Europe was ablaze in the Second World War. The Allies were pushed out of Europe by the Axis. The Soviets were desperate in their attempt to get the Allies to open a second front to and draw the Axis attention away. The Allies obliged. On August 19, 1942 the Allies launch a daring raid off the coast of France on the city of Dieppe. 6, 000 soldiers, “5, 000 were Canadians”[1], participated in the raid.

The goal of this raid was three-fold: one, to show the Soviets their commitment to opening a second front, two, to help boost morale back home in United Kingdom and the allies, and lastly to gain knowledge that will help the Allies launch D-Day in 1944.

The raid itself was conducted in the early morning hours to keep the element of surprise. The main force attacked the town while two other contingents landed on the flanks of the city with the goal of knocking out the main gun batteries overlooking the port. The flanking army failed in knocking out the main gun batteries, which left the main force vulnerable to enemy troops as they stormed the beaches.

By 1 p.m. the allies were on the retreat, with “913 Canadian soldiers dead and 1, 946 soldiers captured”[2].

But the question it raises: why was the raid launched, and was it really for the reasons the Allies said it was, to boost morale, show their commitment to the Soviets and learn lessons for the future[3]? Well, documents that became declassified sheds new light on the whole purpose of the raid of Dieppe. David O’Keefe, a military historian, found the declassified documents and put together another reason why the raid occurred.

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond and commander in the Naval Intelligence Division, was front and center of the raid. According to the documents O’Keefe uncovered, Ian Fleming —onboard his destroyer— watched the raid unfold before him, waiting for the signal to move in and fulfill his mission. The mission and the whole point of the raid on Dieppe was to get the Enigma cipher machine that the Germans used for the codes and secret messages[4]. Getting one would allow the Allies to crack the German code and save lives by preventing the merchant fleet, that Britain needs to survive, from being destroyed by the German U-Boats. A group of commandos under Fleming were to storm the German headquarters in Dieppe, grab the Enigma cipher and other information and deliver it to Fleming on his destroyer.

The original reasons given for the raid on Dieppe: to boost morale, show their commitment to opening a second front, and to gain experience for the future landing on D-Day. Those reasons were a mere cover story for the true purpose, which was to steal the Enigma machine with Fleming at the head of the operation. The true purpose revealed, once revealed, allowed those who survived to find peace in their friend’s death.

References:

[1] “Dieppe Raid. Why?” The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 28 Feb. 2017, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dieppe-raid-why.

[2]Reardon, Terry. “Dieppe-Raid-WW2-Churchill's-Involvement-Responsibility.” The Churchill Project - Hillsdale College, 1 Dec. 2017, https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/dieppe-the-truth-about-churchills-involvement-and-responsibility/.

[3][4]“New Theory About Fleming's 'Dieppe' Role.” The James Bond International Fan Club, 5 Apr. 2013, https://www.007.info/new-theory-about-flemings-dieppe-role/.

Braden Harrison

Braden is a second-year student of the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College. He enjoys learning history, via reading books or watching videos, and reading fantasy novels.