Evacuate!

This is coolbert:

"In the history of modern warfare only two nations have demonstrated their ability to leave a hostile shore with any semblance of order. At Dunkirk in 1940, the British faced with a choice, wisely elected to save their men and to forgo the hope of saving their equipment. At Hungnam [Korea] in December 1950, the X Corps [U.S.] was able to withdraw its units intact with all equipment -- over 100,000 Soldiers, 17,500 vehicles, and 350,000 tons of bulk cargo. The Navy [U.S.] used 109 ships (some twice) in transporting 192 shiploads. In addition, over 98,000 refugees were evacuated."

This statement - - ONLY "two nations have demonstrated their ability to leave a hostile shore with any semblance of order" is not 100 % correct?

Here are several other modern instances of naval evacuation, carried out on a large scale, relatively successful:

1. The evacuation of the White Russian Army under the command of Wrangel from Black Sea ports. Carried out - - the fall of 1920. An army, anti-communist, with their backs to the wall [sea], being evacuated by an armada of British/American/French ships.

"The evacuation of General Wrangel's Army lasted from 20th November to 26th November 1920. There were two main evacuation points: Novorossijsk (under British Command) and Sevastopol (under Russian (Wrangel's) Command). The Allies (USA, UK and France) send about 100 steamers and other vessels to help general Wrangel to evacuate his army."

"146,200 Russians including 29,000 civilians were evacuated. Some had cholera and typhus."

Primarily White Russian troops and their dependents but a lot of other civilians too. A further large number of persons - - non-military also desiring evacuation had to be left behind, under desperate circumstances. Generally speaking, an evacuation orderly and according to plan?

2. Operation Hannibal - - 1945. Evacuation by the German Navy of military personnel and a lot of civilians from the Baltic Sea areas still under German control but surrounded by Red Army troops. 1.5 million [?] Germans successfully embarked and taken to friendly territory. Again, fairly orderly and according to plan, but suffering very heavy casualties on a number of occasions.

[Hannibal] constitutes the one great success of the German Navy during both World Wars?

Please note the mix of civilians and military men! Once that ship sailed it became a legitimate target of war!

Operations [evacuations] of this sort are always fraught with great danger and difficulty? Amphibious operations [going from sea to land or going from land to sea] are the most difficult of all military maneuvers. And ONLY the American and British navies during modern times have had the means and the experience "to do" such evacuations?

coolbert.