“Spies, Enigma machine and James Bond’s creator help explain mystery of Canada’s wartime disaster Dieppe”
Over the years, historians have floated various theories about the motivation behind the raid.
Was it a push to establish a Western front?
Was it a dress rehearsal for a major assault on an-other German stronghold?
O’Keefe’s research has revealed that the raid was launched as a diversionary tactic designed to provide cover for a commando unit ordered to penetrate Ger-man naval headquarters - believed to be housed in the town’s Hotel Moderne - and to board certain boats in the harbour, all in a bid to steal German code books and a code machine.
In military parlance - and only at the very highest levels of command - the Dieppe Raid was dubbed a pinch operation.
The head of the commando unit was none other than Ian Fleming, a Second World War British intelligence officer and the creator of spy-extraordinaire James Bond.
When O’Keefe presented his research to British naval authorities two years ago, they admitted to the operation’s true motive.