War veterans, diplomats and members of the public gathered in the French
port of Dunkerque and the Belgian town of De Panne over the weekend to pay
homage to the soldiers who lost their lives in the heroic siege of
Dunkerque and the liberation of the French-Belgian border areas. Among the
heroes of Dunkerque are members of the 1st Czechoslovak Independent
Armoured Brigade which, although heavily outnumbered, fought to contain
German units within the fortress up until their surrender in May, 1945.