by Tim Saunders
Other guides in the Battleground Europe Series:
Walking the Salient by Paul Reed
Ypres - Sanctuary Wood and Hooge by Nigel Cave
Ypres - Hill 60 by Nigel Cave
Ypres - Messines Ridge by Peter Oldham
Ypres - Polygon Wood by Nigel Cave
Ypres - Passchendaele by Nigel Cave
Ypres - Airfields and Airmen by Michael O’Connor
Ypres - St Julien by Graham Keech
Walking the Somme by Paul Reed
Somme - Gommecourt by Nigel Cave
Somme - Serre by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave
Somme - Beaumont Hamel by Nigel Cave
Somme - Thiepval by Michael Stedman
Somme - La Boisselle by Michael Stedman
Somme - Fricourt by Michael Stedman
Somme - Carnoy-Montauban by Graham Maddocks
Somme - Pozieres by Graham Keech
Somme - Courcelette by Paul Reed
Somme - Boom Ravine by Trevor Pidgeon
Somme - Mametz Wood by Michael Renshaw
Somme - Delville Wood by Nigel Cave
Somme - Advance to Victory (North) 1918 by Michael Stedman
Somme - Flers by Trevor Pidgeon
Somme - Bazentin Ridge by Edward Hancock
Somme - Combles by Paul Reed
Somme - Beaucourt by Michael Renshaw
Somme - Redan Ridge by Michael Renshaw
Somme - Hamel by Peter Pedersen
Somme - Airfields and Airmen by Michael O’Connor
Arras - Airfields and Airmen by Michael O’Connor
Arras - Vimy Ridge by Nigel Cave
Arras - Gavrelle by Trevor Tasker and Kyle Tallett
Arras - Bullecourt by Graham Keech
Arras - Monchy le Preux by Colin Fox
Hindenburg Line by Peter Oldham
Hindenburg Line Epehy by Bill Mitchinson
Hindenburg Line Riqueval by Bill Mitchinson
Hindenburg Line Villers-Plouich by Bill Mitchinson
Hindenburg Line - Cambrai Right Hook by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave
Hindenburg Line - Cambrai Flesquières by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave
Hindenburg Line - Saint Quentin by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest
Hindenburg Line -Bourlon Wood by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave
Cambrai - Airfields and Airmen by Michael O’Connor
La Bassée - Neuve Chapelle by Geoffrey Bridger
Loos - Hohenzollern Redoubt by Andrew Rawson
Loos - Hill 70 by Andrew Rawson
Fromelles by Peter Pedersen
Mons by Jack Horsfall and Nigel Cave
Accrington Pals Trail by William Turner
Poets at War: Wilfred Owen by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest
Poets at War: Edmund Blunden by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest
Poets at War: Graves & Sassoon by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest
Gallipoli by Nigel Steel
Gallipoli - Gully Ravine by Stephen Chambers
Gallipoli - Landings at Helles by Huw & Jill Rodge
Walking the Italian Front by Francis Mackay
Italy - Asiago by Francis Mackay
Verdun: Fort Doumont by Christina Holstein
Boer War - The Relief of Ladysmith by Lewis Childs
Boer War - The Siege of Ladysmith by Lewis Childs
Boer War - Kimberley by Lewis Childs
Isandlwana by Ian Knight and Ian Castle
Rorkes Drift by Ian Knight and Ian Castle
Stamford Bridge & Hastings by Peter Marren
Wars of the Roses - Wakefield/Towton by Philip A. Haigh
English Civil War - Naseby by Martin Marix Evans, Peter Burton and
Michael Westaway
English Civil War - Marston Moor by David Clark
War of the Spanish Succession - Blenheim 1704 by James Falkner
Napoleonic - Hougoumont by Julian Paget and Derek Saunders
Napoleonic - Waterloo by Andrew Uffindell and Michael Corum
WW2 Dunkirk by Patrick Wilson
WW2 Calais by Jon Cooksey
WW2 Boulogne by Jon Cooksey
WW2 Normandy - Pegasus Bridge/Merville Battery by Carl Shilleto
WW2 Normandy - Utah Beach by Carl Shilleto
WW2 Normandy - Omaha Beach by Tim Kilvert-Jones
WW2 Normandy - Gold Beach by Christopher Dunphie & Garry Johnson
WW2 Normandy - Gold Beach Jig by Tim Saunders
WW2 Normandy - Juno Beach by Tim Saunders
WW2 Normandy - Sword Beach by Tim Kilvert-Jones
WW2 Normandy - Operation Bluecoat by Ian Daglish
WW2 Normandy - Operation Goodwood by Ian Daglish
WW2 Normandy - Epsom by Tim Saunders
WW2 Normandy - Hill 112 by Tim Saunders
WW2 Normandy - Mont Pinçon by Eric Hunt
WW2 Normandy - Cherbourg by Andrew Rawson
WW2 Das Reich – Drive to Normandy by Philip Vickers
WW2 Oradour by Philip Beck
WW2 Market Garden - Nijmegen by Tim Saunders
WW2 Market Garden - Hell’s Highway by Tim Saunders
WW2 Market Garden - Arnhem, Oosterbeek by Frank Steer
WW2 Market Garden - Arnhem, The Bridge by Frank Steer
WW2 Market Garden - The Island by Tim Saunders
WW2 Battle of the Bulge - St Vith by Michael Tolhurst
WW2 Battle of the Bulge - Bastogne by Michael Tolhurst
WW2 Channel Islands by George Forty
WW2 Walcheren by Andrew Rawson
WW2 Remagen Bridge by Andrew Rawson
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This book is dedicated to my wife Kate with love.
