Dieppe 1942 : prelude to D-Day

There is no doubt that the raid in force on Dieppe in August 1942 was one of the most controversial episodes of the Second World War.

The high number of casualties and prisoners taken led to much recrimination.

On the face of it the raid was an unmitigated disaster, with none of the objectives achieved, bar one - 4 Commando successfully destroyed Hess Battery.

Of the 5,100 troops landed, almost three quarters were killed, wounded or captured.

Some see the raid as a rehearsal for D-Day, and lessons learned from the debacle regarding combined operations have contributed to a justification for the great loss of life.