Canada and
World War II
Important Battles of WWII:
Dieppe Raid
Battle of Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong
• In November 1941, Canada sent 1975
troops to help garrison the British colony
of Hong Kong .
– Canadian troops were not fully equipped
or trained at this time.
• The Japanese invaded Hong Kong on 8
December and overran its meager
defenses in 17 days.
• Canadian troops fought valiantly in a
vicious, unequal struggle.
• Losses were heavy:
– 290 killed in action and hundreds
wounded.
– The survivors were all taken prisoner.
Suffering from malnutrition, disease,
overwork, and brutality, nearly 300 more
Canadians died in captivity.
Japanese lines of
attack
Dieppe Raid
Dieppe ~ Operation Rutter ~ April 1942
• Original Plan: Operation RUTTER
– In the spring of 1942, the Allies planned a large raid
on German occupied territory to take place during
the first week of July 1942.
• Code-named "Operation Rutter," the objective was the
French port of Dieppe.
– 25 April 1942 Planning for the raid begins. The
original plan, including the objectives are established
by Combined Operations.
– 20 May 1942 Training for the raid begins in
England. Canadian and British troops train for more
than two months on the Isle of Wight practicing
landing and coastal attacks for the raid.
– 07 July 1942 Operation RUTTER is cancelled.
Due to a number of factors, in particular the
unfavourable weather reports, the raid is cancelled.
Dieppe ~ Operation Jubilee ~ August 19, 1942
•
Four flank attacks were planned for just before dawn, with the main frontal assault on the town
of Dieppe a half hour later. Surprise was key to the plan.
•
3:45 am ~ Landing ships and escorts on the east met a small German convoy. The resulting
battle alerted the Germans, eliminating the element of surprise.
•
5:06 am ~ The Royal Regiment of Canada landed late on Puys beach on the east, and the
Germans were ready. Over 500 men were killed or taken prisoner and the Canadians were
forced to surrender.
•
5:20 am ~ West at Pourville, the South Saskatchewan Regiment and the Queen's Own
Cameron Highlanders met only light resistance, but heavy fighting developed as they pushed
toward the town of Dieppe. The Canadians could not reach their target. Most were successfully
evacuated, but the rear guard did not make it out.
•
5:35 am ~ The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry and the Essex Scottish Regiment landed on the
main Dieppe beach and were met with German machine-gun fire. Shingles on the beach broke
tank treads. All entrances to Dieppe were blocked by concrete barriers, trapping any tanks that
made it that far.
•
7:00 am ~ An inaccurate message led the headquarters ship to assume the Essex Scottish
Regiment was making headway, and the reserve battalion was sent in. They too were pinned
on the beach.
•
9:30 am ~ A general withdrawal message is sent, relaying the order that troops were to be
withdrawn an hour and a half later. Under battle conditions, it is very difficult to communicate
the order to withdraw. As a result, 1,946 men are captured and made prisoners of war on the
three beaches.
•
1:00 pm ~ Withdrawal is complete.
Statistics
• Approximately 5000 of 6100 troops involved
at the Battle of Dieppe were Canadians
including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Royal Regiment of Canada
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
Essex Scottish Regiment
Les Fusiliers Mont Royal
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
Calgary Regiment
• RCAF lost 13 aircraft and 10 pilots; RAF
lost 106 planes and 81 airmen - the highest
single day total of World War II
• 3,367 casualties - including 1,946 taken
prisoner and 907 Canadians killed
The concrete barriers, wire fencing, and other obstacles on the beach
show how well the Germans fortified the Dieppe beach. Several
hundreds of miles of beaches were fortified in the same fashion as the
Germans saw their greatest threat of Allied invasion to be from the sea.
(L/O 54162 and DVA 734 and #1 and 8160: Dieppe #2)
German soldiers round up Allied prisoners following the Dieppe Raid.. 1, 874
Canadians were captured during and after the assault. (R.24 and DVA 735)
Canadian and Allied soldiers are paraded as prisoners of war by their captors.
(DVA 736)
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-71-2359/conflict_war/dieppe/
• CBC Archives looks at the “The Contentious
Legacy of Dieppe”
• It has been called the most controversial battle
Canadians have ever fought. On Aug. 19, 1942,
after nearly three years of waiting in England for
a chance to fight, Canadian troops were sent to
raid the French coast at Dieppe. But the
Germans were ready for them, and the attack
became a massacre. Of nearly 5,000 Canadians
sent to Dieppe, only 2,000 returned. More than
60 years later, the operation remains divisive:
was Dieppe an essential trial run for D-Day, or a
shocking waste of lives? ~ CBC Archives ~
Dieppe Revisited ~ 1944 ~ Juno Beach
• Two years after the raid on Dieppe, the
Canadians landed on Juno Beach, and at
dawn on June 6th, 1944, participated in
the Battle of Normandy.
• On September 1st, 1944, the 2nd
Canadian Division liberated Dieppe.