Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 87 This past 19 August 2022 marked the 80th Anniversary of Operation Jubilee, the disastrous Dieppe Raid. Few raids have been subjected to so much scrutiny, analysis and comment as Operation Jubilee, better known as the Dieppe Raid. It aimed to seize a major port and to hold it for a short period, while seeking opportunities to gather intelligence and to demolish important infrastructure and buildings. The raid would show the UK's determination to fight on and, if successful, it would boost the morale of the armed forces and the country. At the same time, Mountbatten wanted to test Combined Operations amphibious landing training, equipment and techniques in a sizeable raid against entrenched German shore defences. The raid failed in almost every regard and at a high cost in lives lost, numbers injured and captured, particularly for the Canadian Forces involved. In August 2012, a 'History TV' documentary based on 15 years research by David O'Keefe provided fresh insight into other top secret purposes behind the raid, which casts a different light on the day's events. More details on this below. In any event, lessons were learned and similar mistakes were avoided in future amphibious operations, including D-Day. Background 1942 was the worst year of the war for the Allies. At the time of Operation Jubilee, the UK could not boast a single victory against the Germans in the field (excluding Commando 'pin-prick' raids) and British and Commonwealth troops in North Africa were being contained and driven back by the Africa Corps. In the Far East, the Japanese were occupying substantial parts of the former British Empire, the Americans were still feeling their material losses at Pearl Harbour and struggling to maintain what was left of their Philippine Army and the Russians were under pressure as Hitler's thrust into the Caucuses took hold. The immediate outlook was bleak. The most critical situation was on the Russian Front, where the German offensive seemed unstoppable. Stalin called loudly and often for an offensive in the west to reduce the pressure on his armies and, in truth, a Russian military collapse would be catastrophic for the whole Allied war effort. The Russian viewpoint enjoyed American support, with some American military leaders favouring action in the Pacific against the Japanese, if no large scale offensive in the west was possible. The general public was also agitated for offensive action in support of the beleaguered Russians. Mass rallies were held in both Trafalgar Square in London and Madison Square gardens in New York during April, 1942, which called for "a second front now!" There was, therefore, increasing pressure on Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff to mount a significant offensive operation on the Western Front, that would at least discourage Hitler from sending additional reinforcements to the East Front. It was against this menacing background that the Dieppe raid was planned. Operation Jubilee - The Dieppe Raid 19 August 1942 continued ...
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