Remember - Tribute Video For Canadians at Dieppe 1942

[Avary]

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.

[Woodmonkey]

What brave men hit those beaches on that day. May they rest in peace.

[Hooch Turner]

Funny thing I was just disccusing this debacle yesterday. The images of the Churchill tanks stuck on the beach and being picked off one by one from the German from pre-ranged Anti-Tank guns has a lasting effect, and was used as a great propoganda tool by the Nazi war machine.

The action was not totally in vane however, as the Allies gleened a great deal of tactical knowlegde that would be used again on June 6th 1944, again in France but on the beaches of Normandy, and this time with very different results. A great scarifice indeed Dieppe was, but it did serve a purpose, however terrible the costs.

Let us not forget, their valiant souls, I will be making my annual trip to the local Cenotaph for my two minutes of silence on Armistice Day.