In May 1940, during World War II, hundreds of thousands of British and Allied soldiers were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, by advancing German forces. The Royal Navy could not handle the rescue alone from the shallow waters, so the British government called on ordinary civilians to bring their small boats across the English Channel to help in what became known as Operation Dynamo. For more details on the timeline, see https://www.britannica.com/story/timeline-of-the-dunkirk-evacuation.
The situation was desperate. German tanks and troops had cut off the soldiers after a fast invasion through France and Belgium. The port at Dunkirk was bombed and unusable for big ships, leaving men waiting on sandy beaches under constant attacks from German planes. From May 26 to June 4, over 340,000 troops were saved, with many picked up directly from the shore by these civilian vessels. Check the Britannica page on Dunkirk for background: https://www.britannica.com/place/Dunkirk-France.
These boats, called the Little Ships of Dunkirk, included fishing trawlers, yachts, motor launches, and even lifeboats. Owners volunteered or had their craft taken by the Navy overnight. They shuttled soldiers from the beaches to larger Navy ships waiting offshore. Weather helped at times, with clouds hiding the boats from Luftwaffe bombers, while smoke from burning oil covered the area. On peak days like May 29 and 30, tens of thousands were rescued. A video on the battle explains the chaos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omPFs7ScX14.
One famous example was 67-year-old Charles Lightoller, a survivor of the Titanic disaster. He skippered his 40-foot yacht Sundowner, dodging dive bombers and mines, to rescue 127 soldiers, far beyond its normal capacity. His story shows how everyday people stepped up. Watch his account here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMpnhBoLD_A.
The civilian boats made the difference because they could reach spots big warships could not. Over 900 vessels took part in total, turning a potential disaster into a success that kept the Allied army alive to fight another day.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/story/timeline-of-the-dunkirk-evacuation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMpnhBoLD_A
https://www.britannica.com/place/Dunkirk-France
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omPFs7ScX14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s86u4Q66d5U
