# world war 2

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-2/335867>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 16, 2005, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-2/335867 "2005-12-16T04:46:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-2/335867/21 "2005-12-16T22:58:42Z")

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This is the nearest answer that I could find:

> **[Meaning of 'D" | American Experience | PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/dday-meaning/)**
>
> People have been asking what the "D" in "D-Day" means?

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**Author:** ![Lynwood\_Slim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Lynwood\_Slim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynwood_Slim)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-2/335867/22 "2005-12-17T01:17:38Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Would have ruined the element of surprise, since the Nazis held Dunkirk since 1939. They might have noticed Allied troops massing there.

The German army held Dunkirk as of June 5, 1949. The evacuation went on from about May 26 to June 4, 1940.

Gratuitous added info:

The Germans opened the Western front on May 10, invading Holland and Luxemborg. They entered France by May 13, and the last French army surrended on June 22, 1940. France formally capitulated on June 25, 1940.

The French lost about 90,000 killed and about 200,000 wounded in the six weeks of battle, and about 2,000,000 French taken prisoner of war. Many of those, at least several hundred thousand, ended up in labor camps, and many died in those conditions.

This does not include British, Belgian, Dutch and Polish casualties that fought in the battle.

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-2/335867/23 "2005-12-17T01:24:03Z")

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> [@Raguleader](#):
>
> Right, thus totally takign the Germans by suprise, who no doubt assumed “D-Day” meant Dunkirk. 😉

How clever. And Death had an appointment with you in Jerusalem, which is why he was shocked to see you in Damascus.

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