Dieppe Day

The jagged coastline digs into your elbows and stomach as you attempt to position yourself just right to fire on the concrete bunker high above. Looking over at your buddy you give him a nod and you both start slowly inching out from behind cover, but just as you do a burst from a machine gun forces you to duck back behind the battered hull of the smoldering tank. You look back over at your friend to see if he’s ready to try again only to find him lying face down with dark red blood seeping out from the back of his head. 

Canadian prisoners of war being marched through Dieppe. Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada.

The Plan 

By mid 1942 the situation was looking grim for the Allies. Nazi Germany was in control of much of continental Europe, parts of North Africa, and were invading the Soviet Union; as well as preparing for an invasion of Great Britain. The Allies knew they needed to gain a foothold on the mainland but lacked the resources for a full scale invasion, especially now that much of the coastline was defended like a fortress. However the Soviet Union was pressuring the Allies to open up a second front against Germany and draw resources away from the East. As well as pressure from the British Chief of Combined Operations, Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, who was vehemently requesting the British government allow a trial run against actual enemy forces to better understand their capabilities and test strategies. Under these urgings Winston Churchill approved a plan for a hit-and-run style raid to be conducted on the French port of Dieppe. 

Map of Nazi controlled territory in 1942. Courtesy of Britannica.

Dieppe is a resort town in Northwestern France that sits along a narrow shoreline in a break in the high chalky white cliffs that surround much of the French coast, and was selected partly due to it being within range of planes coming from Britain without the need to refuel. The Allies believed that a large-scale raid would be enough to draw some resources away from the Eastern Front, and help them gain intelligence on German defenses while also crippling some of their shipping. 

British Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery's South-Eastern Command was put in charge of selecting units for the raid. He organized a force consisting of over 6,000 men, 4,963 Canadian soldiers, 1,075 British Commandos, 50 U.S. Army Rangers, and 15 French Nationals. They would be supported by eight destroyers, 229 landing crafts and smaller boats, 27 Churchill tanks, and 74 air squadrons (66 of which being fighter squadrons). One might ask why so many Canadians were selected if the raid was to originate from Britain? It is because there had been Canadian soldiers waiting and training there since 1939 and Canadian politicians and officers were becoming ancy at the thought of them being away for so long without experiencing any combat. Therefore Major General Roberts and his Canadian 2nd Division were chosen for the main force. When Major Roberts informed his men of the raid he is quoted as saying, “Don't worry men, it'll be a piece of cake,” words that would go on to haunt him for years to come. 

Major General John Roberts. Public Domain.

The original plan for the raid was for airborne units to land before the main assault and destroy coastal defences, after which a quick bombing run would ensue to soften up targets followed by the main amphibious assault on the port and town. Rigorous  amphibious assault training was started on May 20th which was then followed by a full scale practice raid. By all accounts it was a “disaster” and further planning was needed. Ten days later another practice run was conducted and General Montgomery, somewhat begrudgingly, deemed it satisfactory. 

Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery. Public Domain.

They planned to assault the French port on July 4, 1942 and codenamed it “Operation Rutter.” If the weather was too poor to proceed on the fourth then the raid would occur on the next day that had fair weather. However inclement weather conditions continued on into the 7th and planners began calling for the operation to be abandoned all together. General Montgomery echoed this sentiment as he was afraid that by now word of the raid may have leaked and fallen into German hands. Unfortunately for the men involved in the mission he would not be involved with the raid much longer as he was soon sent to Egypt to take command of the British 8th Army. After some contentious debate the plan was revived and codenamed “Jubilee,” now set to take place on August 19, 1942. 

Insignia of the British 8th Army. Courtesy of Hubert-Herald.

With the date revision also came several changes to the original plan. The airborne units were replaced with British Army Commando Units No. 3 and 4 who would still come in before the main force to destroy coastal defences but would come by sea instead of air. The Commandos would be assisted in this task by the U.S. Army Rangers. Surprisingly the airborne commander was actually relieved by this decision saying that since the beginning of the raids planning “security was abysmal” and he had little hope for its success. They also lessened the amount of bombers for fear of taking away planes from missions already being flown against Germany, instead most of the bombardment would come from the eight destroyers. It was decided too that instead of going in with the main force the Royal Marine Commandos would hold back and go in afterwards to destroy docks and steal valuable intelligence. Somewhat comically the intelligence gathering duty was headed by a Royal Marine who had been a burglar in his civilian life. Other than these few changes the original plan was mostly kept in place. Two simultaneous assaults on the Eastern and Western flanks would take out the Germans coastal defense guns and capture certain strategic objectives. The main force would then attack a half hour later and would push past the seawall right into the town of Dieppe.

The Airborne commander was not wrong to be relieved at being taken off of the mission. Planning and reconnaissance was poor. Photographs taken by allied aircraft missed much of the German defenses and planners had wrongfully guessed that the beach would be suitable for tanks. French double agents had informed Germany that the British had shown interest in Dieppe, and German intelligence itself had observed that the British were amassing landing crafts in their Southern ports. Many mistakes were made from the very onset of the idea to raid Dieppe and the Allies would pay dearly for them. 

