Return of the Canadians to Dieppe

A dramatic Return of the Canadians to Dieppe, on the Channel coast of Northern France, on September 1st 1944 when they captured the town without having to fire a single shot. This must have brought back to many of them terrible memories of the fiercely contested Reconnaissance in Force of August 19th 1941. Men of these same units of the 2nd Canadian Division, the Essex Scottish, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, and the Royal Regiment of Canada, had then been mown down on the beaches and in the streets. Now, as roars from the French greeted this historic return, other Dieppe units were approaching the South Saskatchewan Regiment, the Black Watch and the Toronto Scottish. At the great liberation parade on September 3rd in the Rue Claude Grouland (below) where General Crerar took the salute.

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Interesting that no one followed up on this to correct the date of Operation Jubilee to August 19, 1942. A Service of Remembrance will take place for the 75th Anniversary of the Raid this August. I was pleased to learn today that the Royal Regiment of Canada will be also remembering the 3rd LAA Gunners who were at Dieppe, as they served with them at Blue Beach. There were also gunners from the 14th Field Regiment Artillery at Dieppe. The gunners have rarely been mentioned, yet there were several killed, wounded, and many taken prisoner for the duration of the war.

 

The 1942 Dieppe Raid - The Second World War - History - Remembrance - Veterans Affairs Canada

One of the accounts of the raid itself at Veterans Affairs Canada. I am just copying the introductory paragraph and another reference to Sept 1944 when Dieppe was liberated.

"
Introduction

The Raid on Dieppe, France, on August 19, 1942, was a pivotal moment in the Second World War. With virtually all of continental Europe under German occupation, the Allied forces faced a well-entrenched enemy. Some method had to be found to create a foothold on the continent, and the Raid on Dieppe offered invaluable lessons for the successful D-Day invasion in 1944, saving countless lives in that momentous offensive.

Canadians made up the great majority of the attackers in the raid. Nearly 5,000 of the 6,100 troops were Canadians. The remaining troops consisted of approximately 1,000 British Commandos and 50 American Rangers. The raid was supported by eight Allied destroyers and 74 Allied air squadrons, eight belonging to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Major-General J.H. Roberts, Commander of the 2nd Canadian Division, was Military Force Commander, with Captain J. Hughes-Hallett, Royal Navy (RN) as Naval Force Commander and Air Vice-Marshal T.L. Leigh-Mallory as Air Force Commander.

Although extremely valuable lessons were learned in the Raid on Dieppe, a steep price was paid. Of the 4,963 Canadians who embarked for the operation, only 2,210 returned to England, and many of these were wounded. There were 3,367 casualties, including 1,946 prisoners of war; 916 Canadians lost their lives......"

And this description of September 1944, from an article by Canadian military author and teacher, Terry Copp: "Return to Dieppe: September 1944" by Terry Copp http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=cmh

"Dieppe holds a special place in the memory of Canadians. Operation "Jubilee," the August 1942 raid on Dieppe was one of the truly tragic moments in Canada's history. In a new book on the battle Denis and Shelagh Whitaker have recreated the atmosphere of the times and provided Canadians with the best study of the background of the raid since C.P. Stacey's version in Six Years of War. Dieppe: Tragedy to Triumph, published in August 1992 on the 50th anniversary of the raid, is strongly recommended.
The Canadians returned to Dieppe in September 1944 as liberators. Montgomery had assigned the capture of Dieppe to the Second Canadian Infantry Division in his Directive of August 20 when it was assumed that the Germans would defend the port. Operation "Fusilade," which included a preliminary attack by Bomber Command, was timed for September 1st. Fortunately, 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Hussars) had advanced from Rouen with great speed and were able to report that the enemy had
evacuated the city the previous day. The Bomber Command attack was called off while its planes were in the air just 20 minutes away from their target.
As the two lead motorcyclists entered the town the population of Dieppe filled the streets. The local newspaper, La Vigie Nouvelle described the reception of the Canadians:
The crowd ran forward to meet them and it was so dense that both men could advance no further. Women threw themselves on them and kissed them. The citizens then gathered around the Monument to Victory where both soldiers had gone to deposit the flowers they had been given. The ceremonies took place and the crowd sang "La Marseillaise," "God Save the King" and 'Tipperary."
Similar scenes were to be reported throughout the day and on September 3rd the whole population of the city turned out to watch Second Division parade through the town. No one who was there could forget the emotions of that day, and no one doubted that liberation was more than just a word...."