Often caught up in the conflicts of history, the Nord region of France was twice thrown into the front line of fierce battle during the course of the 20th century. The port of Dunkirk was made famous by the heroic evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 but few realize that the town was virtually destroyed during WW1 by heavy shelling and air raids because of its usefulness to the allied war effort. At the end of the war the British awarded the town the Distinguished Service Cross and much of Dunkirk was rebuilt only to be destroyed again in the evacuation of 1940. The region is also famous for the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, during which tanks were first used on a large scale.

More Informations :
http://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/index.php?idLang=en