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Canadians at Dieppe
Operation Jubilee

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.

One of the few tanks that actually made it up off the beach and into the Dieppe area and was later destroyed. (R.10 and DVA 735)

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.

Additional Sources:

www.vac-acc.gc.ca

'For eight hours, under intense Nazi fire from dawn into a sweltering afternoon, I watched Canadian troops fight the blazing, bloody battle of Dieppe. I saw them go through the biggest of the war's raiding operations in wild scenes that crowded helter skelter one upon another in crazy sequence. There was a furious attack by German E-boats while the Canadians moved in on Dieppe's beaches, landing by dawn's half-light. When the Canadian battalions stormed through the flashing inferno of Nazi defences, belching guns of huge tanks rolling into the fight, I spent the grimmest 20 minutes of my life with one unit when a rain of German machine-gun fire wounded half the men in our boat and only a miracle saved us from annihilation.'

Ross Munro of The Canadian Press,
assigned to cover the Canadian troops in Britain, went ashore with allied shock troops storming the Dieppe beach on August 19, 1942, to get this first-hand story of the war's biggest commando raid.

'I was gone off the tank landing craft and had the job of plugging the plug to blow the waterproofing around the turret of the tank ; this really stunned me for a few seconds, then the dive bomber, bombing and the flames coming through the slits and burning my eyelashes, after this happened I did not have any fear and I felt sure ; they could not damage, so I keep going the best way I could.'

Andy Nyman,
14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment

'Disembarked in dreadful conditions on the beach in Puys, I went through the most dramatic part of this day. Within two or three hours, the Royal Regiment of Toronto suffered the greatest loss of men among all the Jubilee units (of the 554 men disembarked, 225 were killed, 147 were wounded and 280 were taken prisoner). Only 64 men managed coming back to England.'

Joseph Ryan,
Royal Regiment of Canada

The Dieppe Bar is awarded to those who participated in the Dieppe Raid on August 19, 1942, and is worn on the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal ribbon.

A silver bar, to be attached to the ribbon of the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (CVSM), has been designed featuring the word DIEPPE in raised letters on a pebbled background. Above this, the bar bears an anchor surmounted by an eagle and a Thompson sub-machine gun. The design was created in consultation with the Dieppe Veterans and Prisoners of War Association.

'The second wave of landing crafts bringing the other half of the armour of the Calgary Regiment was not able to land its tanks. The situation ashore, as it was possible to see it from the landing crafts coming close to the beach seemed dramatic. Boats on fire, the beach full of dead soldiers, the intense German fire, the whole thing wrapped in a thick smoke, let foresee the disaster….'

Ron Gervais,
14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment

'I landed between the casino and the cliffs. I landed first passing behind a burning landing craft tank. I sent walking wounded to boats to be evacuated. I had to surrender with 75-80 wounded when the tide came in. Padre John Foote was with me, till we surrendered. We were both taken to German headquarters and were no doubt the first officers to be interrogated.'

Wesley Clare,
Medical Officer

'I belonged to Lord Lovat's troop. We attacked the German battery in the rear, over the wire under fire. I blew up N° 3 and N° 4 guns. I was a demolition man carrying 85lb of explosive. I was glad to see the explosives gone. We withdrew down the gully and sailed for Blighty.'

