Books: Dieppe: August 19 by Eric Maguire

Anticipation. Realization. Gestation. Frustration. Devastation...

A Book from 1963 Hits the Nail on the Head, in my Opinion

British prisoners of war taken at Dieppe marching through the country-

side en route to a prison camp. (Keystone Press Agency LTD, London)

Introduction:

First, I admit whole-heartedly that I am biased concerning my own POV related to the Dieppe Raid, August 19, 1942. I have my father's Navy memoirs (he was Leading Seaman, Coxswain RCNVR and an early member of Combined Operations, 1941 - 45), I've read them several times over, and they affect my views. He lost his first mates at Dieppe, and was present when the first battered and bloodied landing crafts returned from the coast of France. (A scheduled leave kept him from participating in the raid - he returned to Southampton while still on leave because he knew by then his mates were involved in 'the real thing' - and he suffered 'survival guilt' forever after).

In memoirs my father writes the following:

Much has been written about Dieppe so I will not enlarge upon it too much. My opinion is - it was a senseless waste of blood.

The Germans were ready because we (i.e., the Allies) ran into a German convoy in the channel. The element of surprise was lost. The times of arrival at beaches were to be during the night, but some turned out to land in full daylight up against cliffs unable in any way to be scaled. No softening up of defences by bombing was ever carried out.

I will make it short and say I will remember it as a complete, useless waste of good Canadian blood and no one - even those who say we learned a valuable lesson there - will ever change my mind. No mock raids were held, as for St. Nazaire against home defences. It was simply a mess.

I lost my first comrades at Dieppe. Others were wounded. O/S (Ordinary Seaman) Cavanaugh - killed. O/S Jack McKenna - killed. A/B (Able Bodied) Lloyd Campbell, London, Ontario died of wounds after his legs were nearly cut off by machine gun fire. Imagine Higgins boats made of 3/4 inch plywood going in on a beach like that.

Lt. McRae became a POW at Dieppe, 1942.

Photo credit - St. Nazaire to Singapore: Volume 1

Lieutenant McRae, our commander, Stoker Brown, and others I can’t recall were taken prisoner. And lots of people don’t even know Canada’s navy was represented at Dieppe*. The only other comrade I lost was Coxswain Owens, the man who left me stranded that night in Irvine. He was killed in North Africa, our next safari.

[*most of the "British POWs" in photo at top of page were, in fact, Canadians]

I was on leave at Calshot Camp in Southampton at the time, but was asked to go and clean up ALCs as they struggled back from Dieppe. I absolutely refused. I was so incensed I also refused to go to church there. I went to the door but never went in.

Nothing became of my refusals. In fact, I went through the war without one mark against my record.

"Dad, Well Done," Pages 20 - 21

A 1989 reunion of two shipmates at Dieppe. (L-R) R.W. Brown (stoker), 

D. Harrison (wearing editor Gord Harrison's Beatles cap), Robert McRae

(back), Art ‘Gash’ Bailey. Photo - St. Nazaire to Singapore: Volume 1

[For more information about Doug Harrison's views re the Dieppe Raid, please click here - LOOKING BACK FROM LATER ON: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DIEPPE]

Second, author Eric Maguire offers the German POV - and more - in a very authoritative manner. He acknowledges "the officials of the Bundesarchiv at Coblenz, Germany, for their courtesy in making available a copy of the war diary of the German 302nd Division." As well, Maguire acknowledges "Monsieur Georges Guibon of Dieppe for a copy of his diary," and "Canadian and British veterans of the battle who sent me their personal stories of the day..."

Third, he minces no words. He is - in a detailed manner - critical of the planning and lack of the necessary elements of strategy related to the raid. I think my father would have said he and the author were definitely on the same page.

DIEPPE: August 19 was first published in 1963, is 191 pages long and divided into 14 detailed and informative chapters:

Photographs of the action and results are well catalogued (six more a re offered):

Some Highlights

Just a very few of the passages I highlighted as I read the book appear below. 

For example, even in the Preface we are informed of the book's overall, descriptive approach:

"This is the story of a disaster which later was presented to the world as a contribution of the utmost value to the future conduct of the war - a disaster brought about by an assault plan which was described by the germans as an excellent map exercise, and as such did not allow for enemy interference in its execution."

"Here, too, is the story of the events which were to culminate in seven long and fear-filled hours on the smoke-shrouded beaches, where disciplined formations were, in minutes, reduced to scattered groups of badly shocked individuals, blind and deaf to all but the primeval need of survival. This is the story of men whose world had of a sudden shrunk to a few feet of hard stones - men who found themselves prisoners in a fiendish web of noise and death, from which there seemed no escape." Page 11

In Chapter 1, entitled 'Anticipation'', readers are introduced to one of the various and unique perspectives Eric Maguire shares in order to more-fully inform us of the disaster about to unfold:

"...the troops must grasp the fact that when it happens it will be a very sticky business.

Bombing and strafing from the air, shelling from the sea, commandos and assault boats, parachutists and air-landing troops, hostile civilians, sabotage and murder - all these they will have to face with steady nerves if they are not to go under.

On no account must the troops let themselves get rattled. Fear is not to be thought of. When the muck begins to fly the troops must wipe their eyes and ears, grip their weapons more tightly and fight as they have never fought before.

THEM OR US

that must be the watchword for each man.

From the Order of the Day from the Commander of the 15th Army. August 10, 1942

(German) Commander Haase (Page 18)

In Chapter 2, entitled 'Realization', readers may become more aware - as I did - of Maguire's enjoyable (colourful, detailed, gripping?) style of writing:

In the early morning of August 19th, 1942, the inhabitants of Dieppe were awakened by the noise of gun-fire coming from seawards. Those whose houses commanded a sea view to the north-east and who took the trouble to get out of bed saw gun-flashes on the horizon about ten miles out from the coast. The time was just past a quarter to four, and by 4.15 the firing had ceased and all was quiet once more.

Although they did not know it, the people of Dieppe had just heard the opening bars in a symphony of death which was to rage about their ears for the next nine hours. Most of them returned to their beds to snatch a few more hours of sleep before they had to face another day of the occupation, with its problems and perplexities, all unaware that fast approaching their coast was an armada of 237 ships carrying a force of more than 6,000 men, about to engage in one of the most desperate ventures of the war.

Some of No. 4 Commando landing at Vasterival

From the collection of Imperial War Museum

Dieppe settled back to sleep and even the German guards in their concrete emplacements relaxed somewhat. No general alarm had been given, so the cannonade was none of their concern. They noticed that the harbour lighthouse had begun to flash its subdued beam, obviously to guide in some shore-hugging vessels - a further sign that all was well. The time was 4.30 a.m.

Fifteen minutes later the sound of air-raid sirens and the far-off hum of aero-engines was heard coming from Pourville way, and almost at once the distant thudding of ack-ack guns caused doors and windows to rattle in their frames. Many people got up and started to dress...

Pages 22 - 23

Finally, of the dozen or more books I've read about the Dieppe Raid, I would recommend this one very highly, very near or at the top. (I purchased a pristine copy for $10 at Attic Book Store in London, Ontario). Happy hunting, I say!

A few of the most poignant passages will be shared in a (near) future entry.

Please click here to read a brief outline of another book, 'WWII artist' related, ARTIST AT WAR by Charles Fraser Comfort

Unattributed Photos GH