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Dieppe
Scenario Author:
Stephen Farrell
Author's E-mail Address:
hqhc@csolve.net
Last Scenario Revision Date:
June 3, 1998
Background
----------------
The Allied situation in the spring of 1942 was grim. The Germans had penetrate deep into Russia, the British Eighth Army in North Africa had been forced back into Egypt, and in Western Europe the Allied forces faced the Germans across the English Channel.
Since the time was not yet ripe for mounting Operation Overlord, the full-scale invasion of Western Europe, the Allies decided to mount a major raid on the French port of Dieppe. Designed to foster German fears of an attack in the west and compel them to strengthen their Channel defences at the expense of other areas of operation, the raid would also provide an opportunity to test new techniques and equipment, and be the means to gain the experience and knowledge necessary for planning the great amphibious assault.
Accordingly, plans were drawn up for a large-scale raid to take place in July 1942. It was called Operation Rutter. Canadians would provide the main assault force, and by May 20 troops of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division were on the Isle of Wight to begin intensive training in amphibious operations. When unfavourable weather in July prevented Rutter from being launched, it was urged that the idea of a raid should be abandoned. However, the operation was revived and given the new code name Jubilee. The port of Dieppe on the French coast remained the objective.
The attack upon Dieppe took place on August 19, 1942. The troops involved totaled 6,100 of whom roughly 5,000 were Canadians, the remainder being British Commandos and 50 American Rangers. The raid was supported by eight Allied destroyers and 74 Allied air squadrons (eight belonging to the RCAF). Major General J.H. Roberts, the Commander of the 2nd Canadian Division, was appointed Military Force Commander, with Captain J. Hughes-Hallett, R.N. as Naval Force Commander and Air Vice Marshal T.L. Leigh-Mallory as Air Force Commander.
The plan called for attacks at five different points on a front of roughly 16 kilometres.Four simultaneous flank attacks were to go in just before dawn, followed half an hour later by the main attack on the town of Dieppe itself. Canadians would form the force for the frontal attack on Dieppe and would also go in at gaps in the cliffs at Pourville four kilometres to the west, and at Puys to the east. British commandos were assigned to destroy the coastal batteries at Berneval on the eastern flank, and at Varengeville in the west.
As the assault force approached the coast of
France in the early hours of August 19,the landing craft of the eastern
sector unexpectedly encountered a small German convoy. The noise of the
sharp violent sea fight which followed alerted coastal defences, particularly
at Berneval and Puys, leaving little chance of success in this sector.
The carrying No. 3 Commando were scattered and most of the unit never reached
shore. Those craft who did were quickly overwhelmed. One small party of
20
commandos managed to get within 180 metres of the battery and by accurate
sniping prevented the guns from firing on the assault ships for two-and-one-half
vital hours before they were safely evacuated.
At Puys the Royal Regiment of Canada shared
in the ill-fortune. The beach there was extremely narrow and was commanded
by lofty cliffs where German soldiers were
strategically placed. Success depended on surprise and darkness, neither
of which prevailed. The naval landing was delayed, and as the Royals leapt
ashore in the
growing light they met violent machine-gun fire from the fully-alerted
German soldiers. Only a few men were able to get over the heavily wired
seawall at the head of the beach; those who did were unable to get back.
The rest of the troops, together with three platoons of reinforcements
from the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, were pinned on
the beach by mortar and machine-gun fire, and were later forced to surrender.
Evacuation was impossible in the face of German fire. Of those who landed,
200 were killed and 20 died later of their wounds; the rest were taken
prisoner the heaviest toll suffered by a Canadian battalion in a single
day throughout the entire war. Failure to clear the eastern headland enabled
the Germans to enfilade the Dieppe beaches and nullify the main frontal
attack.
In the western sector, meanwhile, some degree of surprise was achieved. In contrast to the misfortune encountered by No. 3 on the east flank, the No. 4 Commando operation was completely successful. According to plan,the unit went in, successfully destroyed the guns in the battery near Varengeville, and then withdrew safely.
At Pourville, the Canadians were fortunate enough to achieve some degree of surprise, and initial opposition was light as the South Saskatchewan Regiment and Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada assaulted the beaches. Resistance stiffened as they crossed the River Scie and pushed towards Dieppe proper. Heavy fighting then developed and the Saskatchewans, and the Camerons who supported them, were stopped well short of the town. The main force of the Camerons,meanwhile, pushed on towards their objective, an inland airfield, and advanced some three kilometres before they too were forced to halt.
