The Dieppe Raid 1942

As dawn broke on August 19th, 1942, Canadian troops launched a major raid on the German-held French port of Dieppe. What was later described as a "reconnaissance in force", proved a disaster - the Canadians were pinned down on the beach under savage fire. The only thing that could be said in favour of this tragic fiasco was that lessons were learned which saved many lives on D-Day.