TNA ADM 199 792

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291
.017978/41.
9.11.41.
(R.A., 1st C.S. 461/K.16)
Rear-Admiral 29th May to 4th Wake-Walker's June, 1940. account of the evacuation from Dunkerque, 200
29th May.
293
1445
Asked there. by VCNS to go to Dunkerque to organise embarkation
Title:- R.-A., Dover. Not to supersede Captain Tennant
(SNO, Dunkerque), but to be i/c offshore at Dunkerque.
5
70,000 men already embarked.
Accompanied by Cdr. Norfolk, Lieut. -Cdr. Wynne-Edwards.
Own Flag-Lieut. then at Newcastle, so one lent from among
the signal officers at Dover (Viscount Kelburn) with some
signal ratings.
Told by ISL that the French were not thought to be pulling
their weight: ? to refuse them embarkation if British
troops were ready to embark. (On 31st May, signal to say
Government policy was for equal opportunities to British
and French troops.)
(2)
1600 Left for Dover by car. Arrived at 1800.
General idea:-
3 beaches, each in 3 sections, for British troops at
La Panne, Braye & St.Malo. French were using other
beaches between St. Malo & Dunkerque.
Dunkerque had been heavily bombed: GRENADE and other
ships sunk there. One Eastern approach to Dunkerque
could not be used at night as E-boats had sunk a destroyer
there: Western one being shelled from shore in daylight:
centre one difficult for navigational reasons.
Captain Bush (HEBE) i/c offshore until my arrival.
Arrangements:-
2 destroyers ready to sail from Dover to Dunkerque to take
over 2 lots of beach parties. One of 80 officers and men
(G. & T. Long Courses) was for disciplinary purposes on
the beaches. In the earlier stages the troops were
completely disorganised, discarding their rifles, lying
down on the beaches and refusing to get into the boats:
it was intended that men would not be taken off unless
they had their rifles. By the time I arrived things had
improved very considerably in this respect.
(3)
Another party of 200 were intended to act as beach parties
to assist the embarkation, but these never materialised.
I
Commodores Stevenson and Hallett arrived at Dover by train
after I did - thought they were already at Dunkerque.
2000
Sailed in ESK with all the above, except the 200 men of
the beach parties. Stevenson to take charge off La Panne
Hallett off Braye. Intended myself to be off St. Malo and
Dunkerque, or to put Bush i/c there.
ore
Warned officers of beach parties not to get caught, and
that it møght be impossible to give them any order as to
when to come off.
Had no clear idea of what might be possible or how to set
about it, nor any idea of local conditions, communications, I
General etc. plan was to put an officer in some small ship i/c
hit
offshore at each of the main beaches and try to organise
ore
the flow of ships to beaches myself from some central
and
position.
que
al
(4)
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