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In
the summer of 1942, the Soviet Union,
reeling under a ferocious German assault,
clamoured for help. The Canadian Army
eagerly accepted a British plan to strike
at Dieppe and distract the Germans. At
dawn on 19 August 1942, nearly 5000 Canadian
troops supported by British commandos
assaulted the port and the neighbouring
villages of Puys and Pourville. The raid
was a disaster: the German defences were
fully alerted and stronger than expected
and the Canadians lacked adequate naval
and air support.
In
Canada’s worst single-day loss
of the war, 807 died and 1946 were captured.
Another 100 Canadians died in captivity,
many of battle wounds. Only 2110 returned
to Britain. Some historians insist that
the lessons learned at Dieppe contributed
to the success of later Allied landings;
others argue the raid was just a poorly-planned
blunder.
See also :
Canadian
Newspapers and the Second World War : Dieppe Raid, 19 August 1942
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