BEF rearguard action on the Nieuport-Dunkirk canal (May 29th till May 31st 1940)

Discussion in '1940' started by Christian Luyckx, Jan 13, 2025.

  1. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    After a couple of years of intensive and rewarding research related to the combats that took place in the vincinity of De Moeren/Bulskamp, I feel it is now time to move on and address another sector of the Dunkirk defence perimeter.

    I am now choosing to redirect my attention to another area of the Dunkirk defence perimeter that also has largely been discarded by traditional historians and researchers: the stretch along the Nieuport-Dunkirk canal with special emphasis on the area that lies between Furnes and Nieuport (a.k.a. the ‘Veurnevaart’ to the locals), which encompasses the villages of Wulpen, Oostduinkerke-village and Coxyde-village. I do not intend to discuss the defence of Furnes and Nieuport though, as these were already largely discussed in a number of other forum threads.

    During the Dunkirk endgame-combats, this area had been allocated to the BEF’s 4th Division under the command of Major-General Dudley Johnson. At about the same time Generalmajor Karl Kriebel’s 56th Infantry Division tried to outflank the British to the south-east of Furnes in Bulskamp, they also tried to break through via the north-west, near Wulpen.

    It would seem the 8th Infantry Brigade (west of Wulpen) and the 10th Infantry Brigade (east of Wulpen), both entrenched behind the canal, took most of the brunt of this German offensive. Fighting was intense and casualties were high on both sides as, on several occasions, the Germans nearly managed to break through British lines.

    Some preliminary research allowed me to shortlist following battalions involved in these combats:

    · 1/6 East Surrey
    · 2/Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
    · 2/Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
    · 2/East Yorkshire
    · 4/Royal Berkshire
    · 1/Suffolk

    I also managed to identify a number of supporting and/or reserve units:

    · 7/Field Regt, RA
    · 22/Field Regt, RA
    · 30/Field Regt, RA
    · 76/Field Regt, RA
    · 2/Lancashire Fusiliers
    · 17/Field Company, RE
    · 253/Field Company, RE
    · 20/Anti-Tank Regt., RA

    At this point I must admit my documentation if far from being exhaustive. Please feel free to comment and/or add your inputs. For example, I have as yet been unable to find a comprehensive map that would allow for some measure of situational awareness.

    Apart from a few exceptions, I’m having a hard time trying to pinpoint the exact locations where British units were entrenched along the canal. Also, though a have a fairly good idea as to their approximate positions, I am unable to confirm the location of the RA batteries that provided supportive fire. Finally, I haven’t the slightest idea as to where the units mentioned hereabove had established their respective CP’s or HQ’s.

    Thank you in advance for all the help you may provide in assisting me in the digging of my new rabbit hole ;-)

    Kind Regards,
    Christian
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2025
  2. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Info removed. Incorrect
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2025
  3. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    This knocked-out Bren Gun Carrier image was captioned by the seller as Oostduinkerke. The houses certainly look like the post-Great War rebuilding common to the Westhoek. Most photos of 4th Infantry Division vehicles are concentrated in De Panne.
    Bren Carrier Oostduinkerke.jpg

    A couple of Carriers that are probably 2 DCLI. (Bridging weight was 5 ton so the "3" ought to be the serial).

    T3298 4 Div Carrier (2).JPG

    4th Div 2 DCLI Poss Carrier.jpg

    Probably not a lot of help, but something may be familiar.

    2 Atk. Regt. had Dragon Tractors. This one was captioned as Kemmel, but the captions aren't always accurate. There are a number of 3 Div Dragon photos, if you find reference to any tractor losses then I can look further.

    Dragon 3 Div 20 Atk Reg Kemmel.jpg
     
  4. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    Thank you very much Rich! :cheers:

    The background of the first photo seems somewhat familiar. The surroundings have changed a lot though since 1940... especially in Oostduinkerke.
    It would seem the former local council took special pride in tearing down every typical vintage house or coastal cottage built during the Interbellum in order to replace them by massive tourist apartments... Rampant, wild, unchecked urbanisation...

    This is one of the reasons I started this thread: in a couple of years, there's going to be nothing left...
    The same rationale goes for Wulpen, Coxyde-village, Nieuport and De Panne.

    If I can find a match to any photo, I shall post a then-and-now.

