What was the Dieppe Raid of 1942?
Answer
An Allied amphibious raid on the German-occupied French port of Dieppe on August 19, 1942 carried out primarily by Canadian forces (about 5,000 of the 6,090 Allied troops); the operation was a disaster with 916 Canadians killed, about 1,946 captured, and the entire force suffering about 60 per cent casualties.
Explanation
The Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee) was an Allied amphibious raid on the German-occupied French port of Dieppe on August 19, 1942. The operation was carried out primarily by Canadian forces (about 5,000 of the 6,090 Allied troops involved), with British Commandos, US Rangers, and Free French troops also participating. The raid was a disaster: about 916 Canadians were killed, about 1,946 captured (including 568 wounded), and 1,505 were evacuated, of whom about 590 were wounded. Total casualties were about 3,367 of 4,963 Canadians (a 68 per cent casualty rate).
The 2nd Canadian Division (commanded by Major-General John Hamilton 'Ham' Roberts) provided most of the troops, including the Royal Regiment of Canada, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, the Essex Scottish Regiment, the Fusiliers Mont-Royal, the Cameron Highlanders of Canada, the South Saskatchewan Regiment, the Calgary Tank Regiment, the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment of Canada), and the Royal Canadian Engineers. The Royal Canadian Air Force contributed 11 squadrons to the air support.
The strategic rationale was contested. Senior Allied planners including Lord Louis Mountbatten (Chief of Combined Operations) wanted to test amphibious assault doctrine and raid German-occupied Europe to relieve Soviet pressure. Canadian Lieutenant-General Andrew McNaughton wanted to give the Canadian Army Overseas its first significant combat experience. The plan called for a frontal assault on the heavily defended town of Dieppe with supporting flanking attacks at Pourville (West) and Puys (East), and preliminary commando attacks on coastal batteries at Berneval and Varengeville. The operation lacked proper preliminary bombardment.
The raid went badly from the start. The Eastern Flotilla encountered a German coastal convoy before landing, alerting the defenders. The tanks of the Calgary Tank Regiment landed late and most became immobilised on Dieppe's chert shingle beach, unable to climb the seawall. German MG-34 and MG-42 machine gun positions above the beach pinned down assault troops. After about nine hours of fighting, withdrawal orders were given at 11:00 AM. The Dieppe Raid is one of the most studied military operations in 20th-century military history. Its lessons, however expensive, shaped the planning for the successful Normandy landings of June 1944, particularly regarding preliminary bombardment, specialised landing craft, beach obstacle clearance, and dedicated armour. Thirteen Victoria Crosses were earned during the war by Canadians; none were earned at Dieppe (although Honorary Captain John Foote, a chaplain, received the Victoria Cross for repeated trips into the surf to aid wounded soldiers and for deliberately accompanying his men into captivity).
Why this matters for your test
Dieppe was the costliest single day for Canadian soldiers in the Second World War and shaped the planning of the eventual D-Day landings. Recognising the August 19, 1942 date and the about 68 per cent Canadian casualty rate gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Veterans Affairs Canada; Canadian War Museum
