Dunkirk pocket, British soldiers wading off beachhead to waiting transports for evacuation to Great Britain. British military professionalism quite evident in this operation, for entrapped soldiers waited stoically and patiently, queuing in prescribed lines and order of embarkment despite persist artillery and aerial assaults from approaching German forces. After-battle analysis revealed huge deficiencies in RAF and British Army coordination during the fluid battles (contrasted with excellent German all-arms cooperation), each branch operated in semi-independent status, hence resources were committed Penny-Packeted (British slang for Piece-Meal Fashion), this was rectified as the war continued.

Rollover : Nevertheless, allied casualties mounted in open beachhead as men waited for their turn to board the transports. Photo above shows aftermath of evacuation with British KIA (killed in action), German Opel ambulance trucks in background tending wounded and picking up deceased. Even after evacuation, it was no Milk Run (American euphuism for routine easy task) for troop-laden vessels were subject to daytime air attacks, while at night German S-Boot (torpedo boats) lurked in ambush to fire at opportune targets. SCHNELLBOOT! An Illustrated Technical History - www.prinzeugen.com/SBOATIND.htm

For example, circa 0100-hours 29 May 1940, German S-Boot S30 fired torpedo spread against British destroyer HMS Wakeful, hitting her amidships, blowing her apart in two, killing 700 crew and rescued Dunkirk troops. 31 May 1940, French destroyer Siroco was sunk by S-Boot S23, while S34 sank trawlers Argyllshire and Stella Dorado on 1 June 1940. LAST DUNKIRK DESTROYER SURVIVORS REUNITED WITH RECOVERED ARTEFACTS (HMS Wakeful) - www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh/ART22986.html

With end of Dunkirk battle, German pivoted armored forces into central and western France. By end of 1940 French / Low Countries campaign, Allies lost a staggering 61 divisions, entire British Expeditionary Force hardware (ex. tanks, trucks, artillery) were destroyed or abandoned across western Europe. French alone suffered 170,000 casualties and nearly one million taken prisoner (most of which would be impressed into German labor force, but some would ultimately join German SS-Charlemagne division to fight against Soviets on Eastern Front. TANKS! France - mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/

France surrendered on 21 June 1940 and became the only major allied power to officially capitulate in WW2. French believed they surrendered with honor, hence cooperated with Germans in forming collaborationist government located in central French city of Vichy, commonly called Vichy France. This government was led by Philippe Petain (famed WW1 French general who successfully defended fortress Verdun), in his inaugural speech he proclaimed that in the surrender, French honor was saved and a new socio-political order has begun. Philippe Pétain - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petain