re: History Thread, Not WW2 Related: What is Britian's single greatest victory?

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Dunkirk wasn't a battle so much as a free pass to retreat.

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Exactly. Two things made that possible..

1. Goering being an idiot can claiming his Luftwaffe could destroy the remnants of the BEF by itself.

and

2. Hitler thinking that by showing mercy to the BEF and ordering his forces to halt, the British would be more apt to come to the table to discuss peace terms.

Both proved to be woefully incorrect. The reality of the situation though is the Germans had three full armies (6th, 18th, and 4th) along with Panzergruppe Hoth (basically a Panzer Corps) surrounding the perimeter of Dunkirk. The British had the shattered remnants of 3 corps and the disorganized and defeated remnants of the French 1st Army. Had Hitler allowed them to attack, it would have been a slaughter.