<P> On the first day only 7,669 men were evacuated , but by the end of the eighth day , 338,226 soldiers had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 boats . Many troops were able to embark from the harbour 's protective mole onto 39 destroyers of the British Royal Navy , 4 Royal Canadian Navy destroyers , and civilian merchant ships , while others had to wade out from the beaches , waiting for hours in shoulder - deep water . Some were ferried to the larger ships by what came to be known as the little ships of Dunkirk , a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats , fishing boats , pleasure craft , yachts , and lifeboats called into service from Britain . The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks , vehicles , and equipment . </P>
<P> On the first day only 7,669 men were evacuated , but by the end of the eighth day , 338,226 soldiers had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 boats . Many troops were able to embark from the harbour 's protective mole onto 39 destroyers of the British Royal Navy , 4 Royal Canadian Navy destroyers , and civilian merchant ships , while others had to wade out from the beaches , waiting for hours in shoulder - deep water . Some were ferried to the larger ships by what came to be known as the little ships of Dunkirk , a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats , fishing boats , pleasure craft , yachts , and lifeboats called into service from Britain . The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks , vehicles , and equipment . </P>
how many british troops were rescued in the 1940 dunkirk evacuation
how many british troops were rescued in the 1940 dunkirk evacuation
338,226
338,226