Escaping the trap

The Allies retreat

In 1940, the German army launched an offensive against France and the Low Countries. The British army, along with French and Belgian troops, advanced into Belgium to try and halt the German advance. However, the Germans launched a surprise attack through the Ardennes Forest, which caught the Allied forces off guard.

This led to a rapid advance by the Germans, and the Allied troops were pushed back towards the French coast, culminating in the British and French armies being trapped in a pocket around the port of Dunkirk. The situation was desperate, and the only hope was for an evacuation across the English Channel, which became known as Operation Dynamo.

The harbour had been made unusable by German bombing and it was clear that troops were not going to be taken directly off the beaches fast enough. Naval captain W. G. Tennant had been placed ashore to take charge of the navy shore parties and organise the evacuation. Tennant had what proved to be the highly successful idea of using the East Mole to take off troops.

The mole had never been designed to dock ships, but despite this, the majority of troops rescued from Dunkirk were taken off in this way. James Campbell Clouston, pier master on the East mole, organised and regulated the flow of men on that site.

Construction and design

The construction of the Mole began in the early 19th century, and by the time of the evacuation in 1940, it was approximately 1,000 meters long and up to 15 meters wide in some places. The Mole was constructed using reinforced concrete, which was a relatively new building material at the time.

The concrete was poured into a wooden formwork, which had been placed on top of a bed of gravel and sand. The formwork was designed to give the pier its distinctive shape, which included a slight curve in the middle to help protect ships from the prevailing winds and waves.

It was built in sections, with each section being connected to the previous one using metal pins and bolts. This allowed the pier to expand and contract slightly with changes in temperature and prevented it from cracking or collapsing.

The sections of the Mole were also reinforced with steel bars, which were embedded in the concrete to provide additional strength and stability. The height of the Mole varied depending on the section, with some parts being as low as one meter above sea level and others rising to a height of up to 10 meters.

This allowed ships of varying sizes to dock at the pier, with larger vessels able to tie up at the deeper parts of the structure.

Operation Dynamo

The importance of the Mole during Operation Dynamo cannot be overstated. The pier was one of the only remaining points of access to the beach after the Germans had taken control of the surrounding area. Without the Mole, it is likely that many more troops would have been left stranded on the beaches and captured or killed by the advancing German forces.

The Mole was subjected to repeated attacks by German aircraft during the evacuation, which caused significant damage to the structure and made it difficult for troops to embark and disembark. Despite this, the Mole continued to be used throughout the evacuation and played a vital role in the success of the operation.

In total, around 338,000 British and Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, with the vast majority of them being transported via the Mole. The success of the evacuation was a significant morale boost for the Allied forces and played a crucial role in the eventual outcome of the war.

Destroyers at the Mole

During Operation Dynamo, a wide range of ships were able to use the Mole to evacuate British and Allied troops as for many, travelling closer to the beach to pick up troops was impossible due to their size and draft – finding themselves beached and unable to float free was a real risk for these bigger ships, a situation none of them would want to find themselves in with German aircraft liable to turn up at any second.

Destroyers were the backbone of the evacuation effort, and they made up the bulk of the ships that docked at the Mole - over 200 destroyers were involved in the evacuation. They were fast, manoeuvrable ships that could carry large numbers of troops and had powerful guns to defend against enemy aircraft.  

HMS Havant and HMS Worcester arrived at Dunkirk on the 28th of May and were thrown straight into the mix, spending several days shuttling troops back and forth between the beaches and the Mole. Havant had saved almost 2,300 men by 1^st June. She had embarked 500 men that morning and then proceeded to the destroyer Ivanhoe, which had been crippled earlier that day by German dive bombers. Under severe air bombardment, the ship embarked all of the troops and injured from Ivanhoe and proceeded for Dover. 

The dreaded German Junkers Ju-87 Stukas then appeared overhead and bombed Havant with two bombs in her engine room, with another bursting beneath her hull. The attack killed eight crew members and injured 25 others. In addition, at least 25 evacuated soldiers were killed. After a failed tow attempt, she was severely damaged and forced to be sunk by the minesweeper HMS Saltash.

