DIEPPE WORLD WAR II DIEPPE RAID Operation Jubilee

DIEPPE - WORLD WAR II

DIEPPE RAID: Operation Jubilee – August 19, 1942

DIEPPE RAID – WHAT? On August 19 th, 1942, 4, 963 men and officers from the 2 nd Canadian Division, 1, 005 British commandos, 50 US rangers and 15 Frenchmen attempted an attack/invasion of German occupied France. q q A fleet of 237 ships and landing barges, including 6 destroyers, brought them near the seashore. In the air, Air Force bombers and fighters took part in the operation.

DIEPPE RAID – WHY? n 1) Soviet leader Josef Stalin urged Britain and the USA to open a “second front” to relieve Soviet troops. n 2) To test gaining a foothold on the continent so Allied ground forces could move into German occupied Europe.

DIEPPE RAID – WHY? n 3) British Chief of Combined Operations, Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, was agitating for a practical trial beach landing, against real opposition, for his troops. n 4) Why Canadian soldiers? Pressure to get them some combat experience: n n they had been stationed in Great Britain for two years without having ever engaged the enemy in a major operation. In Canada, public opinion was starting to question this inactivity:

Result The attack was a colossal failure. n Canadian casualties: 3, 367: including 1, 946 taken prisoner and 907 Canadians killed n The Germans remained in position and the mission was eventually criticized for its poor planning and execution.

Problems n Very little pre-invasion bombing n n The attack was delayed due to weather conditions, even though the troops had already been briefed. n n Germans were at full strength It’s believed that double agents had informed the Germans of Allies’ interest in the Dieppe port The attack was to occur just before dawn: the first convoy was half-an hour late. n Incoming ships were no longer covered by the darkness of night.

Problems n Landing ships met a small German convoy on the way to the beach. n n Element of surprised eliminated: Germans were ready to fire upon the incoming ships. Communication issue led to reinforcements being sent in, thinking the original troops were making headway. n Added to the slaughter

Problems n Tanks were getting stuck in the rocks of the beach. n n The soldiers were sitting ducks General withdrawal order was given at 11 am: n 3367 men were left on the beach to die or be taken prisoner

Lessons learned n The Dieppe fiasco demonstrated that it was imperative to improve communications at all levels: on the battlefield, between the HQs of each unit, between air, naval and ground forces. n The idea of capturing a well-defended seaport to use as a bridgehead was dropped after August 19 th, 1942.

Lessons n In addition, the raid on Dieppe showed how important it was: q q to use prior air bombings to destroy enemy defenses as much as possible; to support assault troops with artillery fire from ships and landing crafts; to improve techniques and equipment to remove obstacles to men and tanks;

True sacrifice n The true meaning of the sacrifices made at Dieppe was made obvious two years after this ill-fated date, when on D-Day the Allies gained a foothold in Europe to free the continent from Nazi aggression. n CBC: Return to Dieppe (June, 1992)