On the morning of May 30, 1940, as German forces began their invasion on the Western Front during World War II, the bodies of fallen British soldiers lay scattered amid the smoldering rubble of the city of Flanders.

　　On the Western Front during World War II, German forces invaded France in a blitzkrieg in 1940. As dusk fell on May 29, 1940, a final opportunity for escape arrived, but for some British soldiers, it was already too late. By the morning of May 30, 1940, as German forces began their advance, the bodies of British soldiers lay scattered among the still-smoldering ruins of Flanders City. During the fighting against the German forces in May 1940, the order to retreat for the British 145th Brigade defending Flanders City did not reach them until the morning of May 29. British soldiers who were unable to escape in time were subjected to fierce attacks, finding themselves in a desperate situation.

　　All communication with British soldiers who had been in Cassel until the afternoon of May 28 was severed. The British 145th Division was captured by the advance guard of the German 6th Panzer Division. Further north, German SS regiments launched a fierce assault on Volmue, swiftly taking 150 soldiers from the British 144th Infantry Brigade prisoner. However, the war crimes that erupted at Vormue saw atrocities committed not only against British soldiers but also against the residents of Vormue. Many British soldiers were shot dead despite having laid down their weapons. The perpetrators of these war crimes were almost never punished. War can bring forth astonishing individual courage, but it also reveals a brutal side.

　　The result of the nighttime withdrawal on May 29th brought the Dunkirk coastal fortifications significantly closer. By the early morning of May 29th, the British 50th and 3rd Infantry Divisions held the line from Poperinge to Rijsel, while the British 42nd Infantry Division and 5th Infantry Division defended the Yser River, with rearguard units desperately providing cover. Mont des Caux was subjected to unrelenting mortar fire and air raids. Around 10:00 AM, the British 44th Infantry Division was forced to abandon part of its positions. Despite mounting casualties from German artillery and bombing, the main body of the British divisions completed their withdrawal into the Dunkirk coastal fortifications. The order to withdraw finally reached Cassel at 6:00 a.m. The British 145th Brigade Group was already surrounded by German forces within the town of Cassel. The British endured a full day of shelling and attempted to withdraw during the night. Few British soldiers made it to Dunkirk.