Dunkirk 1940: Operation Dynamo May 2026

Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay directed the mission from naval headquarters beneath Dover Castle .

Over two-thirds of the rescued troops actually boarded from the East Mole , a long stone sea wall that allowed larger ships to dock despite the harbor's destruction. Dunkirk 1940: Operation Dynamo

It was reportedly named after the room at Dover Castle that contained the building’s electric dynamo . Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay directed the mission from

While nearly 40 Royal Navy destroyers carried the bulk of the troops, over 800 small civilian vessels —including fishing boats, yachts, and ferries—helped ferry soldiers from shallow beaches to larger ships or directly back to England. Dunkirk 1940: Operation Dynamo