On 27 May , the British fought back to the Dunkirk perimeter line . The Le Paradis massacre took place that day , when the 3rd SS Division '' Totenkopf '' machine-gunned 97 British and French prisoners near the La Bassée Canal . The British prisoners were from the 2nd Battalion , Royal Norfolk Regiment , part of the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division . The SS men lined them up against the wall of a barn and shot them all ; only two survived . Meanwhile , the Luftwaffe dropped bombs and leaflets on the Allied armies . The leaflets showed a map of the situation . They read , in English and French : " British soldiers ! Look at the map : it gives your true situation ! Your troops are entirely surrounded – stop fighting ! Put down your arms ! " To the land - and air-minded Germans , the sea seemed an impassable barrier , so they believed the Allies were surrounded ; but the British saw the sea as a route to safety
Le Paradis massacre
Le Paradis massacre
Battle of Dunkirk