WWII: Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, D-Day

World War II started in 1939 when Britain declared war after Hitler invaded Poland. In 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. More than 300,000 British and French soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk by the Navy and civilian boats — giving rise to 'the Dunkirk spirit'. The Battle of Britain (summer 1940) saw the RAF's Spitfires and Hurricanes defeat the German Luftwaffe. The Blitz bombed London and other cities. On 6 June 1944 (D-Day), Allied forces landed in Normandy. Germany surrendered in May 1945.