The Allied Dieppe Raid, codenamed Operation Jubilee, began at dawn on August 19, 1942. The objective was to briefly invade the German-occupied port of Dieppe, France, destroy predetermined targets and return to England as quickly as possible. It was hoped that this would cause the German Army such concern that it would strengthen its English Channel defences at the expense of other areas of operation.
The Raid
The Dieppe Raid of August 19, 1942 was one of the worst disasters of the Second World War. Nine-hundred-and-seven Canadian lives were lost on that day and 1,946 other Canadians were captured and forced to spend the remainder of the war as prisoners.
The troops involved totalled 6,100 of whom roughly 5,000 were Canadians, the remainder being British Commandos and 50 American Rangers. The raid was supported by eight Allied destroyers and 74 Allied air squadrons (eight belonging to the Royal Canadian Air Force).
The plan called for attacks at five different points on a front of roughly 16 kilometres. Four simultaneous flank attacks were to go in just before dawn, followed half an hour later by the main attack on the town of Dieppe itself. Canadians would form the force for the frontal attack on Dieppe and would also go in at gaps in the cliffs at Pourville four kilometres to the west, and at Puys to the east. British commandos were assigned to destroy the coastal batteries at Berneval on the eastern flank, and at Varengeville in the west.
A German convoy was unexpectedly encountered in the eastern sector leaving little chance of success. The narrow beach at Puys with its lofty cliffs allowed German soldiers to be strategically placed. Success depended on surprise and darkness, neither of which prevailed. Failure to clear the eastern headland enabled the Germans to enfilade the Dieppe beaches and nullify the main frontal attack.
In the western sector at Varengeville, the operation was completely successful. At Pourville however, the Canadians were not so lucky. They had made it through the planned attack but lost heavily during the withdrawal.
In the main attacks that took take place across the pebble beach in front of Dieppe, the enemy swept the beach with machine gun fire. Mis-communication caused the reserve battalion to be pinned down as well.
The landing of the tanks of the Calgary Regiment fell victim to a late arrival leaving the infantry without support during the critical minutes of the attack. The tanks came ashore and met an inferno of fire. Some were able to negotiate the sea wall and continue to fight and support the infantry, however, the tank crews were taken as prisoners or died in battle.
The raid also produced a tremendous air battle at a high cost. The Royal Air Force lost 106 aircraft, the highest single-day total of the war. The Royal Canadian Air Force loss was 13 aircraft.
Bad timing, inadequate equipment and mis-communication caused the entire mission to be plagued by disaster. On almost every front, the enemy was ready for the Canadians and was able to defeat them quickly. The conflict was over by early afternoon. Some claim it was a useless slaughter, others maintain that it was necessary to the success of D-Day two years later. Despite the controversy, there is no dispute about the performance of the Canadians involved. Although Dieppe was not a military victory, it was an impressive and memorable example of Canadian gallantry and endurance.
Victoria Cross Recipients
Two Canadians earned the Victoria Cross (VC), the Commonwealth's highest award for valour, during the Dieppe Raid.
While advancing with the South Saskatchewan Regiment to the town of Dieppe, Lt.-Col. (Charles) Cecil Merritt took charge of a bridge-crossing over the River Scie. Walking calmly into the fire, he led party after party across the bridge by the sheer force of his example. Despite these efforts, the advance was halted and they were forced to withdraw. Although twice wounded, Merritt commanded a vigorous rearguard action which allowed most of the units to successfully re-embark. He and the rest of the rearguard then became prisoners of war.
The late Reverend John Weir Foote was the first member of the Canadian Chaplain Services to be awarded the VC. Through eight hours of battle, Reverend Foote, Chaplain of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, continually exposed himself to intense fire to help move the injured to an aid post, saving many lives by his gallant efforts. When an opportunity to withdraw arrived, he climbed from the landing craft that would have taken him to safety and walked into the enemy positions to be taken prisoner and so to minister to his fellow Canadian POWs. They would be held behind barbed wire for three years.
