On this day in World War II, an Allied force of 7,000 men carries out a daytime raid against German positions at the French seaport of Dieppe. Aided by tanks and aircraft, the commando force, 5,000 Canadians, 2,000 British soldiers, and a handful of American and Free French troops, gained a foothold on the beach in the face of a furious German defence. During nine hours of fighting, the Allies failed to destroy more than a handful of their targets and suffered 3,600 dead.
Despite its high costs, the Dieppe raid provided valuable logistical information later used in planning the successful 1944 Allied landing at Normandy.
