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British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
 
 
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The British Expeditionary Force
Expeditionary warfare

Expeditionary warfare is used to describe the organization of a nation's military to fight abroad, especially when deployed to fight away from its established bases at home or abroad....
 (BEF) was the name given to the British Forces in Europe from 1939–1940 during The Second World War.

owing the German invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)

The Invasion of Poland in 1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak invasion of Poland contingent....
 in 1939, the British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Franco-Belgian border. By May 1940, when the German attack began, it consisted of ten infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 divisions in three corps
Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
 (I, II, and III), 1st Army Tank Brigade and a RAF
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 detachment of about 500 aircraft, the BEF Air Component.






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The British Expeditionary Force
Expeditionary warfare

Expeditionary warfare is used to describe the organization of a nation's military to fight abroad, especially when deployed to fight away from its established bases at home or abroad....
 (BEF) was the name given to the British Forces in Europe from 1939–1940 during The Second World War.

History

Following the German invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)

The Invasion of Poland in 1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak invasion of Poland contingent....
 in 1939, the British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Franco-Belgian border. By May 1940, when the German attack began, it consisted of ten infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 divisions in three corps
Corps

A Corps is either a large formation , or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service....
 (I, II, and III), 1st Army Tank Brigade and a RAF
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 detachment of about 500 aircraft, the BEF Air Component. Also in France was a separate long-range RAF force, the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF). Commanded by General
General

A General officer is an Officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general....
 Lord Gort
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort

Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort Victoria Cross, Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order, Royal Victorian Order, Military Cross was a United Kingdom soldier who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of field marshal and receiving the Vict...
, although constituting only a tenth of the defending Allied force it sustained heavy losses during the German advance and most of the remainder (roughly 330,000 men) were evacuated from Dunkirk
Operation Dynamo

The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied Forces from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between May 26 and June 4 1940, when British, French and Canadian troops were cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk in the World War II....
 between May 26 and June 4, 1940, leaving much of their equipment behind. However, the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)

For the First World War unit, see British 51st Division .The 51st Infantry Division was a United Kingdom Territorial Army division that fought during the World War II....
 was left behind at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux

Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a communes of France and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
, as it was not trapped by the Germans at the time; it surrendered along with elements of the French 10th Army later in June. The short lived second Expeditionary Force commanded by General Alan Brooke was evacuated from Western France during Operation Ariel
Operation Ariel

Operation Ariel was the name given to the World War II evacuation of Allied forces from western France following the Fall of France caused by the invasion by Nazi Germany....
.

See also

  • British Military Mission to Poland
    British Military Mission to Poland

    The British Military Mission to Poland was an effort by United Kingdom to aid the nascent Second Polish Republic after it achieved its independence in November, 1918, at the end of the First World War....


External links