    KR,
    Christian
     
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  5. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    In order to create a common baseline for further discussions, I should first provide some insights as to the stretch of the Dunkirk defence perimeter which concerns us. Between Furnes and Nieuport, over a distance of roughly 10 km (6 miles), BEF defensive positions were established on the banks of the canal that connects both towns. Ironically, this very same canal had also been used to transport British troops from Dunkirk to the front at Nieuport during WWI.

    In order to avoid confusion, I choose to use the names as mentioned on the vintage maps used by the BEF instead of their proper Dutch names. This should make things easier if some of you were to share accounts of the combats.

    First, a general overview of the area:

    upload_2025-1-15_16-48-30.png

    With a close-up of the stretch form Furnes to Wulpen:

    upload_2025-1-15_16-42-20.png

    Please note that the road (in dark orange connection Furnes to Coxyde no longer exists. After the Germans took over, they choose the area between Coxyde and Furnes to construct the local airbase which still exists today and borders the canal.

    A second close-up, this time on the stretch from Wulpen to Nieuport:

    upload_2025-1-15_16-47-57.png

    As you gathered, the village of Wulpen was the keystone that had to be defended at all cost.
    Wulpen was also the only location between Furnes and Nieuport with a bridge connecting both banks of the canal. Needless to say this bridge was blown up by the RE long before the first Germans came in sight.

    As far as I could determine, most HQ's, CP's, reserve and support elements were positioned in and around Oostduinkerke. The road between Wulpen and Oostduinkerke still exists, whereas the whole area to the east has now recently become a golf-course.
    I should perhaps mention that the club doesn't use Universal Carriers as golf carts anymore as their tracks were known to damage the green ;)

    Today, the charming village of Wulpen, once a deadly battleground, has transformed into a bucolic hotspot for cycling tourists from all over the country.
    The same places where German stormtroopers tried to force their way over the canal 85 years ago are now taken over during Summer by tourists in hired electric boats.

    All that remains of the epic battle that took place there are the graves of the fallen in the local churchyard...
    May this thread contribute to revive interest in what happened back then.

    KR,
    Christian
     
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  6. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Christian, in the hope that you can perhaps pin down a location, I think that these three are views of the same 20 a/tk. Light Dragon. Two definitely are, going by the left hand front lamp damage.

    Light Dragon D1496 3 Div atk..jpg

    Light Dragon.jpg

    Dragon IIC6 b.jpg
     
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  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I have all the war war diaries for those units. I offer forum members a war diary copying service so feel free to send me a direct message if you'd like any. BEF Brigade diaries are pretty good too.
     
  8. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    During the early days after starting the Bulskamp/De Moeren thread, I had the benefit of being able to fuel discussions by using information provided by a well-known reference work, i.e. a couple of dedicated chapters from the book 'Return via Dunkirk' by Gun Buster (alias Capt. Charles Austin, 92th Field Regiment, RA). In addition, by using the insights provided by Gun Buster's work, I had also found a catalyst which eventually helped me to broadened the topic to other units.

    Given the enthusiast response of several forum members, I naturally wanted to use the same MO for kicking-off his new thread, but initially found no reference work that could provide me with the necessary baselines. Quite recently, however, by sheer coincidence, I discovered an amazing book which provided everything I was looking for.

    'Five Days To Live' is truly a remarkable work. Though written in a different style that 'Return via Dunkirk', it is equally captivating. The author, Robin Medley, was commissioned in The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment in 1939 and served in France and Belgium in the 2nd Battalion in 1939-1940.
    On May 29th 1940, his battalion arrived at Oostduinkerke (village). Subsequently, all companies were instructed to entrench along the nearby canal. 13 Platoon, under Medley's command, was instructed to dig in close to the canal, just in front of Wulpen...

    upload_2025-1-18_13-48-53.jpeg

    Just as I did for 'Return via Dunkirk', I am now in the process of cross-checking Medley's accounts with other available sources. These would also include local (Belgian), French and German accounts and documents. I also count on the help of forum members to share any insights they may have on the subject. I listed a (non-exhaustive) list of units involved in my first post. At this point, however, I have no idea where this research is going to lead me.

    As was the case in Bulskamp, the units entrenched near the canal benefitted from RA fire support who's batteries were deployed between the canal and the coastline. To date, little is known of their role in this battle. This seems to me as good an occasion as any to find out.

