Synopses & Reviews
The Dieppe Raid is one of World War II's most controversial hours. In 1942, a full two years before D-Day, thousands of men, mostly Canadian troops eager for their first taste of battle, were sent across the English Channel in a raid on the French port town of Dieppe. Air supremacy was not secured; the topography--a town hemmed in by tall cliffs and reached by steep beaches--meant any invasion was improbably difficult. The result was carnage: the beaches were turned into killing grounds even as the men came ashore, and whole battalions were cut to pieces.
In this book, Robin Neillands has traced numerous surviving veterans of the Raid, in the United Kingdom and Canada, to tell the harrowing story of what actually took place, hour by hour, as disaster unfolded. He has also exhaustively explored all the archival evidence to establish as far as possible the paper trail of command, of who knew--or should have known--what was happening, and whether the whole debacle could have been prevented. The result is the definitive account of one of the Allies' darkest hours.
Review
"... British military historian Robin Neillands tells this story of the Dieppe Raid with considerable skill, presenting a view of the operation within the context of the overall war mixed with judiciously chosen individual experiences and anecdotes.... Neillands's discussion of this engagement is first rate." --German Indiana University Press
Review
"A valuable and gripping account by an experienced military historian, The Dieppe Raid: The Story of the Disastrous 1942 Expedition illuminates leadership failure and miscalculation, and it depicts soldiers' courage in the face of certain death. It will interest a wide range of historians, as well as general readers, and students of warfare." --Sea Classics Indiana University Press Indiana University Press
About the Author
Robin Neillands is "one of our most readable military historians" (Birmingham Post [UK]) and author of several acclaimed books on World War II and military history, including The Bomber War; The Conquest of the Reich; The Desert Rats; Eighth Army; The Old Contemptibles; and Battle of Normandy 1944. He lectures on military history worldwide, and is a member of the British Commission for Military History.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
About This Book
1. The Road to Jubilee, 1939-42
2. After Dunkirk, 1940-41
3. The Commander, the Commandos and the Canadians
4. Political Pressures, 1942
5. Planning Rutter April-July, 1942
6. Remounting Jubilee, 22 July-18 August 1942
7. Yellow Beach 1 and 2, Berneval
8. Orange Beach 1 and 2, Varengeville
9. Blue Beach, Puys
10. Green Beach, Pourville
11. Red and White Beach, Dieppe
12. The Floating Reserve Goes In
13. The Withdrawal, 1100hrs-1300hrs
14. A Verdict on Dieppe
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index