1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Photographs: Dieppe Raid 1942

A Conflict About Which Conflict Still Arises.

[ART2972: A view of the Café des Tribunaux, Dieppe. There are French soldiers seated around tables outstide underneath the awning, and more soldiers sitting on the balcony. In the bottom left a group of German prisoners of war are being marched into the square, led by a poilu and watched by two British officers in kilts. A group of zouaves stand to the right of the composition, there are two nuns crossing the square behind, and several soldiers talking to civilians in the centre. Orpen, William, 1917. Credit to Imperial War Museum]

Introduction:

As I continue learning more about the Dieppe Raid (just finished reading DIEPPE: Tragedy to Triumph by Brigadier General Denis Whitaker, a man who landed on the beach on August 19, 1942), I realize the arguments "for and against" still go on.

Every time I read a new-for-me book about the raid, those arguments still wage war in my own mind, as they undoubtedly did inside my father (RCNVR, Combined Operations, 1941 - 45) on a regular basis before he passed away in 2003.

Briefly, I say: Were there positive lessons learned?

Yes.

Could it, should it (Operation Jubilee) have been cancelled as was its first running, known as Operation Rutter (July 7, 1942)?

Yes, as the plan for the operation stood in August.

No, if I was in high authority and had a say in making great changes to the plan as it stood at the time.

This from another man who was there... i.e., Al Kirby's account related to the Dieppe raid continues:

We continued our search until about 2200 then went into the town of Newhaven for something to eat....

We turned into the first pub that we encountered and were able to get a small meal there. As we talked about the day's experiences, it appeared that both of our boats had come off very lightly compared to most of the others. I told Lantz that I had seen McKenna's boat taking some fire on the mid-morning trip back to the beach, but hadn't seen it since.

The bartender overheard us discussing the raid and he asked us if we had been part of it. When we replied in the affirmative he immediately gave us each a drink on the house and announced aloud, to the whole place, that we were two Canadian sailors just back from Dieppe. A big cheer went up and everyone gathered around us, buying us drinks and asking us all about it.

It was very embarrassing for both of us, as we felt more like quitters than heroes. Together, we felt very badly about not bringing any of our Cameron Highlanders back.

At midnight the pub closed and we staggered back to the freight shed to our beds. We were very dismayed that McKenna was not in his bed, and in our half drunk condition, hoped that we would see him in the morning, and if not, we would try to find out if he had been wounded and was perhaps in the hospital. Then, dead tired after two long days without sleep, we collapsed on our beds.

The clatter of people walking about and the noise of loud conversation awakened me about eight the next morning as there had been no wake-up call. I saw that Lantz was already up, then I remembered McKenna. His bed had not been slept in, so I quickly got up and dressed, went down to the field kitchen and caught up with Lantz. As we ate, we discussed our next move. Since the whole place was still in turmoil and concerned only with the unloading of boats which were still returning, we were not required on our own craft and everyone was either helping the Army with their work or doing whatever they pleased. Lantz and I decided to scour the boats alongside to see if we could find out what happened to McKenna.

Pages 58 - 59, Combined Operations by London writer, Clayton Marks

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The following photographs and captions are from the extensive collection of the Imperial War Museum:

H22635. A wounded Canadian soldier being disembarked from the Polish Navy

destroyer ORP Ślązak (Silesian) at Portsmouth on return from Dieppe, 19

August 1942. Wooldridge A W P (Sgt) War Office official photographer.

WAR OFFICE SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION

H22636. A wounded Canadian soldier being disembarked from the Polish

Navy destroyer ORP Ślązak (Silesian) at Portsmouth on return from Dieppe,

19 August 1942. Wooldridge A W P (Sgt) War Office official photographer.

WAR OFFICE SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION

H22637. A wounded Canadian soldier being disembarked from the Polish

Navy destroyer ORP Ślązak (Silesian) at Portsmouth on return from Dieppe,

19 August 1942. Wooldridge A W P (Sgt). War Office official photographer,

WAR OFFICE SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION

H22638. Captain Jock Anderson of the Royal Regiment of Canada, cup of

tea in hand, recounts his experiences to Brigadier Tees after disembarking at

Portsmouth. Wooldridge A W P (Sgt) War Office official photographer,

WAR OFFICE SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION

HU1833. Landing craft of No 4 Commando running in to land at Vasterival on

the right flank of the main assault at Dieppe. The unit achieved its objective, the

destruction of the 'Hess' Battery in a copybook action, the only success of the raid.