    Have a nice WE,
    Christian
     
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  9. ltdan

    ltdan banana counter

    I had a quick rummage for the German side:
    germandocsinrussia has only a few PoW reports, but they don't give too much away
    NARA, however, has the complete KTB for the period in question:
    Bild_2025-01-18_145752235.png
     
  10. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    I took advantage of a rare sunny spell this afternoon to have a little stroll with my wife in the vicinity of Wulpen and - quite literally - walk in Robin Medley's footsteps. We also took the opportunity to take a number of photos which I am now going to share with the community. Keep in mind though that things have changed quite a bit since May 1940, but not as drastically as elsewhere at the Belgian coast.

    upload_2025-1-25_18-59-15.png

    upload_2025-1-25_18-59-51.png
     
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  11. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

  12. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    This extract from 2nd Lieutenant Medley's memoirs should also go a long way in helping assessing the situation as he describes his predicament upon his arrival at Wulpen in the late hours of May 29th 1940:

    "We arrived at Oost-Dunkerke at about 1800 hrs and went to the assembly area near the church and waited for orders. The company was fed and Captain Johnson told us the battalion was to deploy with all companies on the line of the canal with 'C' Company on the right. There was no reserve as 'D' Company had not been seen since Wytschaete. He also told us that we were to hold defensive positions and that the BEF was withdrawing to England. We marched forward after dark. 13 Platoon was on the right of the company and battalion and deployed and dug in close to the canal astride the road with its bridge blown at Wulpen. I went round the sections and sited the positions and digging began. The left forward section was in an exposed position which had to be occupied if the bridge was to be effectively covered by fire.
    Having determined all the tasks, I went off to the right to establish a link with the flank unit. Some two hundred yards along the canal bank, a section of machine guns of the Middlesex Regiment was dug in. Apart from the machine gunners there was no sign of anyone else, so I decided to go back to company headquarters to report the situation, advising Sgt. Chandler and leaving him in command."

    At about the same time, on the other side of the canal, the Germans were closing in...
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2025
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  13. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    In summary, after having connected all the available dots, this account provides us this situational overview:

    upload_2025-1-25_23-31-53.png
     
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  14. Wobbler

    Wobbler Patron Patron

    Richard Campion Austin was the Captain in the 92nd, Christian. My saying this is very ironic as, you may recall, I originally identified Gun Buster as George Aris in the Bulskamp/De Moeren thread! :-P

    I also understand from Wiki that John Charles Austin was his father, but I have no idea as to how much his father helped write the Gun Buster books.

    (just caught up with your thread - I’d forgotten to “watch” it, d’oh)
     
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  15. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    Good point Martin - I stand corrected :salut:
     
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  16. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    The more I dig into this topic, the more interesting it becomes.

    It would seem I made another error whilst formulating my initial premise: apparently, on the canal stretch between Nieuport and Wulpen, it was not the German 56.Infanteriedivison that was involved, but the 208. (Generalleutnant Moritz Andreas).

    When I contemplate all the data I collected so far, I come to the following conclusions (TBC!):
    • The 56.ID was involved in the combats between Furnes and Wulpen, facing units of the BEF's 3rd Division (MajGen Montgommery).
    • The 208.ID did try to push forward between Wulpen and Nieuport, the sector defended by units belonging to the 4th Division (MajGen Dudley Johnson).
    • The sector of the Dunkirk defence perimeter along the Nieuport-Furnes canal allocated to the 4th Division encompassed Wulpen.
    • Meanwhile, the 256.ID tried to break through British lines between Nieuport and Nieuport-Bains, in an attempt to outflank the canal defenders.
    Whilst preparing this research, I consulted a sketch I found in Hans-Adolf Jacobsen's 'Dünkirchen' - an invaluable and trustworthy source of information! However, on that sketch, which has been recopied by many historians over the years, the 208.ID, is not displayed. Also, when consulting the 'Lexicon der Wehrmacht', one can only find: "The 208th Infantry Division reached Nieuport on the Channel coast and took part in the encirclement of Dunkirk."

    It would seem the role played by the 208.ID has been somewhat eclipsed by the more 'flamboyant' 56.ID. Perhaps they only played a supportive role?

