The British Admiralty ordered...

history · 30 May 1940 · 84 years ago

The British Admiralty ordered all modern destroyers to leave Dunkirk, France due to the previous day's losses by German Luftwaffe, leaving 18 older destroyers to continue the evacuation; 24,311 were rescued from the harbor and 29,512 were rescued from the nearby beaches on this date. Despite poor weather, German aircraft damaged destroyers HMS Anthony and HMS Sabre, minesweeper HMS Kellet, armed boarding vessel HMS King Orry, and steamers St. Julien & Normannia. French destroyer Bourrasque was damaged by a mine and finished off by German artillery off Ostend, Belgium; 660 were either killed or swam to shore and became captured, while about 300 were rescued. 

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