During World War II, Operation Dynamo was the name given to the evacuation from Dunkirk conducted from 27 May to 4 June, 1940. In nine days, 338,226 French and British soldiers were taken off the beach by a ragtag fleet of over nine hundred vessels. These vessels, now known as the "Little Ships of Dunkirk" were a mainly a mixture of merchant marine vessels, fishing boats, pleasure craft and RNLI lifeboats, whose details had been requisitioned by the Admiralty on May 14, 1940. If the owners could not be contacted, some available ships were simply commandeered for use in the operation.
Despite the success of this operation, over fifty thousand vehicles and forty thousand French troops were abandoned after a valiant rearguard action. The British also lost 235 ships of various types. The British commander, Sir Harold Alexander, was the last British soldier taken off the beach. After the French surrender, a majority of the rescued French troops returned to their homeland.
See also: Battle of Dunkirk, Operation Ariel, and Operation Cycle.
Association of Dunkirk Little Ships : http://www.adls.org.uk/