Bloodbath on the Beach

BLOODBATH ON THE BEACH

TOTAL CARNAGE

The operation was a complete disaster. On the beaches, the Germans’ powerful machine guns and artillery showered rounds on the ships, which struggled to land their men safely on the beach. The machine guns were the most deadly and mowed down all soldiers in the first wave. The Allies failed to reach almost every goal on every beach while suffering immense losses. Although the raid was lost in advance, a communication breakdown meant that Major General John Hamilton Roberts sent in the FMR as reinforcements. This action only compounded the failure and increased the losses.

Many tanks could not manoeuvre over the beach terrain and became immobilized. Soldiers in the tanks tried to shoot at the German positions, but their attempts were in vain. Most tanks simply became improvised shields for the soldiers trapped on the beach.

Some soldiers managed to get off the beaches and capture German positions. On the White and Red beaches, some of the infantry secured the casino and made it a rally point. At Green Beach, Company B of the South Saskatchewan Regiment was able to briefly capture Pourville. However, the Allies struggled to hold their positions under the ferocious German response. The surrender orders were given after an hours-long bloodbath, and the men tried desperately to get back to the landing craft.

The tanks got caught up in the pebbles on the beach, making them easy targets for the German soldiers. For example, this reconnaissance vehicle was quickly neutralized (source: Library and Archives Canada).
Most of the landing forces did not make it off the beach and were immediately shot down by the German defenders (source: Library and Archives Canada).

THE OPERATION

Nothing went as planned during the raid. From one end of the beach to the other, men from all regiments were slaughtered before even getting a chance to fight back at the powerful German defence. The hoped-for aerial and naval support was sorely insufficient, and the men were largely left on their own to face the enemy fire.

A Royal Navy destroyer bombs Dieppe during the operation (source: Library and Archives Canada).
The interior of a landing craft demolished during the raid (source: Library and Archives Canada).
Captain J.C.H. Anderson, of the Royal Regiment of Canada, reports what happened on the beach to a Canadian brigadier (source: Library and Archives Canada).
An aerial photo taken during the first landings of the Allied soldiers (source: Imperial War Museums).
On Blue Beach, the Canadians were trapped between the beach and a low wall in full view of a German bunker (left). Many soldiers were killed or wounded at this site (source: Bundesarchiv).
THE WORLD
AT WAR
OPENING A SECOND FRONT
BLOODBATH ON THE BEACH
ANATOMY OF A DISASTER
THE VICTIMS OF JUBILEE
BETWEEN MYTH AND TRUTH