Worcester was luckier. During the evacuation, she made six journeys to Dunkirk, bringing back 4,350 men to the United Kingdom, and was damaged by a German air attack on the 27^th of May  1940.

HMS Keith arrived at Dunkirk on the 29th of May and spent several days evacuating 992 troops from the Mole. Later that morning, the ship was attacked by aircraft; the first attack damaged her steering gear, and in a later strike, a bomb dropped down the aft funnel burst into the No. 2 boiler room, killing everyone within and sparking a fire. With no available power, she anchored, and the abandon ship command was issued with Keith sinking at 0945. She suffered three officers and 33 ratings killed, while eight officers and 123 crewmen survived.

The S-Class destroyer HMS Shikari arrived at Dunkirk on the 30th of May with the evacuation in full swing and spent several days ferrying troops to and from the Mole. The ship was attacked by German aircraft on several occasions and narrowly avoided being hit by bombs and torpedoes. On the 1st of June, Shikari was damaged by German airstrikes but continued to take part in the evacuation and was the last ship to leave Dunkirk at 03:40 on the night of 3/4 June 1940. During Operation Dynamo, Shikari made seven voyages to Dunkirk, carrying 3349 men to safety.

HMS Verity arrived at Dunkirk on 1^st June and the destroyer spent several days evacuating troops from the Mole, despite coming under heavy fire from German aircraft and shore batteries and sustaining some casualties, she managed to avoid serious damage.

The Minesweepers play their part

Although smaller, Minesweepers also played their part during the evacuation. They were small, nimble ships that were used to clear mines from the waters around Dunkirk. They were also used to ferry troops to and from the Mole.

The minesweepers HMS Kellett and HMS Lydd arrived at Dunkirk on the 28^{th of} May and spent several days clearing mines and ferrying troops to and from the Mole. The ships were both hit by enemy fire on several occasions but managed to avoid serious damage.

HMS Gossamer arrived at Dunkirk on the 29th of May and spent several days clearing mines and ferrying troops to and from the Mole. The ship was smashed by a German bomb on the 1^st of June, causing significant damage and killing several crew members. Despite this, the mine sweeper was able to continue its taking in troops until the end of the evacuation.

HMS Skipjack made its way to Dunkirk on the 30^{th of} May and spent the next few days clearing mines and ferrying troops to and from the Mole. Like many other ships taking part, it attracted the attention of German aircraft on several occasions but managed to avoid serious damage.

These minesweepers, and many others, played a crucial role in the success of Operation Dynamo. Their work in clearing mines from the waters around Dunkirk made it safer for larger ships to approach the Mole, and their ability to ferry troops to and from the pier helped to speed up the evacuation process.

A civilian undertaking

During the evacuation, a number of civilian ferries were requisitioned by the British Navy and sent to Dunkirk to assist in the evacuation of Allied soldiers. These ferries were able to dock at the Mole, a long pier that extended out into the harbour, to load and unload soldiers quickly and efficiently.

• MV Royal Daffodil - This large passenger ferry was originally built for the Southern Railway and was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for the evacuation. The Royal Daffodil made a total of 6 trips to Dunkirk, transporting over 7,000 soldiers to safety. During its final trip, the ship was hit by a bomb and badly damaged, but it managed to make it back to England with all of its passengers and crew safe.
• The ferry MV Maid of Orleans was owned by Southern Railway and was also requisitioned for the evacuation. The Maid of Orleans made 7 trips to Dunkirk, transporting over 7,000 soldiers to safety. The ship was hit by enemy fire on several occasions but managed to avoid serious damage.

MV Gracie Fields - This passenger ferry was owned by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and was also requisitioned for the evacuation. The Gracie Fields made a total of 3 trips to Dunkirk, transporting over 9,000 soldiers to safety. During its final trip, the ship was hit by enemy fire and badly damaged, but it managed to make it back to England with all of its passengers and crew safe.

The SS Mona's Queen ferry was owned by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and was requisitioned for the evacuation. The Mona's Queen made a total of 4 trips to Dunkirk, transporting over 3,000 soldiers to safety. During its final trip, the ship was hit by enemy fire and badly damaged, but it managed to make it back to England with all of its passengers and crew safe.