First published in Great Britain in 2005 by
Pen & Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright © Tim Saunders, 2005
9781783409549
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Table of Contents
Other guides in the Battleground Europe Series:
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright Page
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE - BACKGROUND AND PLANS
CHAPTER TWO - THE DEFENDERS OF DIEPPE
CHAPTER THREE - EMBARKATION AND ENCOUNTER AT SEA
CHAPTER FOUR - THE GOEBBELS BATTERY
CHAPTER FIVE - OPERATION CAULDRON
CHAPTER SIX - INNER FLANK ATTACK I: BLUE BEACH – PUYS
CHAPTER SEVEN - INNER FLANK ATTACK II: GREEN BEACH
CHAPTER EIGHT - DIEPPE – RED AND WHITE BEACHES
CHAPTER NINE - THE WITHDRAWAL AND AFTERMATH
CHAPTER TEN - DIEPPE TOUR
ORDER OF BATTLE
Appendix 1 - Victoria Cross Citations
Appendix 2 - Advice to Visitors
Bibliography
INDEX
Wounded being taken aborad a destroyer during the evacuation.
INTRODUCTION
There are two passages of text that to my mind sum up the whole context of the Dieppe raid. The first is a US newspaper commentary on the heroism of fellow North Americans and the second are the words of an experienced Canadian soldier in the immediate aftermath of Operation Jubilee. The New York Times 19 August 1943 wrote:
‘Someday there will be two spots on the French coast sacred to the British and their Allies. One will be Dunkirk where Britain was saved because a beaten army would not surrender.
‘The other will be Dieppe, where brave men died without hope for the sake of proving that there is a wrong way to invade. They will have their share of glory when the right way is tried.’
The second piece is by Captain Denis Whitaker of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry who recorded how Combined Operation’s Headquarters (COHQ) summoned him after the raid:
‘The debriefing had begun when I finally got to London. I recognized the Dieppe military commander, Major General Roberts – his face bore a gaunt stricken look... the two men beside Admiral Mountbatten were the naval and air commanders of the operation...
‘General Roberts was finishing his reports. “I am inclined to question whether tactical surprise was achieved... It is evident that the German gun crews were standing by with all defence posts manned when the first wave of troops came in.”
‘Mountbatten shrugged of the comments impatiently. “You have to take into account that a state of alert was normal at dawn, and that the conditions of weather and tide might have increased the state of alert”.
‘I stood up. My mind reeled. So surprise had never been possible! “Sir. I landed on the main beach. When I interrogated a German prisoner, he boasted, we have been waiting for you for a week.’
‘Sit down, Captain Whitaker. I do not believe the enemy was forewarned. I want constructive comments – not excuses. ”’
From these two quotes, it can be seen that almost immediately, the scale of the sacrifice, amongst Canadian and British sailors, soldiers and airmen, combined with the painful examination of military failure, led to the Dieppe Raid’s enduring fascination. However, as it is the role of the Battleground series to concentrate on the conduct of the fighting, this book can only dedicate a modest amount of space to the main features of the controversial background to the raid. This should not represent too much of a hardship for readers, as there are literally yards of books that almost exclusively examine the political, strategic and intelligence background to Operation Jubilee. Most are not shy at apportioning blame. A bibliography of published sources and other useful Dieppe books, including a number of other Pen and Sword titles, is at the end of this volume.
‘Nazi circles have tried desperately to prove that the Dieppe raid was unsuccessful. They have failed.’ So ran an editorial comment in the Sunday Pictorial, 6 September 1942.
British readers should note that other than on first mention I have for the sake of economy of space dropped the Suffix ‘of Canada’ for the Black Watch and Cameron Highlanders. Though the British and Canadian regiments bearing these names had affiliations and a common Scottish heritage, they were very much separate organisations.
