Remember. Remember the day : August 19th, 1942. The Dieppe Raid.
Video link :
YouTube - Remember - Dieppe
On that day the Canadian 2nd Division launched a raid on the Channel coast city of Dieppe. With British Royal Marines, US Army Rangers, and Free French commandos, the 2nd Division was to seize and hold the city for a few hours to test German defences in preparation for an invasion to liberate Europe from nazi oppression.
Operation Jubilee as it was called quickly turned into an embarrassing disaster and the Canadians were slaugthered on the beaches.
In the course of a single morning, the Canadian lost 3000 men, half the strength of the 2nd Division, killed, wounded, captured.
August 19th, 1942 went down in history as the darkest day of the Second World War for Canada.
From the disaster lessons were drawn and would help ensure the success of Operation Overlord, D Day, on June 6th, 1944.
Dieppe was finally liberated in September 1944, by the 2nd Division.