A map showing the Dieppe coastline and direction of the Allies assault. Courtesy of the Veterans Affairs of Canada.

The Flanks

At 0450 in the still dark morning of August 19th, British Commandos and Canadian forces launched their attacks on the East and West flanks of Dieppe. Unfortunately for those on the East (No. 3 Commando and the South Saskatchewan Regiment) the element of surprise was lost early on during their approach when they encountered a small German ship convoy. A short but violent fight ensued and the noise alerted the Germans on land, this caused most of the Commandos on the Eastern flank to scatter and very few actually made it to shore. Only 18 Commandos on the Eastern flank landed on the right spot but were quickly halted by the Germans. Their efforts were not in vain however as they were able to come within 180 meters of the coastal defense battery, utilizing accurate sniping they prevented the Germans from firing on British ships for two and a half hours. Eventually being forced to withdraw when enemy reinforcements arrived. 

Canadian soldiers boarding landing crafts. Courtesy of the Library and Archives of Canada.

While No. 3 Commando struggled to take the coastal guns the Canadian South Saskatchewan Regiment sent to overtake the small village of Puys, just outside of Dieppe, didn’t fare any better. The narrow beach made it difficult for them to land and find cover from the now alerted Germans positioned in the cliffs high above. Unrelenting machine gun fire beared down on them as mortars began raining from the sky. Very few were able to overcome the barbed wire laced sea wall and those that did were unable to return to the beach, eventually becoming prisoners of war. Reinforcements arrived to assist those trapped on the beach but they too were quickly pinned down and later forced to surrender. Of the 543 Canadians that landed on the Eastern flank 200 were killed, 20 later died of their wounds, and most others were taken prisoner. Only 60 were able to escape and many of those were badly injured. It was the heaviest loss a Canadian battalion would experience in a single day during the entire war. 

While the attacks on the Eastern flank were all but collapsing those in the West saw some success. No. 4 Commando was able to surprise German forces there and destroy the coastal defense guns while facing little resistance, safely withdrawing to their landing crafts afterward. They would be the only unit to achieve all their objectives that day. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (Canadian) had also landed on the Western flank and were split into two forces. The first force faced little resistance and passed the sea wall with relative ease. They were to take over an inland airfield and were able to advance three kilometers before being pushed back by the enemy. The second force was to capture a radar station and anti aircraft guns but they landed on the wrong side of the beach that was bisected by the River Scie. They attempted to cross the only available bridge but it was heavily defended and heavy fighting broke out. Both of the Highlander forces had to withdraw and doing so was a struggle. The Germans kept up relentless fire and a courageous rear guard had to stay back to defend the men trying to reach the landing crafts. They fought until all their ammunition was spent and were then taken prisoner. If it had not been for their efforts it is highly likely that few would have escaped and even more would have been killed or taken prisoner.  

Infantrymen of The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders board a landing craft. Courtesy of the Library and Archives of Congress.

The Main Assault 

The main attack was to commence a half hour after the surprise assault on the flanks but was running behind and the men went to shore just at the break of daylight. Men from the Essex Scottish Regiment attacked the Eastern side of the beach and were met with ferocious fire from German machine guns positioned high up in the cliffs. Every attempt to reach the sea wall was beaten back until a small platoon managed to overcome it and reach the town. A message was sent to offshore headquarters that the force had broken through, but General Roberts misunderstood it and believed that the entire Battalion had established themselves within the town. With this inaccurate information and his view of the mayhem on the beach being obscured by the smoke screen put up to conceal the ships against enemy fire, he sent in the reserve battalion of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal who were also quickly pinned down by the intense enemy fire. 

A photo from a newspaper article showing Canadian soldiers as they land on the beaches of Dieppe. Courtesy of the Winnipeg Tribune.

Simultaneously on the Western end of the beach the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry landed. There they found a large casino that they quickly took over from German forces, using it as a jumping off point to then clear out enemy pillboxes. They did successfully advance into the town but once there they became engaged in violent street fighting and sustained heavy casualties. The Calgary Regiment were now put to shore but were 15 minutes late which meant that the air and naval bombardment supposed to support them was almost useless and they too were quickly pinned down and unable to advance. The destroyers started bombarding German positions but their guns were far too light to do any real damage. 

Landing crafts putting up a smokescreen for concealment. Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada.

The tanks were supposed to come ashore with the infantry and be used to support them but also arrived late. Even now they were not much help as they quickly became bogged down and unable to gain traction on the pebble beach. They were easy targets for German anti-tank weapons and most were destroyed. The seawall was also a large obstacle for them to overcome and the few tanks that did were stopped by concrete barricades placed in the town's narrow streets. 

Several destroyed Churchill tanks bogged down on the Dieppe beach accompanied by a smoldering landing craft. Courtesy of the Canadian Department of National Defense.

