The Dieppe Raid: ‘Canada’s single bloodiest day’ of World War II, 80 years on

Issued on: 19/08/2022 – 06:42

On August 19, 1942, the Dieppe Raid or Operation Jubilee, as it was codenamed, was launched as Stalin believed that the Western allies were not carrying their fair share of the burden of the war and so demanded that a second front be opened to draw German forces away from Russia. The US, which had just recently joined the war following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, also thought it best to launch and expedite a direct attack on mainland Europe. The British high command, particularly Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was acutely aware of these political pressures. The Dieppe Raid occurred under the auspices of the Combined Operations Headquarters (COHQ), which was responsible for conducting British raiding operations. The COHQ’s objective was to try to capture a port during this raid, hold it for a short period of time and then withdraw quickly.

The major contingent in the raid was composed of soldiers from Canada’s 2nd Infantry Division. Originally, COHQ planners had wanted the British Marine Division to carry out the raid, but political pressure from Canadians at home and several senior Canadian officers in Britain (particularly Lieutenant General Harry Crerar) resulted in the job being offered to Canada. This pressure arose from a belief that the Canadian army stationed in Britain was not playing an active role in winning the war, despite the fact that this army was being purposefully preserved so that it could play a major role in the ultimate Allied invasion of France. Canada would eventually play a crucial part on D-Day as it was assigned one of the five landing beaches. 

Canada’s role in World War II is not generally well known in Western Europe or even by its Allies, the British and Americans. This is despite the fact that Canada declared war on Germany on September 10, 1939, just a week after Britain and far earlier than the US, as an independent nation, rather than as a member of the Commonwealth. Moreover, not only did it have the third-largest Western Allied army, with more than 150,000 soldiers as part of the First Canadian Army, it was the only army during World War II serving overseas that consisted entirely of volunteers. Only in the final days of the war were a handful of soldiers conscripted and saw combat. Canada also had the third-largest air force and navy by the end of the war. 

To take a closer look at the Dieppe Raid, FRANCE 24 spoke to Canadian military historian Mark Zuehlke, who described it as “Canada’s single bloodiest day of the war.” He explains that he wrote the book “Tragedy at Dieppe” to “remember and honour those Canadians who fought and died there, who were badly wounded, or spent the rest of the war in captivity, and even those fewer numbers of soldiers who survived the raid and continued to serve their country in other battles of World War II.”

FRANCE 24: Why was Dieppe, a fishing port on the Normandy coast of northern France, chosen as the location for this raid?

Dieppe was selected due to its proximity [to the UK and in relation to mainland Europe]. It was the only French port close enough to Britain that Allied air forces could provide continuous coverage for the duration of the raid in sufficient strength to disrupt inevitable Luftwaffe efforts to strike the raiding ships. Beyond that, Dieppe had no strategic value. It was a minor port of limited use to the German navy.

Planning of the raid was extensive, but also fatally flawed. The beaches were unsuitable for landing tanks and major forces due to their cobbled nature. German defences were thought to be less than they were and the quality of the German soldiers underestimated. Ultimately the raiders barely got off the beaches and the casualties suffered rendered it the most tragic and bloodiest day for Canada of World War II – 913 Canadians died, 1,946 were taken prisoner. The raid achieved nothing of true worth.

Can you explain the role that the Free French forces played in the raid?

The Free French role in the raid was somewhat limited and confined to the involvement of Free French Commandos. Records are a little muddled on their involvement with some reports saying there were 15 French commandos involved and others say 20. They didn’t land on the beaches in front of Dieppe, but rather on the flanks where the British No. 3 and No. 4 Commandos landed with the mission of eliminating German gun batteries that could fire upon the beach facing Dieppe. Their primary role was to serve as guides and translators during the raid. Had the raid proved more successful, they would have also been tasked with picking up some 14 French resistance figures with the idea of gaining intelligence from them back in the UK. These commandos were the first Free French to fight on native soil since the nation’s surrender in 1940.

Curiously, the Combined Operations Headquarters planners did not make much effort to draw on local French knowledge of German strength, defences, or even the nature of the beaches on which the raiders were going to land.

What was the significance of the Dieppe Raid within the greater context of World War II? Can you explain why and how it helped the Allies ensure that D-Day would be a success? 

The Dieppe raid did not achieve much of real importance to the overall war effort. What we can say is not so much what was learned that helped make Normandy a success but rather what was learned about what not to repeat. Dieppe proved that trying to capture a port facility with a frontal assault was doomed to fail. Hence the decision to land on the beaches of Normandy quite distant from any port facility. Caen was not far away, but its value was relatively limited. Instead, the Allies brought their own floating ports called Mulberries. The remains of some of these can be found at Arromanches where they were deployed.

The failure to adequately research the beaches at Dieppe for their suitability for amphibious landing operations was not lost on the Normandy planners. Extensive study of the beaches was undertaken, as was study of the German defences. There were no real surprises for the Allies when they attacked the beaches on June 6, 1944. Dieppe had been inadequately supported by naval and air force elements. Naval support was limited to a few small destroyers and the Allied air force engaged in what was the largest air battle fought on the Western Front. For Normandy the naval forces were powerful, consisting of battleships, heavy cruisers, multiple destroyers and other ships. Well before the invasion, the Allied air force won virtually total control of the skies overhead and well inland to hamper the German army from reinforcing the beaches or even defending them.

How did Canada help turn the tide of the war from the fall of 1942 onwards? 

The Canadian army, navy and air force played a vital role in bringing about the ultimate victory in 1945. The entire country was also economically and socially dedicated to winning the war. One of the five Normandy invasion beaches (Juno) was given to Canada. From Juno Beach, the Canadians marched up the left flank of the Allied advance—liberating such French cities as Le Havre, Dieppe (the 2nd Division was given this honour), Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne. They also liberated Rouen and many other small villages and towns. A good number of these communities have memorials and plaques honouring the Canadian forces who brought freedom to their citizens. From France they continued that left flank advance through Belgium, up through the Netherlands (where Canadians are fondly remembered for relieving the Dutch from starvation suffered during the 1944-1945 Hunger Winter), and were pushing into western Germany when the war ended. A large Canadian contingent also fought from July 1943 through February 1945 in Italy—advancing from Sicily through to just north of Ravenna before being transferred to Northwestern Europe to join the First Canadian Army in liberating the Netherlands.

In all, 1.086 million Canadians served in World War II and 42,042 of these died. Most are buried in Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries spread across the battlefronts where they fought in Europe. There is such a cemetery outside Dieppe. I think the French in the area of Dieppe, and to some extent through most of Normandy where the Canadians fought up to and including their advance into Belgium on the coast, have some sense of the role Canadian troops played in winning their freedom from German tyranny. But collective memory is a fragile thing and requires each generation ensuring that the generation after them are educated about the events of World War II, and the role Canada played in that great conflict that indelibly changed our world (particularly Europe) forever.