Dieppe reminds us the West values the lives of its troops and illustrates other fundamentals about Westerners, yet the August raid remains controversial and filled with ambiguity. This article does not seek to clarify each puzzle but to draw attention to some enduring facts of war. Moreover, it was a combined joint operation, so everyone could blame everyone else. Discounting such labyrinths, Operation Jubilee is still a rewarding source of reflection for military planners and practitioners.
Many of the quandaries and predicaments the Allies experienced before, during, and after the raid are not unique to this operation. Canadian soldier armed with Thompson submachine gun guides German prisoner captured during Operation Jubilee Library and Archives Canada. The article first recapitulates what happened; second looks at why it happened, which is where the muddy water begins; and finally discusses why it went wrong.
The raid, originally planned under the codename Rutter , was to take place in early July Operation Rutter was disbanded primarily due to bad weather but was reinstated with some small but significant changes as Operation Jubilee. The key consideration during the planning stage was the element of surprise. The raid had to come as a bolt from the blue and disappear again almost as swiftly.
Hence the attack had to be frontal. The alternative would have been to land the main forces on the flanks and take Dieppe in a pincer movement from the rear. However, that would have given the Germans ample time for moving up reinforcements. The whole idea was rejected, however, because reducing the streets of Dieppe to rubble could actually have made it easier for the Germans to defend it and even harder for Allied tanks to maneuver. Furthermore, as the Royal Navy RN would not risk a capital ship, it supported the operation only with destroyers and smaller ships.
All in all the attack consisted of around 5, Canadian and 1, British troops, while the Royal Navy supplied ships and landing craft and the Royal Air Force RAF 74 squadrons, 66 of which were fighter squadrons. The raid also included 50 American Soldiers belonging to U. This was a rough kind of on-the-job training for the Rangers. The operation was a disaster, particularly for the land forces.
