Dieppe Raid

Dieppe Raid
Part of the Western Front of the Second World War
An abandoned British Daimler Dingo on the beach
Date 19 August 1942 Location Dieppe, France 49°56′00″N 1°05′00″E / 49.9333°N 1.0833°E / 49.9333; 1.0833 Result German victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom  Canada  Free France  United States Poland[a] Czechoslovakia[b]	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Louis Mountbatten John Roberts Trafford Leigh-Mallory John Hughes-Hallett Lord Lovat	Gerd von Rundstedt Konrad Haase
Strength
2nd Infantry Division Commandos 3 Commando 4 Commando 10 Commando 30 Commando[c] 40 Commando  Royal Navy 237 ships and landing craft including eight destroyers  Royal Air Force 74 squadrons c. 10,500 men, including 50 U.S. Army Rangers attached to 4 Commando and 15 French Commando to 10 Commando	302nd Static Division ≈1,500 men Does not include Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine
Casualties and losses
Ground forces Canada: 907 killed 2,460 wounded 1,946 captured[5] United Kingdom: 247 killed United States: 3 killed 5 wounded 3 captured[6] Royal Navy 1 destroyer 33 landing craft 550 killed and wounded Royal Air Force 64 Supermarine Spitfire fighters 20 Hawker Hurricane fighters 6 Douglas Boston bombers 10 North American Mustang Mk 1 fighters 62 killed 30 wounded 17 captured	Germany Wehrmacht: 311 killed 280 wounded Kriegsmarine 1 submarine chaser UJ-1404 sunk Luftwaffe 23 Fw 190 25 Dornier Do 217
class=notpageimage| Location within France

Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment of tanks, were put ashore from a naval force operating under the protection of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters.

The port was to be captured and held for a short period, to test the feasibility of a landing and to gather intelligence. German coastal defences, port structures and important buildings were to be demolished. The raid was intended to boost Allied morale, demonstrate the commitment of the United Kingdom to re-open the Western Front and support the Soviet Union, fighting on the Eastern Front.

The Luftwaffe made a maximum effort against the landing as the RAF had expected, and the RAF lost 106 aircraft (at least 32 to anti-aircraft fire or accidents) against 48 German losses. The Royal Navy lost 33 landing craft and a destroyer. Aerial and naval support was insufficient to enable the ground forces to achieve their objectives. The tanks were trapped on the beach and the infantry was largely prevented from entering the town by obstacles and German fire.^[7]

After less than six hours, mounting casualties forced a retreat. Within ten hours, 3,623 of the 6,086 men who landed had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. 5,000 were Canadians, who suffered a 68% casualty rate, with 3,367 killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The operation was a fiasco in which only one landing force temporarily achieved its objective, and a small amount of military intelligence was gathered.

Both sides learnt important lessons regarding coastal assaults. The Allies learnt lessons that influenced the success of the D-Day landings. Artificial harbours were declared crucial, tanks were adapted specifically for beaches, a new integrated tactical air force strengthened ground support, and capturing a major port at the outset was no longer seen as a priority. Churchill and Mountbatten both claimed that these lessons had outweighed the cost. The Germans also believed that Dieppe was a learning experience and made a considerable effort to improve the way they defended the occupied coastlines of Europe.^[8]

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