|
Posted on 08/19/2003 12:01:01 AM PDT by SAMWolf
|
|
 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
|
|
19 August 1942 From the moment of the German attack against the Soviet Union on June 22nd 1941, and from that of the United States' entry into war the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour on 7th December 1941, the war became worldwide. In France, as in the whole of Europe, in order to face the war effort, Hitler's Germany imposed compulsory work service. While the "Todt Organisation" was building the Atlantic Wall, and was establishing Europe as a fortress, the "Third Reich" government intensified the implementation of Hitler's totalitarian and racial programme. Following the "Nacht und Nebel" decree in December 1941, which foresaw the putting into solitary confinement and the deporting of the enemies of the New Order, the Wannsee conference finalized the ultimate solution to the Jewish problem. On 16th July, the "Vel d'Hiv" raid on Paris illustrated the repressive and antisemitic collaboration policy of the Vichy Government. In April 1942, after the allied raid on St Nazaire,the British and American allies again took up the project of awide-ranging raid on a French harbour on the Channel coast. This raid was intended to test defences and to prove to the Soviets, who were asking for the establishment of a second front, that it was not easy to grab a foothold on the French coast. The Allied High Command chose Dieppe for two main reasons; the size of the township, and the distance, which were both compatible with the available means of transport, making uninterrupted air-cover easy.  The concrete barriers, wire fencing, and other obstacles on the beach show how well the Germans fortified the Dieppe beach. Several hundreds of miles of beaches were fortified in the same fashion as the Germans saw their greatest threat of Allied invasion to be from the sea. (L/O 54162 and DVA 734 and #1 and 8160: Dieppe #2) The operation was to last twelve hours, a frontal attack taking place on the beach at Dieppe, after landings on both sides at Pourville and Puys, thus neutralizing the defences overlooking the main beach. The long-range batteries at Varengeville and Berneval also had to be destroyed before the landing in Dieppe. The aim of the raid was to destroy the German coastal defences, the port structures and all the strategic buildings (petrol storage depots, radio and radar stations, headquarters, airfield).  Canadian tanks got bogged down on the pebbled beaches at Dieppe and very few ever made their objective of getting up the cliffs and into the town. (DVA 736) Over 6.000 men were to land, among them 4.965 Canadians from the 2nd Division (including the crews of 50 Churchill tanks) and 1.200 British men belonging to the Commandos and the Royal Marines. 250 boats effected the transport (duck-boats, destroyers, gunboats, patrol boats, landing-craft...). Around 1.000 aircraft (fighters, bombers) were used to support and defend the landing force.  The aftermath of the Dieppe Raid. (R.20A and DVA 735) In August 1942, the area of Dieppe was under the responsability of the 302nd Division of the Wehrmacht. About 2.500 men, highly trained and equiped (571st Regiment of Grenadiers, artillery units, Flak units and Kriegsmarine units), were present at each of the different landing-points. Important fresh troops could be sent for at short notice. The defensive fortifications were already dangerous, and the fire-power significant (automatic weapons, mortars, medium and heavy guns, long-range coast batteries). The German airforce, although less extensive, was still very dangerous and had the advantage of being close to its home-base. During the evening of 18th August, the naval forces of Operation Jubilee got under way from several ports on the south coast of England. The different groups accomplished a trouble-free sea-crossing until, suddenly, several miles off the coast, the left wing flotilla, which was carrying the 3rd British Commando unit, unexpectedly ran into a small German convoy sailing from Boulogne to Dieppe. It was 3.45am. The ensuing battle completely upset the planned attack on Berneval, and alerted part of the enemy defence. Yet, a small group of commandos still managed to neutralize the battery for an hour and a half.  1874 Canadians were taken prisoner by the Germans at Dieppe. (R.16 and DVA 735) At 4.50am, at the other end of the operation zone, the 4th Commando got a foothold on two areas along the coast, in order to catch the battery at Varengeville in a pincer movement. It was a complete success. The battery was destroyed and the commandos re-embarked at 8.15am with scarcely any human loss. At Puys, the Royal Regiment of Canada landed at 5.06am, later than planned, and in broad daylight. The German defence was on the watch, overlooking the attackers who tried in vain to get over the high concrete wall enclosing the small beach, under heavy fire with no shelter. In less than an hour, of the 600 men who had landed, the Canadians had lost 225, those left were either wounded or made prisoner; only about sixty made it back to England.  German soldiers round up Allied prisoners following the Dieppe Raid.. 1, 874 Canadians were captured during and after the assault. (R.24 and DVA 735) The South Saskatchewan and Cameron Highlanders landed at Pourville at 4.50am, easily invading the village. The German defence became progressively firmer and although soldiers managed to advance as far as Petit Appeville in the valley and as far as two-thirds of the way up the slopes leading to Dieppe, they could not carry any further and had to fall back late in the morning, re-embarking with heavy losses (151 dead, 266 made prisoner and 269 wounded).  