Dunkirk’s Overlooked Tragedy: The Fate of the 51st Highland Division

While the world remembers the miracle at Dunkirk, few recall the 51st Highland Division—the battle-hardened Scottish unit that never made it to the beaches. As the bulk of the British Expeditionary Force evacuated across the Channel in the spring of 1940, the 51st remained in France under French command, holding a crucial defensive line farther south. Their orders were clear: resist the German advance at all costs. But as enemy forces closed in around the coastal town of Saint-Valery-en-Caux, the division found itself surrounded, with no way out and no boats coming to their rescue.

This article explores the heroic yet tragic fate of the 51st Highland Division during what has become known as the “Forgotten Dunkirk.” Fighting against overwhelming odds, these men stood their ground in a courageous rearguard action, hoping for relief that would never come. Ultimately, their resistance ended in mass surrender, and more than 10,000 were taken prisoner. Their sacrifice, though often overshadowed by the triumph at Dunkirk, stands as a somber reminder of the cost of war—and of those left behind.

The Strategic Context

In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) deployed across northern France faced a rapidly deteriorating situation. Formed to support France in the event of German aggression, the BEF was initially positioned along the Belgian frontier in line with the Dyle Plan, expecting the German advance to mirror World War I routes. However, this assumption proved fatal when German Panzer divisions surged through the Ardennes—a move that caught both French and British high command by surprise.

The swift German breakthrough at Sedan fractured the Allied front. British and French forces found themselves split, with German armor racing toward the Channel coast in a bid to encircle the bulk of Allied forces in Belgium and northern France. Despite valiant counterattacks, the Allies struggled to halt the momentum. This sudden collapse of the front line forced immediate reevaluations of deployments and strategy on all sides.

Amid the escalating crisis, the 51st Highland Division was operating far to the south of the main BEF body. Initially kept in the UK for home defense, the division was deployed to France in early 1940 and was assigned to IX Corps. In late May, they were transferred to the French Tenth Army and placed under the command of General Maxime Weygand. This critical move meant the division was no longer under British operational control, tying their fate to French strategic decisions.

The 51st Highland Division was stationed near the River Somme in support of French efforts to establish a new defensive line. Tasked with defending positions near Abbeville and Saint-Valery-en-Caux, they held firm against increasing German pressure. This region, however, was far from the northern axis of Allied operations and grew more vulnerable by the day. Despite the deteriorating situation, the division’s orders remained: hold the line and support the French counteroffensive efforts.

As the German offensive deepened, the Highlanders continued their stand. Major-General Victor Fortune, commanding the division, remained in close coordination with French commanders and worked tirelessly to maintain morale. Despite being gradually encircled, the men of the 51st held their positions, unaware that larger strategic shifts had left them dangerously exposed. Cut off from resupply and relief, they were increasingly reliant on their strength and determination.

The deployment of the 51st Highland Division under French command, away from the main concentrations of British forces, placed them in an impossible situation. As German pressure mounted across northern France, their position became untenable. Yet, their orders never changed—and so they fought on, a steadfast force trapped in a collapsing front. The decisions made in those critical weeks set the stage for one of the war’s most poignant and underrepresented sacrifices.

The Evacuation of Dunkirk

Operation Dynamo, launched on May 26, 1940, remains one of the most dramatic rescue efforts in military history. As German forces encircled the northern Allied armies, a desperate evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and French troops from the beaches of Dunkirk began. Over nine tense days, nearly 338,000 soldiers were rescued by a flotilla of Royal Navy ships and civilian vessels. Winston Churchill would later describe it not as a victory, but as a “miracle of deliverance.”

Yet, while thousands were saved, not all British units made it to the beaches. The 51st Highland Division was notably absent from the evacuation. Unlike much of the BEF, which had already begun withdrawing toward Dunkirk, the Highlanders remained far to the south. They were still fighting alongside French forces in the region of the Somme and Normandy, unaware that plans for their extraction were already slipping out of reach.

The division’s predicament was worsened by its attachment to the French Tenth Army. On May 30, command of the 51st was officially transferred to French General Maxime Weygand, making them part of a different chain of command. This integration, meant to strengthen Allied cooperation, instead complicated coordination and extraction efforts. As orders from London focused on the evacuation at Dunkirk, the Highlanders found themselves increasingly isolated and overlooked.

