The Battle of Dieppe
Steve Elliott
Period 5 History
April 1, 2006
Mr. Melnyk’s class
Was Dieppe really a turning point in the war and a defining moment for
Canada, or was it simply another battle lost to the Germans during the war? On
August 19th, 1942, Canadian troops, along with groups of British and American
soldiers, attacked the heavily fortified German-held seaport of Dieppe, located on
French soil. Stories about the attack popped up everywhere in the times following
the attack, outlining the goings-on of this historical battle. The battle of Dieppe
was a defining moment in Canadian history because it affected future battles, it
demonstrated Canada’s devotion to the war, and it was one of the biggest mission
failures.
Dieppe affected future battles in many ways.
In addition, the raid on Dieppe showed how important it was to use prior air
bombings to destroy enemy defences as much as possible, to support assault troops with
artillery fire from ships and landing crafts, to improve techniques and equipment to
remove obstacles to men and tanks.
1
“Dieppe taught us that if we wanted to land in France, we had to have mass bombing
attacks.”2 It proved that aerial bombings were key to supporting the troops during
the attack and that these bombings were more important than the minor surprise
gained by ground forces by not using them before hand.
1
Juno Beach Centre, The Dieppe Raid. (Ontario: Digital Wizards Inc., 2003) N/A.
…other battalions landed, more men were killed by machine-gun fire and struck by
mortar shells…. The Allies' long-term goal was to get a foothold on the continent and set
up a bridgehead from where ground forces could move into Europe….The idea of capturing
a well-defended seaport to use as a bridgehead was dropped after August 19th, 1942.
3
The raid proved that capturing a seaport for later use in expanding Allied forces
into mainland Europe would not work as long as it was well defended. “The Dieppe
fiasco demonstrated that it was imperative to improve communications at all levels: on the
4
battlefield, between the HQs of each unit, between air, naval and ground forces.”
It
proved that communication between the army’s forces during the battle was vital
to the mission’s success. The lessons learned at Dieppe, such as the inclusion of
aerial support and communication being vital, and that attempts at seaports were
the wrong choice, affected future battles by spurring the use of these tools and
changes in the attack plan. Canada’s devotion led to the battle that taught it these
lessons.
Dieppe demonstrated Canada’s devotion to the war. For the raid, Canada
donated over 5000 soldiers to the attack, along with many tanks and other
equipment5.
2
Cliff Chadderton, Dieppe: Don’t Call it a Failure. (WNED(station, place not known): War Amps, 2001) 22:50
(time)
3
Juno Beach Centre, The Dieppe Raid. (Ontario: Digital Wizards Inc., 2003) N/A.
4
Juno Beach Centre, The Dieppe Raid. (Ontario: Digital Wizards Inc., 2003) N/A.
5
Garfield Newman, Canada: A Nation Unfolding.(Toronto, Ontario: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000) pages
233-234.
In 1942, the Combined Operations Headquarters had good reasons for attempting a
raid on Dieppe: on the eastern front a decisive battle was pitching the advancing German
troops against the resistance of the Red Army and the Russian people. Stalin asked
Churchill and Eisenhower to help the USSR by opening up a Western front in continental
Europe, to prevent Hitler from throwing all the might of his armies against the Soviets.6
In performing this raid, Canadian troops aided Stalin and his Russian forces by
essentially distracting the Germans from the Russian front. “The Allies' long-term
goal was to get a foothold on the continent and set up a bridgehead from where ground
forces could move into Europe.”7 Being an ally to Britain and having its best wishes,
Canada attempted to help Britain get a seaport for later use in its expansion into
mainland Europe. This capturing would allow British troops to move in to attack the
Nazi German armies occupying much of central Europe, as well as to set up
defensive positions in the area. Mostly, this port would guarantee a supply route
from the mainland, keeping Britain’s economy afloat. Canada’s devotion to the war
was demonstrated through its supply of 5000 soldiers, its aid to Stalin and its help
in an attempted seaport grab. Despite Canada’s efforts, the attack turned into a
giant failure.
6
7
Juno Beach Centre, The Dieppe Raid. (Ontario: Digital Wizards Inc., 2003) N/A.
Juno Beach Centre, The Dieppe Raid. (Ontario: Digital Wizards Inc., 2003) N/A.
Dieppe was one of the biggest mission failures. Of the five-thousand
soldiers sent by Canada to participate in the raid, one-thousand soldiers died, fivehundred were wounded and two hundred were captured by German forces.8
They were already behind schedule and, as the sun rose, their presence was
detected. The Germans took aim at the landing crafts that were still ten metres from the
shore. At 0507, the first LCA lowered its ramp. Canadian soldiers dashed forward in the
noise of machine-gun and mortar fire that targeted them. They fell, mowed down by
bullets, hit by mortar shells. Some tried to reach the seawall bordering the beach, hoping
to find shelter. They were to be made prisoner after a few hours of useless resistance.9
“Forty minutes after the S.S.R.S. landed, the Cameron Highlanders came ashore in broad
daylight…”10 Due to delays in the travel to Dieppe, soldiers arrived in broad daylight
to German machine gunners high above, atop the cliffs. “Unfortunately, only one of
the 10 major units engaged - seven of them Canadian – was able to carry out its assignment
with complete success. This was No. 4 Commando.”11 This late arrival spelled disaster
and ruined the element of surprise, preventing the majority of the objectives from
being achieved due to the brutal defenses of the German army. The massive
number of deaths, the bad timing of the attack and the failure to complete
8
Susan Monroe, Battle of Dieppe. (New York: About Inc., 2006) N/A & Garfield Newman, Canada: A Nation
Unfolding.(Toronto, Ontario: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000) pages 233-234.
9
Juno Beach Centre, The Dieppe Raid. (Ontario: Digital Wizards Inc., 2003) N/A.
10
Gillis Purcell, First Full Exposition of Dieppe Raid Given, (Toronto, Ontario: The Globe and Mail, 1943) N/A
11
Gillis Purcell, First Full Exposition of Dieppe Raid Given, (Toronto, Ontario: The Globe and Mail, 1943) N/A
necessary objectives made Dieppe one of the biggest mission failures in Canadian
history.
New attack plans, now including communication and aerial support, were
devised from lessons learned at Dieppe. Canada’s donation of troops and aid to
Russia and Britain showed its devotion to the war. Poor timing caused the
slaughter at Dieppe and the failure to meet objectives that led to the overall
failure of the mission. Through its massive failure, its demonstration of Canada’s
devotion to the war, and its affect on future battles, Dieppe became a defining
moment in Canadian history. Canada appears to be a caring and young nation, but
also one that learns from its mistakes, such as at Dieppe. New ideas must be
tested out, but sometimes there is a high price to pay for this testing.
Bibliography:
1. Newman, Garfield. Canada: A Nation Unfolding. Toronto, Ontario: McGrawHill Ryerson Limited, 2000. Pages 233-234.
2. Monroe, Susan. “Battle of Dieppe.” Battle of Dieppe-Canadians at Battle of
Dieppe in World War II.
http://canadaonline.about.com/od/ww2battles/p/dieppe.htm (20 February
2006)
3. Veterans Affairs Canada. “Dieppe.” http://www.vacacc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=feature/dieppe02. (20 February 2006)
4. Juno Beach Centre. The Dieppe Raid. http://junobeach.org/e/2/can-evemob-die-ep.htm. (26 February 2006).
5. Purcell, Gillis. “First Full Exposition Of Dieppe Raid Given.” The Globe and
Mail. 18 May 1943.