News About Dieppe is Fading. North Africa (OP. TORCH) is Next
The War, Three Years Old, is on Several Different Fronts
From the back cover of Operation Sea Lion by Peter Fleming
Published 1975 by Pan Books Ltd., London
Introduction:
Dieppe, North Africa, Stalingrad, Japan. Hitler, Rommel, Churchill, Stalin, Eisenhower, Montgomery. Places and leaders are changing or coming into focus after three years of World War II.
The news clippings from a newspaper solidly 'alive and well' in Canada's heartland help tell the ever-changing, always-developing, never-stagnant tale:
I know. The headline has nothing to do at the moment with Canadians in Combined Operations, the chief focus of this online site. But a bit of news re the Dieppe Raid is coming, and news related to various war fronts provides a bit of context re what the 950 - 1,000 Canadians who volunteered for Comb. Ops. (and soon thereafter learned how to handle various landing crafts) got themselves into when they raised their hands back in Canada, beginning in late 1941.
Readers may wish to view more of the stories introduced by The Winnipeg Tribune. Please follow this link to the University of Manitoba and explore the vast archives of 'The Trib.'
The movie "Saving Private Ryan" comes to mind when considering the photograph below. Did any of Mrs. Murphy's four boys survive the Dieppe raid? The caption leaves us hanging!
History reveals that the Essex Scottish Regiment was nearly wiped out during the raid, as were other regiments. Please click here to information related to and in honour of The Royal Canadian Regiment, landed at Blue Beach.
Great interest was shown in the Dieppe Raid by rapt audiences across Canada, and tickets to see and hear Canadian war correspondent Ross Munro would have been a very hot item!
Related to the Dieppe Raid, one of the reasons surmised that it took place when it did was to appease Russia's leader Joe Stalin, who was demanding there be a Second Front to take some of the heat off of his own armies. There was some talk about an earlier date for a second front (than June 6, 1944, D-Day Normandy) but Churchill's desire to attack Germany via the Mediterranean Sea (North Africa, Sicily, Italy) prevailed in the end:
Allied countries were not alone in thinking/discussing/planning concerning a second front:
Stalingrad will be much in the news for some months and the eventual outcome was surely one of the most significant 'tide-turners' of World War II:
Want some Canadian salmon? Try your luck in 1943!
Dieppe Raid makes the news in more ways than one:
Can't get salmon? Try the peaches instead:
Just one more day before Eagle Squadron - featuring actual combat scenes - hits local theatres, guns a-blazing:
Another editorial cartoon my Mozel, found on page 6, Sept. 3, 1942
Some good reasons for continuing to expand Allied air forces given below:
About a year after Ross Munro finished his speaking tour he was back in action in Italy, as were Canadian forces on the sea, on land and in the air. Below are two articles as found in The Montreal Star on Sept ember 9 and 10, 1943:
Canadians in Combined Operations operated landing crafts, e.g., between Messina (Sicily) and Reggio ("the Canadian main landing beach", on the toe of Italy's boot) for 4 - 5 weeks beginning on September 3, 1943. Click here for more information about "Operation Baytown" (a series, Parts 1 - 11) in Italy:
Both articles were delayed by one day
Please click here to view Research: Post-Dieppe, Sept. 1 - 7, 1942 (Part 2)
Unattributed Photos GH
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