On August
19, 1942, the Allies attempted an assault on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in France as
part of WWII. The event is thought of as one of the most overwhelming failures on the part of
the Allies. This is incredibly ironic, considering that a huge part of the reason for the raid
was meant as a morale boost. The United Kingdom wanted to prove that one of the German's primary
ports in mainland France could indeed be taken with the strength of Allied forces. If anything,
the raid only reinforced the idea that Germany's hold on France was more impenetrable than ever.
While the advancing Canadian division was only meant to hold Dieppe briefly,
they failed to do even this. The Royal Air Force was beaten back so fiercely that the single day
of the Dieppe raid is considered to have been the most intense air battle in the entire war,
with the Allies losing over 100 aircraft. The reasons for the failure have been attributed to
ground Canadian troops being far too green, as the obstacles that they faced after landing were
considered too intense for a soldier's first test of combat. The plan itself was considered
overly ambitious, having been done in the name of proving a point rather than to achieve any
strategic gain.
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