Why was the battle at Dunkirk significant to World War 2?

Answer 1

The Battle for Dunkirk was significant because it allowed the escape of the majority of the British Expeditionary Force and many french soldiers back to England.

338,226 men were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk. 198,229 British and 139,997 French soldiers avoided German captivity and were able to fight another day.

This represented a large part of the British Army at this time. It may have been partly instrumental in Hitlers unwillingness to invade the British Isles.

Nearly all the equipment taken to France with the BEF was lost. This had significant effects on the next few years. There was absolutely no chance the British Army could mount an invasion of France for some time.

Some thing else had also became clear. Most air forces had crumbled in the wake of the Luftwaffe. The RAF however through out the Battle for France and the Dunkirk Evacuation had proved itself up to the task. New fighters such as the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire had proved themselves formidable fighters. Goring's promise of Smashing the British had not happened.

The moral boost to the British population can not be measured. The UK government widely publicised of the evacuation for just this reason. Dunkirk had turned a complete disaster into some sort of victory. She still had an Army all be it an unequipped one. In the eyes of the population she had poked the all conquering Wehrmacht in eye.

Answer 2

That battle showed the French and the Brits they did not have what it took to fight the Nazis with their blitzkrieg style of attack. They learned they must go back after the Nazis with great might of strength and supplies. They had to use the Nazi blitzkrieg methods on them and boy did General Patton do that!