Bill Portman,
4e Commando

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on August 19:
1398 I¤igo L¢pez Spain, marques de Santillana, poet (Comedieta de Ponza)
1631 John Dryden 1st poet laureate of England (Absalom & Achitophel)
1646 John Flamsteed 1st astronomer royal of England
1689 Samuel Richardson English novelist (Pamela) (baptized)
1785 Seth Thomas pioneer in mass production of clocks
1844 Minna Canth Finland, novelist/dramatist (social evils)
1946 Bill Clinton 42nd US President. (Former Little Rock Attorney)
1948 Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson. In 1970 became "Tipper" Gore. Wife of Al Gore US Vice President.
1858 Edith Nesbit England, children books author (Railway Children)
1859 Charles Comiskey 1st basemen/manager (Chicago White Sox)
1860 John Kane Scottish-born US primitivist painter (Self-Portrait)
1870 Bernard Baruch financier/presidential adviser
1871 Orville Wright aviator
1878 Manuel Quezon 1st president of Philippine Commonwealth (1935-42)
1881 Georges Enesco (or Enescu) Romania, composer (Romanian Dances)
1889 Arthur Waley sinologist, translator from Chinese & Japanese
1890 H.P. Lovecraft, author of horror tales.
1892 Alfred Lunt Broadway actor (Emmy 1965)
1902 Ogden Nash Rye NY, humorous poet (I'm a Stranger Here Myself)
1903 Claude Dauphin Corbell France, actor (April in Paris, Deported)
1903 James Gould Cozzens US, novelist (1949 Pulitzer-Guard of Honor)
1906 Philo T Farnsworth Beaver Utah, inventor (electronic TV)
1907 June Collyer NYC, actress (June-Stu Erwin Show)
1907 Thurston Morton (Sen-Ky, 1957-1969)
1915 Ring Lardner Jr Chicago, screenwriter (Woman of the Year)
1916 Marie Wilson Anaheim Calif, actress (My Friend Irma)
1919 Malcolm Forbes publisher (Forbes Magazine)
1921 Gene Roddenberry executive producer (Star Trek)
1924 William Marshall Gary Ind, actor (Blacula, Something of Value)
1931 Willie Shoemaker jockey (In 1956 he won $2 million)
1933 Debra Paget actress (Anne of the Indies, Love Me Tender)
1934 Bill Cleary US, ice hockey player (Olympic-gold-1960)
1934 David F Durenberger Minn, (Sen-R-Minn)
1934 Dr Renee Richards trans-sexual tennis player
1935 Bobby Richardson SC, 2nd baseman (NY Yankees)
1935 F Story Musgrave Boston, MD/astronaut (STS 6, 51-F, 33, 44)
1938 Diana Muldaur actress (McCloud, Star Trek Next Generation, LA Law)
1938 Valentin Mankin USSR, finn class yachtsman (Olympic-gold-1968)
1939 Ginger [Peter] Baker England, drummer (Cream-White Room)
1940 Jill St John [Oppenheim], LA Calif, actress (Diamonds are Forever)
1940 Johnny Nash Houston, Tx, rocker (I Can See Clearly Now)
1943 Billy J Kramer Liverpool, rocker (The Dakotas-Bad to Me)
1945 Ian Gillian heavy metal rocker (Deep Purple-Knocking at Backdoor)
1946 Charles F Bolden Jr Columbia SC, astronaut (STS 61C, 31, STS 45)
1947 Gerald McRaney Collins Miss, actor (Simon & Simon, Major Dad)
1951 John Deacon rocker (Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody)
1951 Randi Oakes Randalia Iowa, actress (Officer Bonnie Clark-CHiPs)
1952 Jonathan Frakes actor (Actor: Commander Will Riker in "Star Trek Next Generation", Director: "Star Trek: First Contact")
1956 Adam Arkin Bkln, actor (Lenny-Busting Loose, Pearl, Tough Cookies)
1956 Cindy Nelson US, skier (Olympic-bronze-1976)
1957 Darby Hinton Santa Monica Calif, actor (Israel-Daniel Boone)
1959 Steve Grimmett heavy metal rocker
1960 Ron Darling Hawaii, baseball pitcher (NY Mets)
1962 Valerie Kaprisky Paris France, actress (Breathless, Public Woman)
1963 Joey Tempest rocker (Europe-The Final Countdown)
1963 John Stamos Cypress Calif, actor (General Hospital, Full House)
1965 Kevin Dillon actor (Heaven Help Us, Remote Control, Platoon)
1967 Jason Starsky son of Beatle Ringo
1969 Christian Slater actor (Legend of Billie Jean)
1970 Matthew Perry actor (Sydney)
1971 Tricia Ann Luedtke Oostburg Wisc, Miss Wisc-America-1991

Deaths which occurred on August 19:
14 -BC- Octavian [Augustus] Roman general, dies at 48
1493 Frederick III Innsbruck Austria, German Emperor (1440-1493)
1929 Sergei P Diaghilev Russia, dance master (Imperial Ballet), dies at 57
1962 Kerstin Hesselgren 1st woman in Swedish parliament, dies at 90
1977 Julius (Groucho) Marx NYC, comedian (Marx Bros), dies in LA at 86
1986 Hermione Baddeley actress (Camp Runamuck, Maude), dies at 79

