By the middle of 1942, the USSR was pressuring the British
and the Americans to open up a second front against the
Germans in Western Europe.
WHY?
They wanted the Germans to have to fight on two
fronts.
They had already lost over 1,000,000 men!
Europe 1942
The Allies were not ready for a full-scale invasion of
Western Europe just yet, but they were ready for a trial
run (practice).
Allied Generals believed that small practice raids
would benefit them in the following ways:
Test new techniques
Test new equipment
Test German defenses
Find the best place to launch the full-scale
invasion
Make the Soviets a little happier
RESULT
A decision was made to conduct a practice
raid on the French port of Dieppe.
The Canadians troops stationed in Britain
were chosen to lead this raid.
Up until this time, Canadians had seen
very little action. They had been waiting
in Britain, ready to defend it against a
German invasion.
Canadian soldiers in Britain - 1942
THE PLAN
The raid was to take place like this:
Four pre-dawn attacks along the coast near Dieppe.
One main attack on the town of Dieppe half an
hour later.
Air force bombers would cover the Canadian troops
as they attacked.
The attack on the town would include the landing
of tanks.
THE PLAN
“Good Times” On
the way to Dieppe
August 19, 1942 - The raid begins!
From the very start, things started to go wrong!
One of the ships carrying Canadian soldiers
unexpectedly ran into a German convoy.
A brief sea battle followed.
The noise from this alerted the German troops
on the coast.
The ships were also delayed, so the troops
didn’t reach the shore until after sunrise.
RESULT
Canadian soldiers were machine gunned as soon as
they reached the shore.
Communication between the soldiers who had landed
and the ships was very poor.
Commanders on the ships believed that the raid was
going well, so they kept sending reinforcements ashore.
The new troops also became trapped on the beaches,
becoming easy targets for the German machine gunners
who were on top of cliffs that line the coast.
The tanks couldn’t get enough traction on the pebbled
beach and many were left immobile.
The Results:
The Canadian Soldiers were Devastated
Casualties were very high. Of the 5,000 Canadians
involved in the raid,
907 were killed
586 were wounded
1874 were taken prisoner
So why do we remember Dieppe today?
More Canadians were killed that day than on
any other day during WWII.
Even though it was a disaster, it served as a
great training exercise for the real invasion of
German-held Europe
What did we learn from the Dieppe Raid?
The invasion must be kept secret.
It must begin under the cover of darkness.
German defences must be weakened before the
attack begins.
Good communication between ships and
soldiers on land is necessary.
Absolute control of the sea and the sky is very
important.
THE BATTLE OF
ORTONA
This battle was part of the Italian campaign.
It took place in December of 1943, as the
Allies were trying to push the Germans out of
Italy.
It involved Canadians (the Vandoos) who
were trying to take over a small city called
Ortona from the Germans.
It was nicknamed “little Stalingrad” because
the fighting was very similar to the fighting in
Stalingrad.
What happened?
The Canadians were facing Germany’s
battle hardened First Parachute Division.
The Germans had been ordered by Hitler to
defend Ortona at any cost!
The Germans had set up barricades, mines,
traps, machine gun nests and anti-tank
emplacements all over the town.
The Fighting
Most of the fighting was house to house.
Canadians avoided being shot while out in
the streets by using a method called “mouse
holing”.
Because most buildings in Ortona were
attached to each other, they were able to blow
holes into the walls of the next room or
building without leaving the one they were
currently in.
Then they would throw grenades through
the mouse hole, before entering the room.
Victory
On December 28, 1943, the Germans pulled
out of Ortona.
They were running out of men and
supplies.
After only 8 days of fighting, the Canadians
had achieved a great, but very bloody victory:
1,375 Canadians died during the Battle of
Ortona.