Photos taken by a Nazi soldier show what the Germans found at Dunkirk

What the Germans found at Dunkirk: Fascinating unseen photos taken by a Nazi soldier show hundreds of mangled armoured cars and tanks left by fleeing British Army in World War II

• Images from a private collection in Germany show the unseen side of Operation Dynamo after Dunkirk 
• Pictures reportedly shot by a German soldier capture the chaos left behind by retreating British forces 
• Armoured military vehicles and cars can be seen littered across the beaches as they frantically escaped  

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Never-before-seen photos reveal the desolation at Dunkirk as witnessed by a German soldier after British troops escaped.

Images of UK forces massed on the beach, desperately awaiting a boat back home, have come to define the daring evacuation of 1940.

But now the other side of Operation Dynamo has been revealed by a cache of unseen photos from a private collection in Germany.

The collector, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘The pictures show the vehicles and equipment left behind in the area around Dunkirk.

‘Vehicles are lined up on the side of the road or are collected in large vehicle graveyards. Long lines of cars and trucks fill the beach.

The British Expeditionary Force lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks, vehicles, and equipment. Left behind in France were 2,472 guns, 20,000 motorcycles, and almost 65,000 other vehicles along with thousands of tonnes of stores. Pictured: A wrecked army troop carrier and a partly-capsized ship on the beach at Dunkirk

Striking pictures show the sheer amount of equipment left behind on the beaches by British and French troops after the battle. On top of the equipment surrendered to the Germans, over 200 British and Allied sea craft were sunk, with a similar number damaged

Civilian vehicles and army logistical vehicles are strewn across the beach surrounded by supplies. A total of 224,320 British troops along with 139,097 French and some Belgian troops, were evacuated from Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June

‘Many of them have some signs of deliberate destruction to make them useless.

‘Some German soldiers pose with French tanks by the shore. In the water are small ships that were sunk or abandoned during the evacuation.

‘While Dunkirk was extensively photographed, the pictures show new angles which as far as I can tell weren’t previously seen.’

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And the story told by the photos is very different to the triumphant tales spun by both sides about the evacuation.

‘To me, the pictures make all the glorified tales of Dunkirk feel more grounded and, well, less glorified,’ said the collector.

‘The pictures were taken by a regular soldier as keepsakes. They weren’t framed with any propagandising mindset.

‘They neither focus on the British loss or the German victory, they just show what it looked like once it was all done.’

German soldiers stand beside two French SOMUA S35 tanks and artillery pieces as they survey the devastation near Dunkirk. Three French field armies and the Belgian army fought alongside the British Expeditionary Force during the doomed campaign

The town of Dunkirk itself was significantly damaged in the fighting as the BEF fought a rear guard action to protect those scrambling to get on the ships back to Britain. German bombers hit British troops waiting on the beach with bombs and fighters strafed them

Never-before-seen pictures of the devastation left by British troops after the battle. For every seven soldiers who escaped through Dunkirk, one man was left behind as a prisoner of war. The majority of these prisoners were sent on forced marches into Germany

The identity of the soldier who took the photos has been lost to history, but it’s easy to imagine what they might have felt like entering Dunkirk.

‘If the soldier seeing the aftermath was actively involved in the fighting, he might feel like they could have done more to prevent the majority of the enemy army from escaping,’ said the collector.

‘If the soldier came to Dunkirk after the fighting, as part of a clean up crew or something, the sheer amount of equipment left behind would certainly have felt like a triumphant victory.’

British troops were pinned down in Dunkirk after Nazi Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands and France on May 10, 1940.

The operation to rescue them began later that month with a sluggish start – only 7,669 soldiers were evacuated on the first day.

However, by the end of the eighth day, more than 330,000 had been rescued thanks to a hastily-assembled fleet of 800 boats in what’s been called the Miracle of Dunkirk.

The photos will now form part of The Other Side Archive, a selection of pictures taken by regular German soldiers in both world wars.

