# Equipment left behind at Battle of Dunkirk



## gjs238 (May 16, 2015)

What became of the equipment left behind at the Battle of Dunkirk?
Did the Germans use it?
Did it end up being used by German allies?


According to Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk
_The loss of materiel on the beaches was huge. The British Army left enough equipment behind to equip about eight to ten divisions. Left behind in France were, among huge supplies of ammunition, 880 field guns, 310 guns of large calibre, some 500 anti-aircraft guns, about 850 anti-tanks guns, 11,000 machine guns, nearly 700 tanks, 20,000 motorcycles, and 45,000 motor cars and lorries. Army equipment available at home was only just sufficient to equip two divisions._


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## Shortround6 (May 16, 2015)

Germans used quite a bit of it, especially motor vehicles, at least until they ran out of spare parts. Bren carriers were popular and rather long lived. The Germans thought enough of the British 3.7 AA guns that they captured to manufacture a batch of ammo for them after the captured ammo ran out.


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## fastmongrel (May 17, 2015)

I have read that captured Bren guns were modified with ZBvz 30 barrels and magazines to fire the standard 8x57 ammo and issued to occupation forces and the SS.


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## yulzari (May 17, 2015)

Repaired tanks went on to form part of Barbarossa. The clothing went to use for non front line services. The U boat crews had British battledress uniforms as working dress at one point. The boots were still in use in 1945, after all, German feet are the same shape and size as British ones. Being a mainly horse drawn army the Germans were always desperate for leather so anything with leather was sent to be reused in boot and horse tack production. The BEF, being a motorised army, only contributed a little to this though. I am pleased to say that my father came home from France with his rifle and a whole platoon of stragglers he collected and lead to the port whom he required to have or find a personal weapon, webbing, ammunition etc. so that was a bit brought back. The French troops were relanded back in western France with the personal kit they had brought with them in the evacuation to re enter the fighting.French troops made up a significant part of the troops evacuated as well as the defence of Dunkirk.


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## yulzari (May 17, 2015)

Apologies. Double post.


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## planb (May 17, 2015)

Axis history forum as a large thread on this subject


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## Shortround6 (May 18, 2015)

fastmongrel said:


> I have read that captured Bren guns were modified with ZBvz 30 barrels and magazines to fire the standard 8x57 ammo and issued to occupation forces and the SS.



This might not work so well unless you also change the bolt. The British 7.62 Bren guns were a rather easy conversion because the Canadians had built 8X57 Bren guns for the Chinese and they were able to use extra bolts (or new bolts built to the blueprints/drawings of the 8X57 guns) and get around the change in rim diameter that way.

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