1. Cover-up
   Evacuation
2. Screw-up

Dunkirk marked the biggest evacuation ever in military history. With hundreds of thousands of men rescued from the grips of the Nazis, the Allies had time to catch their breath and ponder ways to liberate Europe.

1. Crimean War
   The War of 1812
2. World War II

In May of 1940, the Nazi war machine was crushing the Allies in Europe, sending them reeling to the west. There was just one problem for the retreating Allies: the ocean was in the way.

1. France
   Israel
2. South Africa

Dunkirk is a harbor town in northern France. The disheveled Allies huddled in Dunkirk as the Nazis bore down on them, praying for a miracle to save them.

1. Bombing Everything in France
   Brigade Explorers Farce
2. British Expeditionary Force

Early in the war, the British sent the British Expeditionary Force in a futile attempt to stop the Nazis from storming across Europe. But the BEF struggled against the Germans and was forced to withdraw.

1. A pile of rotting cow carcasses that the French hoped would scare the Germans
   A red string on the France-Germany border
2. A huge, long fortress

The Maginot Line was a formidable line of fortifications built by France in the '30s to stop a potential German invasion. Its huge fortresses were nearly impenetrable ... but the Germans simply went around them and sent French troops fleeing.

1. They beat the Germans back and nearly won the war
   They surrendered
2. They suffered atomic bomb attacks

The Dutch and Belgians were forced to surrender in May. This fact gave the Germans a route around France's Maginot Line, all the better to fling the Allies back towards the Atlantic.

1. Vietnam War
   A lull in fighting following the invasion of Poland
2. World War I

After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, fighting mostly stopped, even though Germany and the Allies both declared war. It was the Phoney War...a deceptively quiet war that ended once Germany started attacks again in 1940.

1. Operation Saltwater Taffy
   Operation Dynamo
2. Operation PLEASE HELP US

Operation Dynamo was a mission to rescue Allied troops stranded on the European continent. Without the success of Operation Dynamo, it's hard to know what would have become of the Allies. Perhaps the Nazis would have occupied Europe for many years.

1. They might be better off letting the BEF drown
   They didn't have nearly enough ships
2. They forgot to turn off the oven when they left the house

The Allies frantically scrambled to rescue the BEF, but they didn't have nearly enough ships to carry so many men. The British government appealed to citizens everywhere to come to their aid.

1. true
2. false

The Allies launched several counterattacks in hopes of slowing the German advance in France. But the Nazi forces were too strong, cutting the Allied forces into several chunks and threatening to annihilate them.

1. "Nuclear war"
   "Fog of war"
2. "Lightning war"

The German blitzkrieg meant "lightning war," and it referred to the massive, powerful strikes that the Nazis used to overwhelm opposing forces. In May 1940, the blitzkrieg was at full power, trapping the Allies in France.

1. None of them really wanted to leave France. I mean, have you had the foie gras?
   They scrambled and pushed each other out of the way
2. They were very patient

Welcome to World War II, fellas. The men knew they weren't going anywhere fast. They patiently waited for their turn to board a ship even as German bombs rained down on their heads.

1. "Nothing but a miracle can save the BEF now."
   "We are all going to die."
2. "Drat! I've lost them again! Has anyone seen my glasses"?

Brooke lamented the situation as virtually hopeless. He said, "Nothing but a miracle can save the BEF now." But little did Brooke know, a miracle was already on the way.

1. Fish and chips
   Maginot Line
2. English Channel

The Allied decided that their only option was to retreat in the face of overwhelming German force. But they were stopped by the English Channel, a wide and deep body of water that served as an insurmountable barrier. The Allies were trapped.

1. The Germans got lost, oh no!
   The Germans halted their advance
2. The Allies launched nuclear bombs

With the Allies pinned, the Germans decided to halt their advance. Why? Because Hermann Goering, the leader of the German air force, told Hitler that his bombers could destroy the Allies as they scattered on the beaches of Dunkirk. Cue the maniacal Nazi laughter.

1. true
2. false

In May 1940, America wasn't actively involved in World War II military operations. It wasn't until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 that the United States declared war.

1. They built sand castles for protection
   They had to wade out into the sea to be rescued
2. They pitched umbrellas and drank pina coladas while waiting for help

Did you have a bad day today? Try standing in the ocean for hours on end while being strafed by bloodthirsty German pilots. The wide sandy beaches meant the water was too shallow even for small boats. The men were forced to wade into the Channel and in some cases stood there for hours waiting for help from small boats.

1. By ship
   Using wormholes
2. By helicopter

The Allies sent fleets of ships to pick up the troops stranded at Dunkirk. But there were too many men ... and there wasn't enough time.

1. They answered the call
   They closed their doors and locked the deadbolts
2. They set their boats on fire

British citizens -- and those of other countries -- immediately put their ships and even small boats to sea to help rescue the men suffering under fire at Dunkirk. But even with hundreds of boats, there were still too many soldiers trapped between a watery grave and Nazi bullets.

1. 8 hours
   8 days
2. 8 months

For about eight days, the Allies heaved men aboard ships and took them as quickly as possible across the English Channel. The mission was deadly for rescuers and evacuees alike.

1. Hiking and picnicking along the picturesque French coastline, what a treat!
   Running for their lives
2. Helping the Germans

With bombs and bullets flying from every direction, civilians fled or hid in fear for the lives of their families. About 1,000 of them (roughly one-third of those remaining in town) perished in the onslaught.

1. It was devastated by German attacks
   Sitting on its hands with no orders
2. Beating back the Luftwaffe

The RAF was instrumental in holding off the Germans. It successfully fended off the Luftwaffe for days, buying the Allies critical time to complete the evacuation.

1. About 930
   About 80,000
2. About 18

Between Allied naval vessels and privately-owned watercraft, there were about 930 or so total boats and ships used during the massive evacuation. Everything from large ships to tiny boats were needed to save the BEF.

1. 100
   8,000
2. 800,000

The Allies threw everything they had into the evacuation, but just 8,000 men were rescued on the first day. At that rate, it would take weeks or months to save the BEF. The situation was indeed dire.

1. true
2. false

The three evacuation routes, named X, Y and Z, ranged from roughly 40 to 87 nautical miles in length. They featured different hazards, including mines, German artillery and enemy aircraft, meaning that no matter which route the rescuers took, they faced immense dangers to their own lives.

1. Used them to make jetties
   Had impromptu drag races
2. Set them on fire

At low tide, the men would move abandoned vehicles into the ocean, anchor them, and then put wood planks on top for a walking surface that connected the vehicles. These jury-rigged jetties helped to speed up the evacuation.

1. He said that the mission was complete
   He said that most of the ships had been sunk
2. He said that the cause was lost

Tennant signaled that the mission was complete and that British forces were clear of the area. But British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had other plans. He wanted to save the French troops, too. So back they went.

1. true
2. false

Unfortunately, the valiant effort fell short. Tens of thousands of soldiers (mostly French troops) were captured by the Germans. The Allies also lost countless weapons and vehicles to the Nazis.

1. A French ship
   A type of British drink
2. British courage and might in the face of adversity

In the aftermath of the great rescue, many people referred to the "Dunkirk spirit," the perseverance of the British in the face of great odds. As it would turn out, they'd need a lot more of the Dunkirk spirit in the years following the rescue.

1. About 3,800
   About 38,000
2. About 340,000

Operation Dynamo didn't just save a few lives, it rescued practically a whole army, with more than 340,000 men finding refuge from the Nazis. Many of those men would later play a part in turning the tide of the war.