The Canadians lost heavily during the withdrawal.
The enemy was able to bring fierce fire to bear upon the beach from dominating
positions east of Pourville, and also from the high ground to the
west. However, the landing craft came in through the storm of fire with
self-sacrificing gallantry and, supported by a courageous rearguard, the
greater part of both units successfully re-embarked though many of the
men were
wounded. The rearguard itself could not be brought off and, when ammunition
ran out and further evacuation was impossible, surrendered.
The main attack was to be made across the pebble beach in front of Dieppe and timed to take place a half-hour later than on the flanks. German soldiers,concealed in clifftop positions and in buildings overlooking the promenade,waited. As the men of the Essex Scottish Regiment assaulted the open eastern section, the enemy swept the beach with machine-gun fire. All attempts to breach the seawall were beaten back with grievous loss. When one small party managed to infiltrate the town, a misleading message was received aboard the headquarters ship which suggested that the Essex Scottish were making headway. Thus, the reserve battalion Les Fusiliers Mont Royal was sent in. They, like their comrades who had landed earlier, found themselves pinned down on the beach and exposed to intense enemy fire.
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry landed at
the west end of the promenade opposite a large isolated casino. They were
able to clear this strongly-held building and the nearby pillboxes and
some men of the battalion got across the bullet-swept boulevard and into
the town, where they were engaged in vicious street fighting.
Misfortune also attended the landing of the tanks of the Calgary Regiment.imed to follow an air and naval bombardment, they were put ashore ten to fifteen minutes late, thus leaving the infantry without support during the first critical minutes of the attack. Then as the tanks came ashore, they met an inferno of fire and were brought to a halt stopped not only by enemy guns, but also immobilized by the shingle banks and seawall. Those that negotiated the seawall found their way blocked by concrete obstacles which sealed off the narrow streets. Nevertheless, the immobilized tanks continued to fight, supporting the infantry and contributing greatly to the withdrawal of many of them; the tank crews became prisoners or died in battle.
The last troops to land were part of the Royal Marine "A" Commando, which shared the terrible fate of the Canadians. They suffered heavy losses without being able to accomplish their mission.
The raid also produced a tremendous air battle.
While the Allied air forces were able to provide protection from the Luftwaffe
for the ships off Dieppe, the cost was high. The
Royal Air Force lost 106 aircraft which was to be the highest single-day
total of the war. The RCAF loss was 13 aircraft. By early afternoon, Operation
Jubilee was over. Conflicting assessments of the valueof the raid continue
to be presented. Some claim that it was a useless slaughter; others maintain
that it was necessary to the successful invasion of the continent two years
later on D-Day. The Dieppe Raid was closely studied by those responsible
for planning future operations against the enemy-held coast of France.
Out of it came improvements in technique, fire support and tactics
which reduced D-Day casualties to an unexpected minimum. The men who perished
at Dieppe were istrumental in saving countless lives on the 6th of June,
1944. While there can be no doubt that valuable lessons were learned, a
frightful price was paid in those morning hours of August 19, 1942. Of
the 4,963 Canadians who embarked for the operation only 2,210 returned
to England, and many of these were wounded. There were 3,367 casualties,
including 1,946 prisoners of war; 907 Canadians lost their lives.
Commemoration
Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery is located approximately five kilometres south of Dieppe, in the commune of Hautôt-sur-Mer. The hillside plot is unique in that its headstones have been placed back to back in long double rows. The Germans buried these war dead, in the manner they buried their own. The Allies subsequently chose not to disturb the graves. The cemetery is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Of the 944 members of the British and Allied Armed Forces interred at Dieppe, 707 are Canadians, most of them victims of the Dieppe Raid. Some of the captured wounded raiders died in hospital in Rouen 58 kilometres away, and 37 are buried in that city. Casualties of the raid who died in Britain are buried mainly in Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey.
Canadians "missing" in the Dieppe operation are commemorated on two memorials in England; members of the Army on the Brookwood Memorial and members of the RCAF on the Runnymede Memorial.