Part of collection of Mr. A.D.C. Smith

HU1895. Allied prisoners rest by the roadside, guarded by Germans, Dieppe.

Part of the collection of Mr. B.J. Glenister.

HU1902. German soldiers examine Churchill tanks abandoned by Allied

soldiers as they were evacuated.

HU1904. Tanks and landing craft burning on the beach after the Allied raid on Dieppe.

Photo Credit - Mr. B.J. Glenister

HU47239. SCENES AT STALAG VIIIB (LAMSDORF) PRISONER OF WAR

CAMP, GERMANY 1942 - 1945. Prisoners attempt to drink from tins while their

hands are bound with cord in a clandestine photograph taken by William Lawrence

to document evidence of German mistreatment of prisoners in the camp. The hands of

prisoners at Stalag VIIIB were bound every day from morning parade until the evening

parade for a period of 14 months as a German reprisal for alleged Allied mistreatment of

German prisoners during the Canadian raid on Dieppe. Initially cord was used, until

sufficient handcuffs were supplied. W. O. Lawrence, William Arthur Collection

No photos were available for the next three captions seen at IWM:

HU47241. SCENES AT STALAG VIIIB (LAMSDORF) PRISONER OF WAR CAMP, GERMANY 1942 - 1945. No photo via screen capture. Object description: The hands of prisoners at Stalag VIIIB were bound every day from morning parade until the evening parade for a period of 14 months as a German reprisal for alleged Allied mistreatment of German prisoners during the Canadian raid on Dieppe. Initially cord was used, until sufficient handcuffs were supplied. Here a prisoner displays his manacles outside a hut in a clandestine photograph taken by William Lawrence to document evidence of German mistreatment of prisoners of war. Photo - W. (W/O) Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, William Arthur Collection

HU47136 (No photo available) German guards reopen the gates to the RAF POW's compound, 1944. The POWs had been confined to their compound for 14 months as a reprisal for alleged Allied mistreatment of German prisoners during the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Huts and a refuse cart can be seen in the background. Online Photo - W. (W/O) Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, William Arthur Collection. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018477

HU 47237 SCENES AT STALAG VIIIB (LAMSDORF) PRISONER OF WAR CAMP, GERMANY 1942 - 1945. (No photo available). Sergeant Jack Diamond, a prisoner, displays his manacled hands for the camera, in a clandestine photograph taken by William Lawrence to document evidence of German mistreatment of prisoners in the camp. The hands of prisoners at Stalag VIIIB were bound every day from morning parade until the evening parade for a period of 14 months as a German reprisal for alleged Allied mistreatment of German prisoners during the Canadian raid on Dieppe. Initially cord was used, until sufficient handcuffs were supplied. Online Photo - W. (W/O) Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, William Arthur Collection.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018578

HU50039. Canadian soldiers, their backs to the sea wall, await evacuation

from the beach. Part of the collection of M.E. Knott, IWM.

HU50040. THE DIEPPE RAID, 19 AUGUST 1942. Three Canadian soldiers

gather around their supplies in the shelter of the sea wall at Dieppe.

Part of the collection of M.E. Knott, IWM.

HU123652 Second Lieutenant Thomas Albert Knott. Unit: 1st Battalion, Royal

Berkshire Regiment. Death: 25 November 1914 Western Front. Son of Frank and

Alice Knott. Bond of Sacrifice, First World War Portraits Collection. 1 of 2

HU123652b 2 of 2 written record.

No file or photograph accompanied the following note at IWM:

8512-23. Service of M. E. Knott in the Royal Navy as a signals and communications officer, including scenes at Dieppe in 1942, North Africa, Sicily in 1943, and North West Europe in 1944.