The Dieppe Raid

“…one of the darkest chapters in Canada’s military history.” (Gill)

Fortress Europe

• by the summer of 1942 WWII had been going on for 3 years (Gill)

• the Soviets were urging Allies to attack German-controlled Europe from the west (Colyer)

• Allies wanted to test new equipment, gather intelligence, and were looking for a success that could boost confidence (Colyer)

Fortress Europe• Allied leaders decided that the 2nd Canadian

Infantry Division should spearhead a raid on Dieppe (a French seaport on the English Channel) (Colyer)

• Allies lost the element of surprise when their ships encountered a German convoy during the night (Colyer)

• landing sites were poorly planned, and the Germans were able to fire shells at Allied landing craft when they were still 10 min. from shore (Colyer)

Dieppe Raidhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSKK_n8VWek

"WWII: The Dieppe Raid - Canada at War." Canada at War RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.

Munro, Ross. "Important New Details on Dieppe Revealed." Canadian Army Records Show Attack Forced Huns to Make Unwise Change 12 Feb. 1943: n. pag

During the Raid

• after 6 hours of slaughter, the raid was called off (Colyer)

• of the 6033 Allied troops, 4963 were Canadian (Colyer)

• 907 were killed, 587 were wounded, and 1946 were captured (Colyer)

• Dieppe was the greatest sacrifice of Canadian lives during the war (Colyer)

Major Players

(Winston Churchill) (Franklin Roosevelt)

Major Players• British PM Winston Churchill and

American President Franklin Roosevelt announced that the Allies would help ease the pressure on the Soviets by opening the second front in Europe as soon as possible (Colyer)

• were not ready to attack to launch all-out attack so they started in North Africa, which was controlled by German and Vichy French forces (Colyer)

• with the exception of Dieppe, Canadian ground troops had seen little action (Colyer)

Affecting the Outcome of the War

• The lessons learned in Dieppe played an important role in the success of later actions (Gill)

• For example, the Dieppe Raid contributed to improvements in landing techniques. (Gill)

• Because of the lessons, “it saved many lives during the battle of Normandy on June 6, 1944”. (Gill)

Gill, Parm. "The Dieppe Raid." Veterans Affairs Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.

Munro, Ross. "Important New Details on Dieppe Revealed." Canadian Army Records Show Attack Forced Huns to Make Unwise Change 12 Feb. 1943: n. pag

Significance of the Raid

• Memorials

Significance of the Raid cont.

• Many soldiers got honors and awards– Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Merritt earned his

Victoria Cross “for courageously leading men from the South Saskatchewan Regiment across the River” (Munro)

Works Cited• Gill, Parm. "The Dieppe Raid." Veterans Affairs Canada.

N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.• Munro, Ross. "Important New Details on Dieppe Revealed."

Canadian Army Records Show Attack Forced Huns to Make Unwise Change 12 Feb. 1943: n. pag

• Colyer, Jill. Creating Canada: A History - 1914 to the Present. Toronto, ON.: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2010. Print.

• "WWII: The Dieppe Raid - Canada at War." Canada at War RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.

• Winston Churchill. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 21 Jan 2015.

• Franklin Roosevelt. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 21 Jan 2015.