The dieppe raid.
By August 1942, the Allies had a plan. It was to send Canadian and British troops, restless for action, to test the German forces along the French coast at Dieppe. This would relieve some of the German pressure on the Soviets in the east.
The raid at Dieppe was planned to be a quick punch at the German stronghold. The Allies hoped to worry the Nazis, gather crucial information about their coastal defences, and then return safely to Britain. The manoeuvre was called "Operation Jubilee". It would bea dress rehearsal for the full-scale Allied invasion of Europe to follow.
At 4:50 on the morning of 19 August 1942, 5000 Canadians began to land on the beaches at Dieppe. But, the German forces were ready for the attack. German artillery on the cliffs mowed down the soldiers as they left the landing crafts and tried to run for cover. Allied sea and air support was not enough to protect the soldiers on the open, stony shore. Tanks that were meant to lead the way for the soldiers bogged down on the beach.
Some forces managed to reach the town, but the vast majority were killed. By early afternoon, nearly 900 of the Canadian troops were dead or dying. Over 1000 were wounded. Nineteen hundred prisoners of war were taken by the Germans, and only 2200 of those who landed that morning returned to Britain.
There was a horrible loss of life at Dieppe. Canadian Colonel C.P. Stacey noted , "Tactically, it was an almost complete failure." Today, people still argue over whether the raid had been properly planned. Could some of the terrible losses have been avoided? Was Dieppe another Passchendaele? A survivor who returned to Dieppe 40 years later said, "We have no memorial and no marker here. The only thing we left on this beach was blood."
Military leaders claimed that important lessons were learned. When the decisive invasion of Europe finally came two years later, the Allies remembered their Dieppe experience. This time, fire support by sea and air would be overwhelming, and a way would be found to land large numbers of troops and equipment safely on the beaches of France.
The raid at Dieppe was planned to be a quick punch at the German stronghold. The Allies hoped to worry the Nazis, gather crucial information about their coastal defences, and then return safely to Britain. The manoeuvre was called "Operation Jubilee". It would bea dress rehearsal for the full-scale Allied invasion of Europe to follow.
At 4:50 on the morning of 19 August 1942, 5000 Canadians began to land on the beaches at Dieppe. But, the German forces were ready for the attack. German artillery on the cliffs mowed down the soldiers as they left the landing crafts and tried to run for cover. Allied sea and air support was not enough to protect the soldiers on the open, stony shore. Tanks that were meant to lead the way for the soldiers bogged down on the beach.
Some forces managed to reach the town, but the vast majority were killed. By early afternoon, nearly 900 of the Canadian troops were dead or dying. Over 1000 were wounded. Nineteen hundred prisoners of war were taken by the Germans, and only 2200 of those who landed that morning returned to Britain.
There was a horrible loss of life at Dieppe. Canadian Colonel C.P. Stacey noted , "Tactically, it was an almost complete failure." Today, people still argue over whether the raid had been properly planned. Could some of the terrible losses have been avoided? Was Dieppe another Passchendaele? A survivor who returned to Dieppe 40 years later said, "We have no memorial and no marker here. The only thing we left on this beach was blood."
Military leaders claimed that important lessons were learned. When the decisive invasion of Europe finally came two years later, the Allies remembered their Dieppe experience. This time, fire support by sea and air would be overwhelming, and a way would be found to land large numbers of troops and equipment safely on the beaches of France.