The Dieppe Raid “Operation Jubilee” Text: Canadian Issues - 1942

Reasons for the Raid The town of Dieppe was an important port town Allies were not yet prepared for a full invasion of Europe Dieppe Raid was a way to test new techniques and equipment The raid would serve as a reconnaissance mission and a precursor to the Normandy invasion

Why Canada? Most Canadian troops had not yet fought in Europe as much of the war for Canada was being fought in Africa Canadian troops were highly esteemed British General Montgomery selects Canadians

The Plan

The Battle Canadian ships were to have disembarked before dawn but delays kept them in port until early daylight On the way to the raid, a Canadian ship met a German convoy and a battle ensued No element of surprise They were killed easily by German machine gunners

The Battle Aug 19, 1942 Poor communications led commanders to believe that the first wave of troops made it to shore in good shape They sent reinforcements who also became trapped Tanks could not advance on the pebble beach because of a lack of traction

The Aftermath The raid was a disaster In total, 907 Canadian troops died in the nine-hour battle, while 586 were wounded and 1874 were taken prisoner Some historians argue that the raid was a failure but it taught Allied forces what not to do next time

Dieppe Today

Battle of the Atlantic U-Boat threat By May 1942 the British had the secret codes of the Germans Airplanes could escort most of the way Ships were built faster than sunk Better training and equipment

HMCS Arrowhead - Corvette Built to escort convoys Small, cheap, quick, and maneuverable

Convoy Assembling

The fate of many ships

Canadians in the Air Like RCN (Royal Canadian Navy), the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) grew quickly during the war Nearly 250 000 Canadians joined the RCAF Some fought in bombers dropping bombs on Germany – These raids often resulted in Firestorms (Incendiary bombs caused intense heat and everything caught on fire) 10,000 Canadians bomber crewmen died in the war

Women in the Air Force In 1941 the RCAF formed the Women’s division (WD) Women were not allowed to be in combat They performed vital support roles Mechanics, clerks, cooks, welders, telephone operators, later flew replacement aircraft from Canada to England