Political miscommunication further deepened the crisis. British leadership, under pressure to preserve as many forces as possible, prioritized the evacuation from Dunkirk. French high command, meanwhile, was still focused on counteroffensives and requested that the 51st remain in place. These conflicting objectives created a vacuum of responsibility. No clear evacuation plan was drawn up for the Highlanders, even as the surrounding German forces tightened their grip.

General Victor Fortune, commander of the 51st, reportedly made several appeals for support and clarity during this period. However, the rapid pace of the German advance and the breakdown in communication between Allied headquarters left little room for strategic maneuver. By the time it became clear that the division was in imminent danger, there were few resources left to mount a southern evacuation.

As Operation Dynamo concluded on June 4, the 51st Highland Division was still locked in battle near Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Their absence from the operation was not due to a lack of valor, but a convergence of strategic missteps and logistical hurdles. The tragedy of their abandonment adds a sobering dimension to the otherwise celebrated success of Dunkirk—a powerful reminder that even miracles have their margins.

The Battle for

In the days following the Dunkirk evacuation, the 51st Highland Division and attached French forces found themselves cut off along the Normandy coast near Saint-Valery-en-Caux. As Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division surged westward in early June 1940, they quickly encircled the Allied defenders. The speed and coordination of the German advance left the Highlanders without a clear path of retreat, isolating them from the rest of the British forces that had already withdrawn across the Channel.

Despite the encirclement, the division, under the command of Major-General Victor Fortune, and French troops led by General Marcel Ihler, held their ground. They fortified positions around Saint-Valery’s cliffs and valleys, fighting with determination despite the overwhelming odds. Supplies dwindled rapidly, and with little to no air cover, they were forced into close-quarters combat and rearguard actions to delay the German assault.

In the harbor, Royal Navy vessels waited for an opportunity to rescue the trapped men. But thick fog blanketed the coast during the crucial evacuation window, and German artillery rained down on the town and port facilities. The conditions proved too dangerous for the ships to land, and the chance for escape slipped away.

The situation grew dire. Surrounded, outgunned, and with no resupply, the Allied forces in Saint-Valery fought on for several more days. Local terrain offered some natural defenses, but the relentless pressure from German infantry and tanks made resistance increasingly untenable. Communications with British command were strained, and any hope for a coordinated breakout faded as Rommel’s forces tightened the noose.

The final hours of the battle saw street-to-street fighting and desperate counterattacks. Soldiers of the 51st Highland Division, many of whom had been deployed far south of the main BEF lines weeks earlier, were now locked in a fight that no longer served a strategic purpose. Yet, their defense held immense symbolic weight, buying precious time for other Allied formations and exemplifying unity between British and French units under extreme duress.

By June 12, 1940, the defense of Saint-Valery-en-Caux had reached its limit. With escape impossible and German troops occupying the high ground, the exhausted and outnumbered defenders were finally forced to lay down their arms. Though this chapter of the war would be overshadowed by the triumph of Dunkirk, the stand at Saint-Valery remains one of the most courageous yet underrecognized episodes in Britain’s military history.

Captivity of The 51st Highland Division and Aftermath

When the 51st Highland Division surrendered at Saint-Valery-en-Caux on June 12, 1940, over 10,000 British soldiers were taken prisoner by the Germans. The mass capitulation, one of the largest suffered by British forces in the early stages of the war, marked a somber conclusion to their valiant stand. Major-General Victor Fortune, who had refused to abandon his French allies, surrendered alongside his men. This act of solidarity, though noble, sealed their fate.

The journey into captivity began with forced marches across northern France and into Germany. Exhausted from battle and short on rations, many Highlanders were subjected to grueling treks toward POW camps. In letters and diaries, some prisoners recalled marching for weeks with little food or water, under constant guard. Their eventual destinations included camps like Stalag XX-A and Stalag VIII-B, where conditions ranged from harsh to brutal.