Today, in the Dieppe area, regimental memorials, erected by the survivors and their comrades, can be found at all the landing places. On the beaches of Dieppe, Puys and Pourville, memorials pay tribute to members of the Royal Regiment of Canada,the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, Les Fusiliers Mont Royal, the Calgary Regiment, the South Saskatchewan Regiment and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada who gave their lives in the raid.
The town of Dieppe has set aside a small park at the western end of the esplanade in which it has erected a memorial of its own. Standing in the centre of the Square du Canada (Canada Square), the Dieppe-Canada Monument is a testimony to the long and warm association between Canadians and Normans which has existed since Samuel de Champlain sailed to found New France. The names of people and events which have linked Canada and Normandy over the centuries have been recorded on the monument. Mounted on the wall behind it is a plaque that commemorates the Raid on Dieppe:
On the 19th of August 1942
on the beaches of Dieppe
our Canadian cousins
marked with their blood
the road to our final liberation
foretelling thus their victorious return
on September 1, 1944.
Victoria Cross Winners
While individual acts of courage occur frequently
during war, only a few are seen and recorded. Those that are, stand out
as examples for all to admire and respect. For their actions during the
Raid on Dieppe, two Canadians were awarded the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth's
highest military decoration for bravery.
Charles Cecil Ingersoll Merritt
Following the landing at Pourville, the South
Saskatchewans made their way towards Dieppe proper. As they struggled
to cross the bridge over the River Scie, Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Merritt
came forward and took charge himself. Walking calmly into the storm of
fire on the bridge he led party after party across by the sheer force of
his example. Other men forded or swam the river. In spite of their valiant
efforts, the advance was halted and they were forced to withdraw. Again
Lt.-Col. Merritt displayed outstanding courage. Although twice wounded,
he commanded a vigorous rearguard action which permitted the greater
part of the units to successfully re-embark. The rearguard itself could
not be brought off and Lt.-Col. Merritt and his
men became prisoners of war.
John Weir Foote
The Reverend John W. Foote was the first member
of the Canadian Chaplain Services to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Calmly,
through eight hours of the
grueling battle, Reverend Foote, Chaplain
of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, continually exposed himself to very
intense fire to help move the injured to an aid post, saving many lives
by his gallant efforts. Then, at the end of this ordeal, he climbed from
the landing craft that would have taken him to safety, and walked courageously
into the German positions, to be taken prisoner and so to minister to those
of his fellow Canadians who would be held behind barbed wire for the next
three years.
Canadian Units Participating in the Raid on Dieppe
Fatal Casualties
Canadian Army
Headquarters and Miscellaneous
Detachments
5
14th Army Tank Regiment (The Calgary
Regiment
(Tank))
13
Royal Canadian Artillery
13
Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers
27
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
9
The Black Watch (Royal Highland
Regiment) of
Canada
4
The Royal Regiment of Canada
227
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
(Wentworth
Regiment)
197
Les Fusiliers Mont Royal
119
The Essex Scottish Regiment
121
The South Saskatchewan Regiment
84
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
of Canada
76
The Calgary Highlanders
--
The Toronto Scottish Regiment
(MG)
1
Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
1
Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
4
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
2
Canadian Provost Corps
1
Canadian Intelligence Corps
3
_____
907
Royal Canadian Navy
1
Back to top
Royal Canadian Air Force
400 Army Cooperation Squadron
--
401 Fighter Squadron
1
402 Fighter Squadron
--
403 Fighter Squadron
3
411 Fighter Squadron
--
412 Fighter Squadron
1
414 Army Cooperation Squadron
--
416 Fighter Squadron
--
418 Intruder Squadron (two aircraft)
--
_____
913
Other Forces
In addition to the 4,963 Canadian troops taking
part in the raid, there were 1,075
British troops (52 fatal casualties), 50 of
the 1st U.S. Ranger Battalion (one fatal
casualty) and 20 of No. 10 (Inter-Allied)
Commando.
Air and sea support was provided mainly by
British forces. Their casualties were:
Royal Navy--75 killed or died of wounds and
269 missing or prisoners, and Royal
Air Force--62 fatal casualties.
Victory Conditions
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Barring an EARLY victory, the Axis side wins ONLY if it owns
at least TWO objective hexes at the end of the scenario.
Remarks
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Intended Play Mode: ALL-HUMAN (e.g., PBEM)
Last Update Changes
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