Remembering WWII's Doomed Dieppe Raid, 75 Years On

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Remembering WWII's Doomed Dieppe Raid, 75 Years On
By Stephanie Trouillard/ France/ Canada/ WWII/ France 24/ france24.com

"On August 19, 1942, more than 6,000 men landed in Normandy as Allied forces launched a raid on the French port of Dieppe. But the poorly prepared operation would fail, with deadly consequences. FRANCE 24 looks back at the Dieppe Raid, 75 years on.
Dieppe Beach. Under a clear blue sky, tourists unfurl their towels. Some will go for a carefree dip, while others suntan blithely, basking in the insouciance of a French summer holiday. But not many know what happened here 75 years ago on this stretch of polished stones...."

© Stéphanie Trouillard, FRANCE 24 | The memorial monument commemorating Canadian soldiers from the Fusiliers Mont-Royal regiment on Dieppe beach.



Richard

 

[CanuckTravlr]

"The memorial monument commemorating Canadian soldiers from the Fusiliers Mont-Royal regiment on Dieppe beach."

As the grandson of a WWI 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish), CEF veteran who was wounded at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915 and the son of a WWII RCAF officer who served on the continent with 2nd TAF HQ in WWII, thank you for posting this, Richard. My wife and I visited Dieppe for the second time in 2004, accompanied by my father-in-law who was a Normandy veteran (RCEME). It was a tremendously moving experience for all of us. I do not know how anyone survived that day on the beach.

This was the bloodiest day in the history of the Canadian Army. There were 5,000 Canadian troops out of a total force of over 6,000. The Canadian casualties that day were over 900 killed, almost 600 wounded and over 1,900 taken prisoner-of-war. A number of those did not survive the war. Most of those killed that day are now interred in French soil at the CWG cemetery just outside Dieppe. Three Victoria Crosses were earned that day, two by Canadians. Lest we forget!

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

("The Ode of Remembrance" by Laurence Binyon, 1914)