Dieppe Raid

The 1942 Dieppe Raid was a WW2 Allied amphibious assault on the French port of Dieppe, which was in German hands. This city port is located on the coast of northeastern France, on the English Channel. Operation Jubilee, as it was called, was conducted on August 19, 1942, by a mixed Allied force. The objective of this raid was to capture the port of Dieppe, and then destroy all the gun emplacements, communication and commando posts, and other military installations. Having achieved their mission, these men had to return back to England safely.

Designated Units for the Attack

For this mission, the British commanders selected the Canadian 4th and 6th Infantry Brigade, the Canadian 14th Tank Battalion, the British No. 4 and No. 3 Royal Marine Commando, and a 50-man unit of the US Army Rangers. They were under the command of Canadian General J.H. Roberts. The Canadian units belonged the 2nd Division. To provide fire support umbrella to the amphibious troops, 70 squadrons of fighter aircraft and light bombers of the Royal Air Force were employed.

Result

The Dieppe Raid was a total failure. The 30 Churchill tanks of the 14th Tank Battalion got bogged down in the soft wet sand on the beach as only a few tanks were able to make their way into town. The men of the No. 3 Commando were unable to achieve their objective, which was the German artillery battery at Berneval, located to the east of Dieppe. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the No. 4 Commando managed to destroy only six howitzers of the Varengeville battery.

Allied losses during Operation Jubilee were very high as 907 men got killed in action and 514 got wounded, while 1,480 men were taken prisoners. Attempting to take a well-defended port was impossible. However, it was an opportunity to test military equipment and to gain experience. The lessons of Dieppe were learned and taken into account when the Allied commanders planned Operation Overlord in 1944.

Below, a diagram of the Allied military units involved in the Dieppe Raid.