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DIEPPE - WORLD WAR II

DIEPPE - WORLD WAR II. DIEPPE RAID: Operation Jubilee – August 19, 1942. DIEPPE RAID – WHAT?. On August 19th, 1942, 4,963 men and officers from the 2nd Canadian Division, 1,005 British commandos, 50 US rangers and 15 Frenchmen attempted an attack/invasion of German occupied France .

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DIEPPE - WORLD WAR II

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  1. DIEPPE - WORLD WAR II

  2. DIEPPE RAID:Operation Jubilee – August 19, 1942

  3. DIEPPE RAID – WHAT? On August 19th, 1942, 4,963 men and officers from the 2nd Canadian Division, 1,005 British commandos, 50 US rangers and 15 Frenchmen attempted an attack/invasion of German occupied France. • 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.

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

  5. DIEPPE RAID – WHY? • 3) British Chief of Combined Operations, Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, was agitating for a practical trial beach landing, against real opposition, for his troops. • 4) Why Canadian soldiers? Pressure to get them some combat experience: • 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:

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

  7. Problems • Very little pre-invasion bombing • Germans were at full strength • The attack was delayed due to weather conditions, even though the troops had already been briefed. • 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. • Incoming ships were no longer covered by the darkness of night.

  8. Problems • Landing ships met a small German convoy on the way to the beach. • 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. • Added to the slaughter

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

  10. Lessons learned • 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. • The idea of capturing a well-defended seaport to use as a bridgehead was dropped after August 19th, 1942.

  11. Lessons • In addition, the raid on Dieppe showed how important it was: • 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;

  12. True sacrifice • 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. • CBC: Return to Dieppe(June,1992)

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