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND AND PLANS
The sound of boots on the gravel of the beach and the rattle of small-arms fire echoed around the cliffs of Le Touquet, south of Boulogne. On the night of 23/24 June 1940, just weeks after the British Army had abandoned its weapons and equipment at Dunkirk, a small group of soldiers from that defeated army returned to raid the mainland of Europe. Operation Collar, mounted by the newly-formed special raiding force was just a pinprick, killing only two members of the mighty Wehrmacht which was at the time sealing its victory over the French. However, such an action was exactly what Churchill had envisaged when he ordered a ‘special raiding force’ to be raised. He wrote:
‘The completely defensive habit of mind, which has ruined the French, must not be allowed to ruin our initiative. Enterprises must be prepared with specially trained troops of the hunter class, who can develop a reign of terror first of all on the butcher-and-bolt policy.’
The Prime Minister had no illusions that small raids would do anything to tip the military balance. But with personal experience of how effective the Boer Kommandos had been in South Africa, he appreciated the value for morale at home of commando raids, and also how many thousands of enemy troops would be tied down waiting for the next attack. Small raids reinforced the perception that Churchill was trying to create of an active resistance, and in a phrase familiar from the Great War, helped to ‘maintain the offensive spirit.’
A wartime PR photo used to promote the Commandos’ activities.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
During the first year of the war, Commando Forces (with their famous green berets) grew in size, and mounted increasing numbers of raids, while British airborne forces developed military parachuting and trained for action. Veterans have frankly admitted that many of the first raids were ‘amateurish’. But as the scale of raids grew, experience was gained, training techniques improved, and more of the raids were considered successful. In the first airborne raid, at Bruneval, vital German radar components were snatched. Raiding enemy-held coastlines, whether in France, the Mediterranean, or in the Far East, became a regular feature of British conduct of the war.
Lord Louis Mountbatten cousin of the King
In the face of opposition from the three Services, Churchill formed a Combined Operations headquarters, under his personal attention, which grew from small beginnings with a limited advisory role into a major headquarters with a ‘higher importance, a more positive function and a stronger staff’. Brigadier Lucas Phillips wrote:
‘When the time came... we would have to fight for it, moreover, against seemingly impregnable coastal defences equipped with every modern preventive device and stratag. . . Technical problems of the most formidable magnitude confronted us, together with problems of tactics, transport and administration. “Co-operation” between the Services was not enough; there must be complete integration of thought, planning, experimentation and executive action.’
In March 1942, Churchill singled out 41-year-old Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten as an inspiring and dynamic leader and appointed him to the new post of Chief of Combined Operations. This not only put him at the head of an increasingly powerful independent-minded organisation but also gave him membership of the Chiefs of Staffs’ Committee.
Combined Ops badge
The Situation in 1942
1942 ended with the ‘turn of the tide,’ following General Montgomery’s victory at El Alamein, but in the first half of the year, without a doubt, the Allied prospects were unremittingly bad. Conversely, the Axis Powers were reaching their zenith. At home in the UK, the British people suffered the privations of rationing and a shortage of just about every commodity, as the Kriegsmarine’s U-bo
at wolf packs unrelentingly attacked the convoys of merchantmen that represented Britain’s lifeline to survival. On the battlefield, British and Commonwealth troops fighting in the deserts of North Africa were again being driven back by Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Meanwhile, in the Far East, the Americans were still feeling the shock of their immense naval losses at Pearl Harbour, and were struggling to contain the Japanese forces who occupied island after island, including the Philippines, as they spread across the Pacific towards Australia. In February, the Japanese had seized Singapore and were advancing north through Burma towards India. Rangoon fell in early March and Mandalay in mid-April, sending the British and Chinese Armies retreating to the north. On the Eastern Front, military affairs were also going badly: despite a Russian counter-offensive, the Germans held their ground, and by May, the Russians were being pushed back by the Wehrmacht counter-offensive. In the spring of 1942, the immediate outlook for the Allies’ was bleak.
Joseph Stalin demanded action in the West
However, it was on the Eastern Front where the situation was most dangerous. Here, the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, together numbering millions of men, were pitted against each other in a titanic struggle to the death. The Russians, who had committed all in their spring offensive, were withdrawing in the face of a German thrust through the Caucasus Mountains toward Sevastopol. There seemed to be no way of halting the Wehrmacht. In consequence, Stalin demanded that the leaders of the Western Allies take action in the west to reduce pressure on his armies. He insisted that there was an imminent danger of the Red Army collapsing. Such a Russian military collapse was a real possibility, and would have had catastrophic effect on the Allied war effort, by releasing whole armies of Germans for employment elsewhere.
