The Raid on Dieppe was a test for the full-scale invasion of Western Europe by the Allies during World War II. The plan was to make a frontal assault on the town of Dieppe, across the English Channel on the coast of France. The Raid on Dieppe would give the Allies a chance to test techniques and equipment for landing troops from the sea.
And test them it did. A German ship spotted the convoy coming, and they were ready as the Allied troops, mostly Canadians, got to the beaches. Many were mowed down by machine-gun and mortar fire. Landing of the Calgary Regiment tanks met equal misfortune. The tanks slipped on the round pebbles of the beaches, and those that got past the sea-wall were blocked by concrete barriers. Intelligence reports were poor, radio communications were terrible, and air and infantry cooperation was non-existent.
The Canadians suffered 3,367 casualties at the Raid on Dieppe, with nearly 1000 Canadians killed and almost 2000 taken prisoner.
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