Dunkirk

(noun) a crisis in which a desperate effort is the only alternative to defeat. Example: "The russians had to pull off a dunkirk to get out of there."

(noun) a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II. Synonyms: Dunkerque.

(noun) an amphibious evacuation in World War II (1940) when 330,000 Allied troops had to be evacuated from the beaches in northern France in a desperate retreat under enemy fire. Synonyms: Dunkerque.