A Memorial to the
Canadians at
Dieppe

(August 19, 1942)

August 19, 1942 is a day that will be forever remembered by Canadians and those who study the tragedy of war. “Operation Jubilee” as it was called, was a raid on the port of Dieppe, located on the English Channel coast of France. Today Dieppe is a beautiful port, a holiday haven for many with its scenic coastline and imposing cliffs at either end of the beach. In 1942, Dieppe was a defenders paradise. Its cliffs and high ground commanded the landing zone. Its stone beach impeded the movement of both troops and tanks.

        The objective of this raid was officially to gather intelligence, test the Nazi defences, take out key defensive positions and in part demonstrate to those on the Eastern front that the planning for the “second front” was indeed progressing.

        The reality of course, was that most of the intelligence gleaned from this action was in fact lessons learned concerning deficiencies in Allied planning and strategy. The men that landed on the stone beaches of Dieppe in August of 1942 discovered that almost no “softening” of the defences of Dieppe had been attempted. Surprise had not been achieved as their approach had been discovered long before they had gone ashore. The men were thrown into an impossible situation carrying their own bravery, a will to succeed and, for the most part, inadequate fire power to overcome the German positions.

        The cost of these lessons was high. Of the slightly more than 5000 Canadians that attacked, 907 Canadians were killed while 1,946 were taken prisoner An additional force of about 1100 men were comprised of American Rangers and British Commandos. The R.A.F. lost 106 planes, the R.C.A.F. lost 13 in this, the worst single day of action experienced by our air forces.

        Today, Canadians remember their dead, the heroism shown and point to the fact that without Dieppe, the planning for Normandy would not have been as comprehensive and successful. It is essential that the effort of those who fought, those who were wounded, the captured and those that gave their lives are never forgotten.

John Stephens
October 2002

 

Below are pictures of Dieppe as it is today.

Please accept this effort as my personal tribute to the Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

Click on any thumbnail for a manual presentation of larger versions and brief descriptions