When General Roberts realized the slaughter that was actually going on he decided to change his orders to the Royal Marines. Instead of them going in after the main force to destroy docks and gather intelligence they were now to launch immediately and support those that were trapped on the beach. This caused mayhem as the Royal Marines commander now had to quickly issue new orders to his troops and transfer them from their motor and gun boats into landing crafts. The crafts themselves were already damaged from putting the first wave of troops to shore, many were now hit again and disabled as they made their second run. The Royal Marines that did reach shore were quickly gunned down and unable to help those already stuck there. Lieutenant Colonel 'Tigger' Phillipps, seeing that it was a suicide mission, stood on the top of his landing craft and tried to wave off those behind him to prevent them from going to shore. He was shot and killed just a few seconds later. 

An abandoned British scout car on the Dieppe beach. Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada.

While soldiers on the ground were going through the meat grinder there was also a desperate fight in the air. Allied air forces worked feverishly to protect their ships from the Luftwaffe and were mostly successful but suffered heavy losses. 106 allied aircraft were lost compared to the Germans 48, amounting to one of the highest single-day aircraft losses of the war. 

At around 1100 the order to retreat was given and the battle was completely over around roughly 1400. The tanks that were still able to fight were a monumental help to the retreating troops, providing covering fire as they returned to the landing crafts. Unfortunately most of the tank crews were not able to escape themselves and were either killed or taken prisoner. By the end of the fighting 3,367 Canadians and 275 British Commandos were either killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Three Army Rangers were killed and an uncertain number were taken prisoner. One navy destroyer was lost along with 33 landing crafts, the Royal Navy suffering a loss of 550 killed or wounded. The German Army had 591 casualties in total. About 60% of Allied soldiers that took part in the battle were either killed, wounded, or became prisoners of war. 

Battered and tired men return to England after the raid. Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada.

Afterward

Many lessons were learned from the raid on Dieppe. It became abundantly clear that the element of surprise was paramount for a successful amphibious assault and the cover of darkness was a top priority. They learned that ship bombardment was not strong enough and that aerial bombings would be needed to actually soften up objectives. The use of tanks and other fire support was especially needed when soldiers were crossing the waterline onto the beach, this was found to be the deadliest place during the assault. Of course better intelligence and secrecy was also high on the list of lessons learned. 

A Gernman officer, soldier, and two civilians examine a disabled Churchill tank. Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada.

There were two Victoria Crosses awarded for the actions taken at Dieppe. One was given to Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Cecil Ingersoll Merritt who calmly crossed the bridge over the River Scie while bullets flew back and forth in both directions. He guided other men across and helped many cross before they were eventually pushed back. While members of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders retreated to the landing crafts he joined the rear guard and continued to fight until he ran out of ammunition. He was taken prisoner and sustained two bullet wounds during the fighting. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Cecil Ingersoll Merritt. Courtesy of Royal Canadian Navy.

The second was given to Reverend John Weir Foote who would be the first member of the Canadian Chaplain Service to receive one. Throughout the entire eight hour battle Reverend Foote continually exposed himself to enemy fire to bring wounded soldiers to the medical post, saving many lives. When the fighting was over he was leaving on a landing craft when he decided to jump overboard and walked up the beach, allowing himself to be taken prisoner so that he could give support to his fellow prisoners. 

Reverend John Weir Foote. Courtesy of the Canadian Department of National Defense.

Today the Dieppe Raid is remembered throughout Canada. The men that gave their lives on that fateful day are memorialized there and are a deeply rooted part of Canadian identity. It also continues to be a point of debate as historians and researchers go back and forth on whether the raid was worth the loss. Some call it nothing but a useless slaughter while others believe it was necessary to create new strategies and test the Allies capabilities that would later lead to the success on D-Day. It is without a doubt true that planners kept the lessons learned at Dieppe in mind when planning other amphibious assaults, and many credit the knowledge gained there for keeping the casualties on D-Day to a minimum. Perhaps then the most thoughtful question one could ask is, did so many lives really need to be wasted to learn such simple lessons?

Members of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps evacuating injured allied soldiers from Dieppe. Courtesy of the Associated Press.

Personal Thoughts 

I knew that Dieppe was a loss for the Allies but I had no idea how big of a disaster it was until I started actually researching it.Though I would say there was some merit to the raid for testing strategies I would say that I’m more in the group of people that think it was a waste. I think there were better ways to test their strategies and create better plans, perhaps Dieppe helped to make those lessons more impactful and stick in the minds of the planners better but still just seems like an awful waste of life. I think a better option, to at least draw resources away from the Eastern Front at least, would have been to use commando units and other special forces to blow up docks and other centers of supply in secrecy instead of using a full frontal assault with a large force. 

Sources

Cover photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/1942-dieppe-raid

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/historical-sheets/dieppe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/dieppe_raid_01.shtml

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dieppe-raid

https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/operations/dieppe_e.html

https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/the-dieppe-raid/

https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/allies-suffered-severe-losses-during-ill-fated-raid-dieppe-france-august-1942