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European Tensions |
War |
Mobilization | Poland -
France | Battle of
Britain |
Dieppe |
North Atlantic |
Training the Empire |
The Pacific |
Quebec Conference |
Hong Kong |
Home Front |
Sicily |
Italy | Conscription
| Normandy |
France |
Netherlands |
Germany
On June 22nd 1941 Hitler launched the
largest military invasion in history when German forces
crossed the German Soviet boarder and drove deep into
the heart of mother Russia. BY December the Panzer
groups had been slowed down by winter and mud and just
barely missed taking Moscow. Stalin had joined the
British Empire in allying against the Germans and their
allies in Europe almost as soon as the invasion had
begun and called for a second front to be launched in
France by England to relieve the pressure on the Soviet
Union. England possessed neither the troops or the
resources to do this in 1941 and was barely able to hang
on in the North African desert against Rommel and the
Africa Korps. In 1942 Hitler once again planned and
implemented a large attack against Russia with the
objective being the oil fields in the Caucasus. As
Russian resistance crumbled Stalin once again asked for
and then demanded that Churchill do something to relieve
the pressure on the Soviet front by invading France.
Although the U.S. was by this time in the war as a part
of the Grand Alliance with Britain and Russia, there was
still not enough forces on hand to invade Nazi occupied
France.
The Canadian troops in
England had not really seen any action since arriving in
December of 1939 and the allied leaders felt that as a
show of support for the Soviets, a large scale raid on
the French coast might convince Hitler to divert some of
the precious military formations from the Russian front
in order to shore up and strengthen defences along the
coast of France. It was decided to use the some of the
Canadian troops for just such an operation, with some
British commandos and some US Rangers.
On the morning of August 19, 1942 the
French coastal town of Dieppe awoke to the sound of
battle as 6000 allied troops, (5000 Canadians) hit the
beaches. They met fierce resistance immediately and
although some initial success brought them a few miles
inland, they were soon pushed back to the beachhead and
forced to evacuate. Over 900 Canadians were killed and
many other were captured while the debate began
immediately as to whether the operation was a success or
a failure. The results did prove to Stalin that he
allies were willing to try and help where possible and
that an invasion of France was not yet possible but the
Canadian 2nd Division had been badly bloodied and would
have to spend time rebuilding.
Another landing on the
French coast, known as the Atlantic wall would not be
attempted again until June 6th , 1944.
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