Battle for the Escaut 1940
Battle for the Escaut 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2016-11-30

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 1473852617

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On 10 May 1940 the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of Lord Gort, moved forward from the Franco-Belgian border and took up positions along a 20-mile sector off the River Dyle, to await the arrival of the German Army Group B. Their expected stay was considerably shorter than planned as the German Army Group A pushed its way through the Ardennes and crossed the Meuse at Sedan, scattering the French before them. Little did the men of the BEF realize that the orders to retire would result in their evacuation from Dunkirk and other channel ports. The line of the River Escaut was seen as the last real opportunity for the Allied armies to halt the advancing German Army, but the jigsaw of defense was tenuous and the allied hold on the river was undone by the weight of opposing German forces and the speed of the armored ÔBlitzkriegÕ thrust further south. As far as the BEF were concerned, the Battle for the Escaut took place on a 30-mile sector from Oudenaarde to BlŽharies and involved units in a sometimes desperate defense, during which two Victoria Crosses were awarded. This book takes the battlefield tourist from Oudenaarde to Hollain in a series of tours that retrace the footsteps of the BEF. With the help of local historians, the author has pinpointed crucial actions and answered some of the myriad questions associated with this important phase of the France and Flanders campaign of 1940.

Battle for the Escaut, 1940
Battle for the Escaut, 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2016-11-30

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1473852625

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On 10 May 1940 the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of Lord Gort, moved forward from the Franco-Belgian border and took up positions along a 20-mile sector off the River Dyle, to await the arrival of the German Army Group B. Their expected stay was considerably shorter than planned as the German Army Group A pushed its way through the Ardennes and crossed the Meuse at Sedan, scattering the French before them. Little did the men of the BEF realise that the orders to retire would result in their evacuation from Dunkirk and other channel ports.The line of the River Escaut was seen as the last real opportunity for the Allied armies to halt the advancing German Army, but the jigsaw of defence was tenuous and the allied hold on the river was undone by the weight of opposing German forces and the speed of the armoured Blitzkrieg thrust further south. As far as the BEF were concerned, the Battle for the Escaut took place on a 30-mile sector from Oudenaarde to Blharies and involved units in a sometimes desperate defence, during which two Victoria Crosses were awarded. This book takes the battlefield tourist from Oudenaarde to Hollain in a series of tours that retrace the footsteps of the BEF. With the help of local historians, the author has pinpointed crucial actions and answered some of the myriad questions associated with this important phase of the France and Flanders campaign of 1940.

The Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal 1940
The Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2020-02-19

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1473852587

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This WWII history and battlefield guide explores the significant yet lesser-known WWII combat along the Ypres-Comines Canal during the Battle of France. Known in some accounts as the Battle of Wijtschaete, the confrontation along the Ypres-Comines Canal in 1940 is too often overlooked despite its significance. The sacrifice of the battalions on the canal was vital to the all-important retreat to Dunkirk. The four-day conflict likely saved the British Expeditionary Force from almost complete destruction. Although there was fighting north of Ypres along the Canal Van Ieper Naar De Ijzer, the actual Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal took place to the south. Three British brigades were pitted against three German divisions along the disused canal which runs from Comines in the south to Ypres in the north. Military historian Jerry Murland covers the order of battle of the British and German units engaged in the fighting. With more than 150 historic and modern photographs, ten maps, visits to eight CWGC Cemeteries, plus three car tours and two walking itineraries, this volume is an essential companion for exploring the area. Visitors will no doubt wish to combine a visit to the First World War sites around Ypres with the fighting along the canal in 1940, recognizing many places that were fought over in both wars.

The War in France and Flanders
The War in France and Flanders

Author: Lionel Frederic Ellis

Publisher:

Published: 1953

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13:

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Søgeord: British Expeditionary Force, i Frankrig, 1940;Escaut; Arras, 1940; Kanalhavnene, 1940; English Channel, 1940; Calais, 1940; Evakueringen fra Dunkirk;Bethune, 1940; Ypres, 1940; Belgisk Overgiovelse, maj 1940; Saar, 1940; Somme, 1940; Bresle; St. Valery; Boulogne; Canal Line; Amiens; Le Havre; Maaastricht, 1940; Dyle Line; Yser, 1940;General Georges;Barratt, A.S.;General Weygand;Ramsey, B.H.;Blanchard;Chateau Castreau-Konferencen;Dill, J.; Ironside, E.;Hazebrouck; Rouen; Reynaud, Paul;Abbeville; Meuse; British Tanks; War Office;