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1968 COLLINS THEOTHIS ASBURY PARK NJ.
1968 HOFFMAN TERRY ALAN DANVILLE IN.
[REMAINS RETURNED BURIED 1994]
1969 BOHLIG JAMES RICHARD CROCKETT CA.
1969 FLANIGAN JOHN N. WINTER HAVEN FL.
[REMAINS RETURNED 1989, ID'D 06/26/97]
1969 MORRISSEY RICHARD THOMAS UNIONDALE NY.
1969 SMITH ROBERT N. TRUCKSVILLE PA.
1972 BEHNFELDT ROGER ERNEST DEFIANCE OH.
[REMAINS RETURNED 09/24/87]
1972 SHINGAKI TAMOTSU MAUI HI.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
440 St Sixtus III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1099 Crusaders beat Saracens in Battle of Ascalon
1263 King James I or Argon censors Hebrew writings
1619 The first group of twenty Africans is brought to Jamestown, Virginia.
1787 W Herschel discovers Enceladus, a moon of Saturn
1812 US warship Constitution defeats British warship Guerriere
1826 Canada Co chartered to colonize Upper Canada (Ontario)
1888 1st beauty contest (Spa, Belgium), 18 yr old West Indian wins
1891 William Huggins describes astronomical application of spectrum
1903 Phillies suffer record 9th straight posponed game
1909 1st race at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway
1917 Sunday benefit baseball game at the Polo Grounds results in John McGraw & Christy Mathewson's arrest for violating Blue laws
1934 Helen Hull Jacobs win US Lawn Tennis Association
1934 Plebiscite in Germany approved sole executive power to Adolph Hitler
1942 1,000 Canadian & British soldiers killed raiding Dieppe, France
1942 1st American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is
1950 ABC begins Saturday morning kid shows (Animal Clinic & Acrobat Ranch)
1951 Bill Veeck (Browns) sends Eddie Gaedel, a 3'7" midget, to pinch-hit
1954 Ralph J Bunche named undersecretary of UN
1955 Hurricane Diane kills 200 & 1st billion $ damage storm (N.E. US)
1957 NY Giants vote to move their franchise to SF in 1958
1958 NAACP Youth Council begin sit-ins at Oklahoma City Lunch counters
1960 Francis Gary Powers convicted of spying by USSR (U-2 incident)
1960 Sputnik 5 carries 2 dogs, 3 mice into orbit (later recovered alive)
1962 Homer Blancos plays the finest round in golf, shooting a 55
1965 Cincinatti Red Jim Maloney 2nd no-hitter of year beats Chic Cubs, 1-0
1967 Beatles' "All You Need is Love," single goes #1
1969 Chicago Cub Ken Holtzman no-hits Atlanta Braves, 3-0
1973 Pirate World Music Radio (Holland) closes down after 10 years
1976 Pres Gerald R Ford won Republican pres nomination at KC convention
1978 422 die in an arson fire at a movie theater in Iran
1979 Crew of Soyuz 32 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 34 aft 175 d flight
1980 Saudi Arabian Lockheed Tristar crashes on landing at Riyadh, 301 die
1981 2 US Navy F-14 jet fighters shot down 2 Soviet-built Libyan SU-22
1982 Renaldo Nehemiah of US sets record for 110 m hurdles, 12.93 sec
1982 Soyuz T-7 launched, Svetlana Savtiskaya 2nd woman in space
1983 LSU footballer Billy Cannon sentenced to 5 yrs for counterfeiting
1984 Lee Trevino wins the PGA
1985 Japan launches its 2nd probe of Halley's Comet, Suisei
1988 Iran-Iraq begin a cease-fire in their 8-year-old war (11 PM EDT)
1988 NY Rangers sign ex-Canadien great Guy Lafluer
1989 Tadeusz Mazowiecki, elected 1st non-communmist president of Poland
1990 NY Yankee Kevin Mass is quickest to reach 14 HRs (approx 128 at bat)
1991 Coup in Russia deposes Mikhail Gorbachev

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Ethiopia : Buhe
US : National Aviation Day (1939)
Hawaii : Admission Day (1959) - - - - - ( Friday )
Mich : Montrose-Blueberry Festival - - - - - ( Friday )

Religious Observances
Orth : Transfiguration of Our Lord (8/6 OS)
RC : Memorial of St John Eudes, confessor/priest (opt)

Religious History
1099 The armies of the First Crusade defeated the Saracens at the Battle of Ascalon (an historic Palestinian city on the Mediterranean), one month after they had captured Jerusalem.
1775 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'We are never more safe, never have more reason to expect the Lord's help, than when we are most sensible that we can donothing without Him.'
1886 The Christian Union was founded by Baptist clergyman Richard G. Spurling (1858-1935) in Monroe County, Tennessee. In 1923, this pentecostal denomination changed its name to the Church of God. Headquartered today in Cleveland, Tennessee, its current membership is nearly 500,000.
1934 English Bible expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'It is not words which God pays attention to, but heart-groans and tears!'
1953 Israel's parliament conferred Israeli citizenship posthumously on all Jews killed by the Nazis during the years of the Holocaust (1933-45) in Europe.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"There is as much greatness in acknowledging a good turn, as there is in doing it."