These Photos Depict the 'Miracle of Dunkirk' That Saved 338,000 Lives

Bomb-damaged docks are patrolled by French troops as the remains of military supplies lie in rubble after German air attacks. In just two days, Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg before entering France north of the Maginot Line.

A German soldier looks out at Allied forces attempting to evacuate Dunkirk. German aircraft attacked the evacuation by bombing and strafing troops on the beaches and targeting rescue vessels.

A Lockheed Hudson of RAF Coastal Command flies past burning oil tanks at Dunkirk. Trapped on the beaches and awaiting evacuation offshore, Allied troops and vessels were an easy target and faced German attacks by aircraft, artillery and torpedo boats.

For the evacuation of British troops, most soldiers had to wade out in the water to find a rescue vessel. British forces called in all the ships they could to transport the masses of stranded men. The British Admiralty even called on British civilians with ships to lend a hand in evacuation efforts, despite the danger involved.

Not all rescue efforts were successful. The French destroyer Bourrasque sunk after hitting a mine on the way back from Dunkirk, with some 1,200 men aboard. Roughly 500 were killed. It was one of many ships that was lost during the evacuation.

Some men who had waded or swum out to evacuation vessels found themselves back in the water when German attacks forced them to abandon ship. These three men cling to a rescue ladder after returning to the water.

For wounded soldiers, the trip back home would not be as easy. Here, men row a lifeboat to help a wounded soldier on a stretcher get back to a destroyer for evacuation.

A wounded French soldier arrives at Dover after being evacuated from Dunkirk. The Allies suffered more than 60,000 casualties during the Battle of France, including those killed, wounded or missing.

By June 4, 1940, Operation Dynamo had ended, with more than 338,000 Allied troops evacuated to Britain. British troops evacuated from Dunkirk disembark from a vessel after arriving in Britain.

Not all Allied troops were able to escape Dunkirk. Tens of thousands of French troops who remained behind were captured by German forces.

Two soldiers tuck into refreshments they received upon their arrival in Britain after the week-long evacuation process.

A soldier with the British Expeditionary Force is greeted by his girlfriend after returning to Britain from Dunkirk.