Life in the camps was marked by monotony, hardship, and uncertainty. Many prisoners were forced into labor, working in farms, mines, or factories under German oversight. While the Geneva Convention provided some theoretical protections, enforcement varied. Red Cross parcels and rare letters from home were lifelines for morale. Still, for many, captivity would last nearly five years, with little hope of early release.

The psychological impact on those held prisoner was profound. Separation from families, poor conditions, and the loss of comrades took a toll that lasted long after liberation. Meanwhile, back in Scotland and across the UK, families endured months—or even years—without news of their loved ones. Wartime censorship and the chaos of the campaign meant many soldiers were initially listed as missing, not captured.

The fate of the 51st Highland Division resonated deeply across Scotland, where the unit had strong regional ties. Communities mourned not only the loss of so many men to captivity but also the strategic and symbolic blow it represented. In the decades following the war, veterans’ organizations worked to preserve the memory of their ordeal, ensuring their story would not be overshadowed by the triumph of Dunkirk.

Although the division would later be reconstituted and return to battle in North Africa and Europe, the scars of Saint-Valery remained. The “Forgotten Dunkirk” became a term not just for a neglected military event but for a chapter of profound sacrifice that shaped the national memory of the war in Scotland. The legacy of the men who endured captivity stands as a testament to their resilience and loyalty.

The “Forgotten Dunkirk”

The fate of the 51st Highland Division at Saint-Valery-en-Caux became overshadowed by the triumphant narrative of Dunkirk. While the world celebrated the successful evacuation of over 330,000 Allied troops from the beaches of northern France, little attention was paid to those left behind. The emphasis on Operation Dynamo’s miraculous success diverted focus from the bitter reality faced by the Highlanders who, fighting under French command, were ultimately cut off and captured.

This marginalization stemmed in part from embarrassment over strategic failures. British leadership had miscalculated the pace of the German advance and the complexity of coordinating with French forces. As historian Saul David noted, “The 51st Highland Division was sacrificed to uphold an alliance,” a decision that many later saw as both noble and tragic. The desire to preserve morale and highlight victories likely contributed to the omission of this story in postwar commemorations.

For decades, the surrender at Saint-Valery received little recognition. Veterans returned home to a nation more familiar with the heroism of Dunkirk than with the losses endured further south. The absence of the 51st Highland Division from celebratory accounts of the war left many feeling that their suffering had been overlooked. This silence added another layer of hardship to the memory of their captivity and the trauma of defeat.

Efforts to correct this historical oversight have grown in recent years. A memorial in Saint-Valery-en-Caux honors the sacrifice of the division, offering a solemn reminder of their stand. In Scotland, local commemorations and historical societies have worked to share personal accounts and elevate the division’s story. The Royal Regiment of Scotland has played a key role in ensuring the events of June 1940 are not forgotten.

Modern documentaries and books have also revived interest in the “Forgotten Dunkirk.” Through oral histories, archival footage, and detailed scholarship, these efforts have illuminated the courage and endurance of the Highlanders. The BBC and Scottish historians have produced works that highlight the division’s role, bringing long-overdue recognition to their story.

Today, the term “Forgotten Dunkirk” serves not only as a corrective to historical neglect but as a tribute to the men who held the line at a terrible cost. Their bravery in the face of encirclement and abandonment deserves its place alongside the more widely known chapters of World War II. In remembering them, we enrich our understanding of sacrifice and the complexities of war.

Honoring a Sacrifice Without Rescue

The story of the 51st Highland Division stands as a poignant reminder that not all wartime heroism ends in rescue. While the soldiers who held the beaches at Dunkirk were rightly celebrated, the men of the 51st—cut off, outnumbered, and ultimately surrendered—displayed courage equal in measure. Their days of resistance at Saint-Valery-en-Caux were marked by loyalty, grit, and sacrifice, even as the hope of evacuation faded in the fog and gunfire. As one survivor later recalled, “We didn’t retreat—we were left to stand.”

To truly understand the complexity of World War II, we must remember stories like the “Forgotten Dunkirk.” Recognizing the fate of the 51st Highland Division is not only a tribute to those who fought and suffered, but a necessary correction to a narrative long shaped by triumph. Their sacrifice deserves a permanent place in our collective memory—etched not just into memorials, but into the history we teach and preserve.