtaken by events, the idea was cancelled. And again, 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade was stood down.

Skip ahead two weeks, and the British had identified the 1st Canadian Division and the 52nd (Lowland) Division to reinforce the 51st (Highland) Division and the 1st Armoured Division still fighting in France. The prime strategy being to fight as hard as possible to retain a toehold in France, at nearly all costs. This became the reason for the mid-June deployment of Canadians to France for all of three days, through Brest in the west, long after Dunkirk in the east was evacuated.

Stacey colourfully describes the train carrying the Hasty Pees back from their assembly area, "With all possible preparations made for defence, and every carriage bristling with assorted weapons, the train rolled on through the countryside, a little moving island of Canadian territory, with the French Republic dissolving into ruin all about it."

The brigade lost six men - one killed in a motorcycle accident and five taken prisoner, four of them escaped and one remained a prisoner until 1945.

Thus endeth the lesson from the chapter The First Canadians Overseas, by the apostle CP Stacey, from the big book of The Canadian Army 1939-1945.

[Lang]

I just saw`"Dunkirk".

I did not realise the British were issued with fresh clothing and equipment daily to be immaculately clean and in perfect uniform at all times. The few dirty characters had obviously objected to the makeup people doing much more than dusting their faces with pretend dirt.

They were certainly ahead of their time because when they reached the beaches they paraded in orderly groups and some scenes recorded how they had spent the entire day policing the beach for not a single cigarette butt or biscuit wrapper soiled the area.

Their vehicles were probably parked in the Dunkirk city parking areas (with tickets on the dashboard).

You certainly do not get the sense of a beaten Army struggling to survive while all hands were to the pumps to rescue them in terrible circumstances.

It probably does not matter to the current generation who have been brought up on "reality" TV shows.

Lang

[jdmcm]

Coincidently my only real beef with Fury was the Germans wearing immaculate officers uniforms, polished riding boots and creased breaches...in April 1945...I guess Bruce Crompton who supplied the axis uniforms was not having any dirt or damage on his prized collection...maybe he helped with the British kit on Dunkirk...

[r.morrison]

Amen Mr Warner for consulting with the big book in the hallway. In the back of my head I knew we had some forces there. But the question still remains......were there Cab 11/12's at Dunkirk or was this unit just a "prop" for the movie? I tried checking it out on line one more time but they kept saying I had to join a "club". F' that!! Maybe someone else can get in.
Cheers....Robert

[Bruce MacMillan]

I guess people don't check their facts before publishing. Websites like this
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK...on-of-Dunkirk/
publish erroneous info and the public begins to believe it.

There were Canadians at Dunkirk but were serving with British forces. I think the only official presence were the 4 destroyers of the RCN.