    I naturally also consulted the germandocsinrussia-site but, unless I missed something, strangely enough, apart form a general after-action report of the campaign in the West, found nothing specifically related to the 29th-31st May 1940 timeframe. The document, however, clearly states this division was involved in the combats ("Kampfe bei und südl. Nieuport"), so there is no doubt whatsoever they were in the neighourhood. Youl'll also be happy to learn that the "Engländer" received a top rating ("sehr gut") in the German's combat capability evaluation of their opposite numbers.

    I also did find out though that, after the end of the Dunkirk siege, the 208.ID officers were temporary billeted in Coxyde-Bains in a seaside residence.

    Please feel free to comment!

    Kind Regards,
    Christian
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2025
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  17. ltdan

    ltdan banana counter

    The 208th bled a lot during the advance to Dunkirk, after that it was only an army reserve.
    More on this later: We have to clear out our forge this week because we're FINALLY getting a new floor in, that's a priority
     
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  18. ltdan

    ltdan banana counter

    Very extensively researched site (in Dutch) . Have only skimmed it so far
    There might still be some information to be extracted:
    https://web.archive.org/web/2016080...291/operaties/fall-gelb/fr-11-doorbraak-2.htm

    For the other archive material I need a little more leisure, because the old ancestors wrote everything in almost illegible chicken scratch.
    Note: A division is NOT ‘fully equipped’ if the staffs lack typewriters
     
  19. Christian Luyckx

    Christian Luyckx Well-Known Member

    I just went through this link you provided (Dutch is my mother tongue). Don't bother wasting your time. Mere chatgpt-level information.
    It's OK if you want a quick overview of Fall Gelb, but useless for what we're looking for. Besides, I quicky came across some errors...
     
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  20. ltdan

    ltdan banana counter

    Too bad, it looked promising
    Anyway, I now have the IR 337/208 ID report on the capture of Dunkirk, which is just under 4 pages of A4, plus the complete casualty reports

    Part 1
    After completion of the mission of the mot. Vorausabteilung on 31.5.40, the Vorausabteilung, consisting of:
    Rgt.Stab
    Stab II.Btl.
    5th Company
    9th Company
    Rgt.Pi. and N.Zug
    1 1/2 platoons of the 8th(MG)Company
    1 platoon of 13th (IG) and 14th (Pzj.) Company
    and parts of the mot. staff company
    return to the command area of the 208th ID in Erneghen.
    Erneghen is reached around 6.00 a.m. Already in the afternoon the regiment receives the message from the division that the enemy is putting up stubborn resistance at Nieuport and that the attack of the 56th ID has come to a standstill.
    To provide support, the 208th ID is moved forward with IR 337 to the St.Pierre Capelle - Zevecoote area during the night of 31.5/1.6.40, where it moves into alert quarters.On 1.6.40, operational possibilities are explored.This order is cancelled during the morning of 1. On the evening of 1 June 40, however, the order is received that the division is to be subordinated to the IX AK for the final battles at Dunkirk.
    The regiment was ordered to stand ready to advance in a westerly direction.
    The regiment was ordered to march via St.Georges - Nieuport.
    On 2.6.40 at 13.45 the regiment starts the advance via Manne - Kennsvere - St.Georges to Nieuport in the area East - Dunkerke - Galooper. In the meantime news has arrived that strong French troops have repulsed all attacks of the 56th ID north of the Dunkirk - Furnes canal. The regimental commander is ordered to go to Kokayde for a meeting, where the commanding general of the IXth AK, General Geyer, meets with the division commanders of the 56th ID and 208th ID. after the meeting, the commanding general tells the regimental commander that the attack of the regiment 3.6. is of decisive importance. The 56th ID was no longer in a position to do this, as it was severely fatigued as a result of the many days of uninterrupted fighting. The commanding general explained his attack plans to the regimental commander and ordered reconnaissance of the terrain.
    The division commander of the 56th ID, to whom the regiment is now subordinated for the execution of this attack on 3 June 40 at 9.00 a.m., orders the regimental commander to a meeting with the artillery commander in Duinhoeck at 7.00 p.m..
    In the meantime, the regimental commander issued an order to the regiment, reinforced by the 2nd Pioneer Battalion 208, to continue the march in a generally westerly direction and to reach the Duinhoeck area.

    Tomorrow we'll continue with a fresh start, it was a really exhausting day and the old man's bones are aching
     
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