Tragedy at Dieppe
Operation Jubilee, August 19, 1942
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
With its trademark "you are there" style, Mark Zuehlke's tenth Canadian Battle Series volume tells the story of the 1942 Dieppe raid. Nicknamed "The Poor Man's Monte Carlo," Dieppe had no strategic importance, but with the Soviet Union thrown on the ropes by German invasion and America having just entered the war, Britain was under intense pressure to launch a major cross-Channel attack against France.
Since 1939, Canadian troops had massed in Britain and trained for the inevitable day of the mass invasion of Europe that would finally occur in 1944. But the Canadian public and many politicians were impatient to see Canadian soldiers fight sooner.
The first major rehearsal proved such a shambles the raid was pushed back to the end of July only to be cancelled by poor weather. Later, in a decision still shrouded in controversy, the operation was reborn. Dieppe however did not go smoothly.
Drawing on rare archival documents and personal interviews, Mark Zuehlke examines how the raid came to be and why it went so tragically wrong. Ultimately, Tragedy at Dieppe honors the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought and died that fateful day on the beaches of Dieppe.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
On August 19, 1942, Allied troops landed at Nazi-held Dieppe and the subsequent carnage, particularly Canadian, so faithfully portrayed in this book, continues to shock, appall and disturb decades later. Zuehlke (Juno Beach) analyzes this infamous day using period documents and personal records to accurately place Operation Jubilee in the greater historical context. With exquisite detail and methodical description, Zuehlke plows through the months of enthusiastic staff reshuffling, chaotic planning, tedious drilling, desperate political juggling and hasty training prior to that fateful dawn. Following the names of all the major and minor players is dizzying at times, but readers will become well-acquainted with every level of personnel involved, from Lord Mountbatten to Major General "Ham" Roberts to Canadian privates. Each come to life through Zuehlke's often pithy depictions, which lead readers to identify with the characters and anxiously follow the soldiers' collision course with destiny that ended on a rocky French beach. On the beach itself, no detail is spared, as Zuehlke chronicles the Dieppe raid from every agonizing perspective. This testimony is a brilliant combination of scholarly analysis and emotional human breath. Readers who thought they knew Dieppe will be contrite, astonished and, above all, deeply moved.
Customer Reviews
Tragedy at Dieppe
Another excellent book!