Photo courtesy of Brett Stringfellow. |
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DIEPPE ~ BLUE BEACH
EVERY MAN REMEMBERED
THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF CANADA
Dieppe Blue Beach History
On August 19th, 1942 a combined operations force made up primarily of soldiers from the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, landed on the beaches of Dieppe; also known as Operation Jubilee. The operation would be a full frontal assault on the heavily defended port town in northern France. The Canadians would be responsible for landing at the two inside flank beaches at Puys and Pourville, as well as the main beach in the town of Dieppe.
The Royal Regiment of Canada would be selected to land at Puys, and attached to this Regiment were soldiers from the Black Watch and two Artillery units, which for the purposes of the operation would be known as Blue Beach. The narrow beach, which was flanked on both sides by high cliffs, proved to be a killing ground for the men who landed there. With most of the Regiment landing just as daylight was breaking, the element of surprise was lost. Many of the men were mowed down by machine gun crossfire which swept the beach, as the men left the landing craft trying to reach the seawall, while running on the unstable rocky beach. The casualty numbers were staggering. The goal of this project: “Dieppe - Blue Beach - Every Man Remembered”, is to pay tribute to every soldier of The Royal Regiment of Canada who landed at Puys on that day.