The Dieppe Raid...
EVENTS PRIOR:
As the war raged on in the Eastern front of Europe, Russian leader Joseph Stalin and his Russian army failed to stop Hitler's Nazi soldiers marching into Russia. Stalin demanded western leaders, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to start an invasion of France to create a second front, and to slow the Nazi attack. Feeling like they were not ready for a full scale invasion, Churchill and Roosevelt decided instead to preform a quick attack on Dieppe and withdraw. This hit-and-run tactic was meant to test the German defenses, gain experience and to surprise the enemy troops. Instead, the Allies were in for a surprise of their own.
THE BATTLE:
In the morning of August 19, 1942, 237 allied ships filled with brave men were ready to land and attack the German troops stationed on the shore of Dieppe. The initial plan of a surprise attack failed. However, when German ships began to open fire the loud noises quickly alerted the Germans about the oncoming attack. They quickly got into position to welcome the allied troops. As the Canadian, British and American soldiers arrived, they were greeted with fierce German machine guns and artillery shells. The troops were devastated It was soon very clear, that the Dieppe raid was a failure.
AFTERMATH:
That day 901 Canadians were killed and 2000 were captured and sent to nearby POW camps. Among those men was Private Arthur Jones. 2211 returned to Britain. Canadians all over the nation were in grief. This costly experience taught the Allied forces many lessons and would later assist them in future battles, including D-Day, the turning point of World War Two.
As the war raged on in the Eastern front of Europe, Russian leader Joseph Stalin and his Russian army failed to stop Hitler's Nazi soldiers marching into Russia. Stalin demanded western leaders, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to start an invasion of France to create a second front, and to slow the Nazi attack. Feeling like they were not ready for a full scale invasion, Churchill and Roosevelt decided instead to preform a quick attack on Dieppe and withdraw. This hit-and-run tactic was meant to test the German defenses, gain experience and to surprise the enemy troops. Instead, the Allies were in for a surprise of their own.
THE BATTLE:
In the morning of August 19, 1942, 237 allied ships filled with brave men were ready to land and attack the German troops stationed on the shore of Dieppe. The initial plan of a surprise attack failed. However, when German ships began to open fire the loud noises quickly alerted the Germans about the oncoming attack. They quickly got into position to welcome the allied troops. As the Canadian, British and American soldiers arrived, they were greeted with fierce German machine guns and artillery shells. The troops were devastated It was soon very clear, that the Dieppe raid was a failure.
AFTERMATH:
That day 901 Canadians were killed and 2000 were captured and sent to nearby POW camps. Among those men was Private Arthur Jones. 2211 returned to Britain. Canadians all over the nation were in grief. This costly experience taught the Allied forces many lessons and would later assist them in future battles, including D-Day, the turning point of World War Two.