Littering the roadside near the town troops left invaluable military vehicles and equipment as the made a break for the coast. The retreat was undertaken amid chaotic conditions, with abandoned vehicles blocking the roads and a flood of refugees heading in the opposite direction

Evacuation of Dunkirk: How 338,000 Allied troops were saved in ‘miracle of deliverance’

The evacuation from Dunkirk was one of the biggest operations of the Second World War and was one of the major factors in enabling the Allies to continue fighting.

It was the largest military evacuation in history, taking place between May 27 and June 4, 1940.  The evacuation, known as Operation Dynamo, saw an estimated 338,000 Allied troops rescued from northern France. But 11,000 Britons were killed during the operation – and another 40,000 were captured and imprisoned.

Described as a ‘miracle of deliverance’ by wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, it is seen as one of several events in 1940 that determined the eventual outcome of the war.  

The Second World War began after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, but for a number of months there was little further action on land. But in early 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway and then launched an offensive against Belgium and France in western Europe.

Hitler’s troops advanced rapidly, taking Paris – which they never achieved in the First World War – and moved towards the Channel.

They reached the coast towards the end of May 1940, pinning back the Allied forces, including several hundred thousand troops of the British Expeditionary Force. Military leaders quickly realised there was no way they would be able to stay on mainland Europe.

The evacuation from Dunkirk was one of the biggest operations of the Second World War and was one of the major factors in enabling the Allies to continue fighting. A ship laden with troops sets off for home as Dunkirk burns in the background

Operational command fell to Bertram Ramsay, a retired vice-admiral who was recalled to service in 1939. From a room deep in the cliffs at Dover, Ramsay and his staff pieced together Operation Dynamo, a daring rescue mission by the Royal Navy to get troops off the beaches around Dunkirk and back to Britain. 

On May 14, 1940 the call went out. The BBC made the announcement: ‘The Admiralty have made an order requesting all owners of self-propelled pleasure craft between 30ft and 100ft in length to send all particulars to the Admiralty within 14 days from today if they have not already been offered or requisitioned.’

Boats of all sorts were requisitioned – from those for hire on the Thames to pleasure yachts – and manned by naval personnel, though in some cases boats were taken over to Dunkirk by the owners themselves. 

They sailed from Dover, the closest point, to allow them the shortest crossing. On May 29, Operation Dynamo was put into action. 

When they got to Dunkirk they faced chaos. Soldiers were hiding in sand dunes from aerial attack, much of the town of Dunkirk had been reduced to ruins by the bombardment and the German forces were closing in.

It was the largest military evacuation in history, taking place between May 27 and June 4, 1940. The evacuation, known as Operation Dynamo, saw an estimated 338,000 Allied troops rescued from northern France. But 11,000 Britons were killed during the operation – and another 40,000 were captured and imprisoned 

Above them, RAF Spitfire and Hurricane fighters were headed inland to attack the German fighter planes to head them off and protect the men on the beaches.

As the little ships arrived they were directed to different sectors. Many did not have radios, so the only methods of communication were by shouting to those on the beaches or by semaphore. 

Space was so tight, with decks crammed full, that soldiers could only carry their rifles. A huge amount of equipment, including aircraft, tanks and heavy guns, had to be left behind.

The little ships were meant to bring soldiers to the larger ships, but some ended up ferrying people all the way back to England. The evacuation lasted for several days.

Prime Minister Churchill and his advisers had expected that it would be possible to rescue only 20,000 to 30,00 men, but by June 4 more than 300,000 had been saved.

The exact number was impossible to gauge – though 338,000 is an accepted estimate – but it is thought that over the week up to 400,000 British, French and Belgian troops were rescued – men who would return to fight in Europe and eventually help win the war.

But there were also heavy losses, with around 90,000 dead, wounded or taken prisoner. A number of ships were also lost, through enemy action, running aground and breaking down. Despite this, Dunkirk was regarded as a success and a great boost for morale.

In a famous speech to the House of Commons, Churchill praised the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ and resolved that Britain would fight on: ‘We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!’ 

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