The Role of the RAF
From May 27, the Luftwaffe began bombing Dunkirk and its docks. Soldiers, massing on the beaches were stranded and exposed. But the Luftwaffe’s attempts to hamper the evacuation were being thwarted by the RAF. On the first day alone, 16 squadrons of the RAF claimed 38 kills- losing only 14 of their craft. In total, the RAF flew 3500 sorties during Operation Dynamo and held most of the Luftwaffe away from Dunkirk.
This was quite an achievement as the RAF achieved had fewer planes than the enemy. They had lost a large number during the battle for France. Most of the fighters sent to Dunkirk were reserves of Spitfires that had been held back in Britain to protect the country against any potential German invasion. In all, this relatively small force lost 106 planes but still managed to take out 262 of the enemy’s craft.
The RAF also played its part in providing protection for the evacuation itself. Planes accompanied the convoys of ships heading back to Britain, offering protection from German aircraft and artillery units along the coast, German ships, and the infamous German U-boats. From June 1, this task became easier as all evacuations were limited to night. The concentrated timescale meant the RAF could concentrate all their resources between dawn and dusk.
Much of the RAF’s activity went unnoticed by the soldiers on the beaches because it was occurring inland. This was because it was the RAF’s primary mission to break up the German squadrons before they reached the coast. But some of the German bombers did get through, killing a third of the civilian population when they bombed Dunkirk’s port. These losses provoked bitter and unjust accusations after the event that the RAF had not done enough to protect the men on the ground. But without intervention from the sky, it is doubtful the sheer numbers of troops massing on the beaches of Dunkirk would have made it to the boats.