In the spring of 1940, Nazi Germany launched a massive attack into Western Europe. They quickly cut through Belgium and other countries, forcing the Allied powers to flee. Soon the Allies could retreat no farther. At the French port city of Dunkirk, they were trapped between the Nazis to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

A massive evacuation across the English Channel to Britain soon began. Under relentless bombardment by Nazi air forces, Allied warships ferried troops to safety. But the warships didn't work alone. Civilians in fishing boats, sailboats, and other small craft braved bombs and bullets to save the troops. In a matter of weeks, more than 300,000 Allied soldiers had been evacuated. Learn more about the heroes who saved hundreds of thousands of lives at Dunkirk.