At 5.20am, after a too-short preliminary bombing, the first two assault waves of the Royal Hamilton and the Essex Scottish got a foothold on the beach at Dieppe. The tanks of the 14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment, which should have protected them, landed fifteen minutes later with great difficulty and could not efficiently support the foot-soldiers advancing on the exposed esplanade, where a hell-fire showered them from the cliffs and the houses on the seafront. Even those who managed to reach the esplanade could not then get over the concrete walls barring every entrance to the town centre. The casino was occupied by some men from the Royal Hamilton. Several small groups even managed to get past the first rows of houses and to enter the church St Rémy.  On the east side of the beach, the men of the Essex Scottish, even more exposed, were very quickly stopped by intensive German gunfire (the troops having been defeated at Pourville and especially at Puys, the Germans had held on to their whole fire power). The Allied Command, based on the HMS Calpe, seeing nothing happening on land because of extremely thick smoke, and being badly informed because of failing transmissions, sent in fresh back-up troops, men from the Mount Royal Fusiliers and the Royal Marines Commandos. They landed on the beach amidst great confusion with no hope whatsoever of improving an already jeopardized situation. The murderous battle went on until the end of the morning, the order to draw back being given around 11am, to the survivors who tried to re-embark on the boats which had returned to pick them up. Of the 2.000 men who had landed, 400 were dead, and only 400 succeeded in regaining England. At about 1 pm, the battle was nearly over. Operation Jubilee ended with dramatic results: the allies counted 1.380 dead (913 Canadians), 1.600 wounded and over 2.000 made prisoner. The air battle was just as disastrous. The Royal Air Force lost 107 aircraft; the Germans about forty. In the area of Dieppe, among the civilians, the count was 48 dead and 100 wounded. The Germans had 345 dead or missing and 268 wounded. Thus, in less than ten hours' battle, almost 1.800 people lost their lives, which shows clearly the murderous intensity of the Battle of Dieppe.  The result and ensuing debates could not live down the sacrifice of those who fought and the enemy was the first to admit that the disaster was not of their doing; "the huge number of prisoners may seem to question the value of the Canadian and British units involved in the raid. Far from it. The enemy soldiers, mostly Canadian, proved their skill and courage everywhere it was possible to fight. It was not their lack of courage, but the fact that we concentrated our defensive artillery fire and our heavy infantry weapons so much that stopped the enemy gaining ground" (extracts of reports written by the majors of the 81st Corps and the 302nd German Division).  Dieppe Cemetery, France. (#7 and 197 .07 6 160 and 95 and 78-cen) The sea-battle off Berneval breaking the surprise effect of the raid could not in itself explain the failure of Operation Jubilee. In fact, the reasons for this failure lie mainly in the underestimation of the enemy forces, the lack of effective air and sea support before landing, the use of inadequate equipment and the lack of information being other aggravating factors. Military defeats are always controversial subjects, especially when loss of human life is involved. Operation Jubilee did not escape this rule and although the lessons learnt brought valuable indications for the preparation of Operation Overlord, the South Normandy landing on 6th June 1944, many wondered at the relevancy and usefulness of Operation Jubilee as far as future operations were concerned.  A plaque on the wall of Canada Square, Dieppe, France. Commemorating the Canadian soldiers who died on the beach of Dieppe on August 19, 1942. Photo by J.Ough, NFB, April 1972 (LO 49297 and #8 and 5) Two years after the raid on Dieppe, the Canadians landed in Juno, at dawn on 6th June 1944, participated in the Battle of Normandy and on 1st September 1944, the 2nd Canadian Division liberated Dieppe.
|
Didn't I just read something about that. lol.
You might not need it but I bet a lot of folks would want to be there with you. ;)
LOL. I just happen to have one. Let me know when you find them.
Outstanding work this AM . . . another example of an overrated "Monty".
|
Air Power |
The Hurricane was the first monoplane fighter produced by Hawker, and was available in substantial numbers at the beginning of World War II. Hurricanes played a decisive role in the Battle of Britain and went on to fly on more fronts than any other British fighter. Canadian Car and Foundry manufactured 1 451 Hurricanes between 1938 and 1943. With increasingly heavy armament, Hurricanes served to the end of the war. Hurricanes were used in Canada for training and coastal patrols.
Hurricanes equipped 26 RAF squadrons at the beginning of the Battle of Britain and shot down more enemy aircraft than all other defences combined. The RCAF received its first Hurricanes in August 1939, including those flown by Number 1 Squadron RCAF in the Battle of Britain. Later in the war, Sea Hurricanes were launched by catapult from ships at sea to defend convoys against air attack. A "tank buster" version with 40mm cannon was used in North Africa.
The Hurricane was designed to Air Ministry Specification F.36/34, the prototype making it's first flight on November 6th, 1935. Put into production in 1936, the first production Hurricane I flew in October, 1937.