The Battle of Flanders 1940
The Battle of Flanders 1940

Author: Major General John Hay Beith

Publisher: DigiCat

Published: 2022-08-01

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13:

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DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Battle of Flanders 1940" by Major General John Hay Beith. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The Dunkirk Perimeter and Evacuation 1940
The Dunkirk Perimeter and Evacuation 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2019-05-30

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1473852242

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The history of a disastrous WWII setback, including numerous photos, maps, and information for visitors. This book tells the story of the fierce fighting around the Dunkirk Perimeter during May and June 1940 between the retreating British Expeditionary Force and its French allies and the advancing German army. This grievous military setback was soon transformed into a morale-boosting symbol of the resilience of the British against a Germany that had crushed so many nations in a matter of weeks. With over 200 black and white photographs and fourteen maps, this book looks at the units deployed around Dunkirk and Nieuport and their often desperate actions to prevent the inevitable advance of German forces opposing them. The evacuation of the BEF from the beaches east of Dunkirk is covered in detail from the perspective of the Royal Navy and from the standpoint of the soldier on the beaches. Also included are details for travelers to the sites involved. In addition to visits to the relevant cemeteries, the book includes three appendices and two car tours, one tour covering the whole of the Dunkirk perimeter and the other covering Ramsgate and Dover, although there is plenty of scope for walking in both tours. There is also a walk around De Panne, which takes the tourist along the beach that saw so much of the evacuation, and into the back areas of the town where the Germans left their mark when clearing up after the British had gone.

The BEF in France 1939-1940
The BEF in France 1939-1940

Author: John Grehan

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2014-07-09

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1783462116

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The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British force in Europe from 1939_1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force.??The British Expeditionary Force was started in 1938 in readiness for a perceived threat of war after Germany annexed Austria in March 1938 and the claims on the Sudetenland, which led to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. After the French and British had promised to defend Poland, the German invasion of that country began and war was declared on 3 September 1939.??The BEF was sent to France in September 1939 and deployed mainly along the Belgian„French border during the so-called Phoney War leading up to May 1940. The BEF did not commence hostilities until the invasion of France on 10 May 1940. After the commencement of battle, they were driven back through Belgium and north-western France, forcing their eventual evacuation from several ports along the French northern coastline in Operations Dynamo, Ariel and Cycle. The most notable evacuation was from the Dunkirk region and from this the phrase Dunkirk Spirit was coined.

The Battle of France, 1940
The Battle of France, 1940

Author: Adolphe Goutard

Publisher:

Published: 1959

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

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Reassessment of the fall of France in 1940. Over-all campaign plans of Germany are compared with those of France and her allies, and each battle is analyzed for its part in the fall.

Dunkirk
Dunkirk

Author: Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2007-05-31

Total Pages: 1005

ISBN-13: 0141906162

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* * * Special 75th Anniversary Edition * * * Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man tells the story of the rescue in May 1940 of British soldiers fleeing capture and defeat by the Nazis at Dunkirk. Dunkirk was not just about what happened at sea and on the beaches. The evacuation would never have succeeded had it not been for the tenacity of the British soldiers who stayed behind to ensure they got away. Men like Sergeant Major Gus Jennings who died smothering a German stick bomb in the church at Esquelbecq in an effort to save his comrades, and Captain Marcus Ervine-Andrews VC who single-handedly held back a German attack on the Dunkirk perimeter thereby allowing the British line to form up behind him. Told to stand and fight to the last man, these brave few battalions fought in whatever manner they could to buy precious time for the evacuation. Outnumbered and outgunned, they launched spectacular and heroic attacks time and again, despite ferocious fighting and the knowledge that for many only capture or death would end their struggle. 'A searing story . . . both meticulous military history and a deeply moving testimony to the extraordinary personal bravery of individual soldiers' Tim Gardam, The Times 'Sebag-Montefiore tells [the story] with gusto, a remarkable attention to detail and an inexhaustible appetite for tracking down the evidence' Richard Ovary, Telegraph Hugh Sebag-Montefiore was a barrister before becoming a journalist and then an author. He wrote the best-selling Enigma: The Battle for the Code. One of his ancestors was evacuated from Dunkirk.