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DISASTER AT DIEPPE

1942

The Canadian raid on the French coastal town of Dieppe was a catastrophe.

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


DISASTER ON THE FRENCH COAST
CWM/MCG ANI19830136

Disaster at Dieppe
Canadian War Museum
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