means The chaotic evacuation of 338,000 Allied troops from a French beach in May-June 1940 after Nazi Germany routed their armies, turning catastrophic defeat into mythic resilience.

from Named for the port town in northern France where the British Expeditionary Force and French First Army were trapped by advancing German forces. The evacuation—Operation Dynamo—used 900 vessels including naval ships, fishing trawlers, and private yachts. Churchill called it a defeat. The British press called it a miracle. Both were right.