Product Description

In August 1942, the Allies launched a raid against the German-held port of Dieppe on the French channel coast. It was largely a disaster, with the Canadian forces bearing the brunt of the catastrophe. However, it wasn't all a failure. Landings against nearby gun batteries by four Commandos proved an excellent demonstration of the military adage "train hard, fight easy" and the advantage of proper planning. This successful raid also included members of the Free French and US Commandos, later named the US Rangers, and it included the first US land forces to engage the Germans on mainland Europe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #643527 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
In 1942 the Allies launched a raid against the German-held port of Dieppe on the French channel coast. This book, published to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, tells the compelling story of that operation and was written with the assistance of veterans who survived the raid.

After the disaster of the attempted Allied landings at Dieppe in August 1942, history has tended to overlook one part of the operation that succeeded against all the odds. That single success, by No 4 Commandos, served as a benchmark against which much of the war's later events could be judged. For one thing it showed Hitler that his 'Fortress Europe' was not impregnable after all. For another, it affected Nazi morale deeply and bred a terror of Britain's elite commando forces. The main mission was to land more than 5000 troops on the beaches around the French town of Dieppe, then to destroy military installations before withdrawing. It wasn't an attempted D-Day, merely a softening-up for the real thing. In the event, the action proved catastrophic - especially for the Canadians who lost 3779 men plus all their tanks and other vehicles. A secondary action, Operation Cauldron, involved the commandos in one of their first-ever forays. They were charged with destroying the Nazis' heavy guns that threatened Allied shipping. Though few in number they completed the operation with total success and minimal loss of life. The story of the commandos' raid, from conception to completion, is told by military historian Fowler in a way that brings action to life on the page. He has interviewed many of those who took part and from them learned little-known facts about the drama of that August day and of the preparations that went into the battle. Lt-Col Lord Lovat, commanding officer, said later, 'My task was fundamental: in and out - smash and grab.' The policy was one copied by other commandos in later stages of the war. It was also a tactic that unnerved the Germans who declared, 'Commandos are made up from murderers, gangsters and the like,' a comment that many commandos thought rich, coming from the Nazi hierarchy. Fowler's book is a compelling read, highlighting what in retrospect proved to be a significant day in occupied Europe's history. (Kirkus UK)

About the Author
Will Fowler has been writing on on current and historical military subjects for many years and has authored a number of books and partworks on a range of military subjects.