Although it was no longer in production when the war ended the Hurricane was still in service as a first-line aircraft. It served on seventeen battle fronts - in the British Isles, France, Norway, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, The Middle East, The Far East, Russia, in the Battles of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Northern Convoys, to mention the most important - as a fighter, fighter-bomber, an R.P. fighter, a "tank buster", a catapault fighter, and a carrier fighter. In 1944-45, equipped with rocket projectiles (R.P.), the Hurricane was used with great effect against enemy shipping in the Adriatic, and as a fighter-bomber it served with distinction in Burma.
Well over 14,000 Hurricanes were built, the last one being delivered from the Hawker factory in September, 1944.
Hurricane Mk I
Rolls-Royce Merlin II or Merlin III engine. Armament consisted of eight .303-in Browning machine guns, four in each wing. Originally had fabric covered wings, two blade wood fixed-pitch airscrew and was without armour or self-sealing tanks. In 1939 the Mk. I was fitted with either the D.H. or Rotol constant-speed airscrew, ejector exhaust stacks, metal covered wings, armour, etc. In the Battle Of Britian the Hurricane Mk. I accounted for more enemy aircraft than any other type of aircraft and altogether in the first year of the war Hurricane squadrons accounted for more than 1,500 confirmed victories over the Luftwaffe, almost half the total of enemy aircraft destroyed by the RAF in that period. In 1940 the Mk. I was fitted with air cleaner and desert equipment for service in the Middle East.
Hurricane Mk. II
Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine with two-speed supercharger. Except for slight alterations to the wings to cater for increased armament, a new engine mounting for the longer engine and strengthening of the fuselage and landing-gear to take care of the increased power and weight, no other structural changes were necessary.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Hawker
Primary Role: Fighter
Power plant: One Rolls-Royce (Packard) Merlin XX V-engine with 1,280 HP
First flight Prototype: 6.11.1936
Date deployed: October 1937
Number built: 12,870 (+ 1,451 in Canada)
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 40 ft 12.2 m
Length: 32 ft 3 in 9.8 m
Height: 13 ft 1 1/2 in 4 m
Weights: empty 4,982 lb 2,259 kg / max. 6,665 lb 3,023 kg
Performance:
Speed cruising: 206 mph / max. 348 mph
Initial: climb rate 2,707 ft/min
Ceiling: 34,000 ft
Range: 460 mi
Armaments:
8 x machine gun (12x m.g. Hurricane IIb) or 4x cannon;
up to 226 kg in bombs
All photos Copyright of British WWII Aircraft
I'm spoiled rotten here at the Foxhole. :)
We've been having SERIOUS network issues here at work for 2 days solid now, thanks to that worm virus and now the 2nd generation version "Welchia".
Hard to get a project done when you average maybe 3 minutes connection time per hour.
Fortunately, the "internet" portion of our network seems to be working normally. (more freep time.. LOL)
The British were in an impossible situation. The Americans were pressing for a second front landing in France, and, with the Russians were questioning the resolve of the British to fight. The surrender of Singapore, and then of Tobruk, to numerically inferior forces only heightened the suspicions of Britain's allies. A major raid was required, first to prove Britain's desire to fight, and second, to prove the techniques required for an invasion landing.
The British had three preliminary plans available to them, Operations, RANSACK, IMPERATOR, and RUTTER. Both RANSACK and IMPERATOR were corps sized operations requiring several days ashore. The British, however, had only enough landing craft to land a brigade. RANSACK was considered to be too large to be successful, and IMPERATOR, which included a penetration to Paris, as too risky. By default RUTTER was chosen.
Having approved the operation, command was given to South-East Command (SECO), GOC, General Montgomery. The original plan of flank landings over two tides was amended to a frontal assault during a single tide. Having decided on a general plan the time had come to choose the formations to take part in the assault. Canadian troops had arrived in Britain in 1940. They had been kept defending England from invasion since that time. Unlike the Australians, New Zealanders, or South Africans, Canadian soldiers had yet to see combat. Their general officers had been pressing for involvement in some operation if only to gain experience. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity for them. Based on results from recent exercises, the 2nd Canadian Division was chosen to provide the units for the assault.
The frontal assault had already been decided upon, as had the objectives of the raid. The Canadian staff only filled in the operational details. The original plan also called for an airborne assault on the batteries defending the Dieppe area, and a bombardment by heavy bombers to suppress fire from the beaches. In the later stages of planning the aerial bombardment was cancelled.
On the day the operation was to be launched the weather was unsuitable for parachute operations. The operation was first delayed, then cancelled as the weather did not improve. Disappointed by the cancellation and desperate for a raid, Montgomery's advice that the raid be cancelled for all time was ignored. There was insufficient time before the planned landings of Operation TORCH to train troops and launch a new operation. It was decided to relaunch RUTTER under the name of Operation JUBILEE. The same Canadian units that had trained for RUTTER would be used, but this time Commandos would be used instead of parachute troops.
Looks like Mongomery didn't have anything to do with the planning and it was like him to not want to launch an attack without everything being "perfect". But his name does come attached to the Dieppe Raid.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
