The lines were organized to keep the evacuation from turning into a riot.
The sand helped mitigate somewhat the bombing and straffing.
There was a debate involving the RAF...use them at Dunkirk or save them for the next phase...the feared German invasion of Great Britain.
The evacuation at Dunkirk was a fairly well executed operation considering all factors.
Even more impressive when you consider how quickly it came together. William Tennant, the Royal Navy officer who organized and supervised the evacuation from Dunkirk, didn’t arrive there until 26 May. And the removal of troops from the breakwaters (”moles”)—in addition to beach evacuations—didn’t begin until the 30th. Quite remarkable, when you consider the entire operation was done largely on the fly; there was nothing in pre-war BEF planning that remotely envisioned the type of evacuation carried out at Dunkirk.
Still haven’t seen the film, but I understand Kenneth Branagh plays a character based on Capt Tennant. BTW, his “reward” for the successful evacuation of Dunkirk was command of the HMS Repulse; 18 months later, he was on the bridge when the battlecruiser was sunk of the Malaysian coast, along with the battleship Prince of Wales.
Under Tennant’s leadership, Repulse dodged more than a dozen bombs and torpedoes before the Japanese finally found their mark. Tennant survived, was rescued by a British destroyer and made his way back to England. As an Admiral, we was in charge of the successful construction of the “Mulberry” harbors that were instrumental for Allied resupply after the Normandy landings.
Quite a fellow.