"Why do we spend so much time on the Dieppe Raid in our History classes when it lasted only 8 hours?"

Today's Itinerary and Activities

The Dieppe Memorial commemorates the French Canadian regiment Mont-Royal Fusiliers

Today we gained a deeper understanding of the August 1942 Dieppe Raid. Specifically, we challenged the dominant narrative of the raid and discussed how best to address the raid in our classrooms.   

We began the day on Dieppe's beach. After each of us shared a word that we feel captures the essence of Dieppe, Lee shared some information about the raid and Cindy had us consider the impact of the assault on civilians. This led into a discussion about whether the assault on Dieppe was necessary. Following the discussion of military necessity, Blake explained some of the pitfalls teachers and students face when they study the assault on Dieppe. Before leaving the beach, Blake and Lee led some participants through a Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT). 

After completing our discussion about the Dieppe Raid, we visited - and some of us purchased French delicacies - at the Dieppe Market. Following this, we packed our kit into the vans and drove to the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery where Abbi and Marshall shared the lives of the soldiers they researched. Before leaving the cemetery, Abbi facilitated a seminar during which we discussed how to teach students about the Dieppe Raid.

After lunch, we drove southwest to Bayeux, which is located in the Calvados region of Normandy. Upon arriving there, we picked up groceries and then drove to and settled into the Moulin Morin, our home base for the next six nights. 

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Important Points to Consider About the 19 August 1942 Dieppe Raid

To begin the discussion about the August 1942 Dieppe Raid, we each shared a word that comes to mind when we think of Dieppe. The following were the words contributed: Monumental, controversial, necessary, challenging, unlucky, harsh, sad, rocky, ambitious, failure, forgetful, and enigma. 

​After this opening activity, Lee described what he considers to be key aspects of the assault on Dieppe:

The central debate surrounding the purpose of the Dieppe Raid concerns how the Allies could assist the Soviets in 1942. Nevertheless, Canadian histories of the raid typically focus more on the operational and tactical planning and execution of the raid rather than on the raid's strategic international purpose.

Internationally, the Second Moscow Conference took place in the days leading up to the raid (12-17 August 1942). During the conference, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the United States' Special Representative W. Averell Harriman, and the Soviet Union's Premier Joseph Stalin discussed grand strategy and planned future campaigns. While these 

leaders were in meetings, German Armies were driving deep into the Soviet Union towards the Caucuses oilfields, south of Stalingrad. 

The Canadians who landed at Dieppe knew the tactical and operational purposes of the Dieppe Raid. In other words, they knew their purpose and function during the assault at Dieppe and they understood how their actions fit into the joint air, sea, and land mission. However, the Canadian units that landed at Dieppe did not know the exact strategic and geo-political purposes of the assault, because if these purposes had ever been unveiled to the Germans, the effects would have been devastating. Nevertheless, at the time, there was much talk in the Western world, including in the newspapers, about the need to open a second front and take other action to assist the Soviets. 

The Dieppe Raid was intentional on different levels:

• Soldiers' Intent: The Canadian soldiers' intent was to get ashore, test weapons and tactics, kill some of the enemy, and destroy some of the enemy's equipment. Another objective of the soldiers was to demonstrate to the people of France that the Allies were able to and were going to return to France. 
• Strategic Intent: The Dieppe Raid was designed to test plans for a later full-scale invasion. As such, the Allies' strategic intent was to mount a show of force and get a full infantry division with tanks ashore to see how the Germans would react (with counter-attack reserves). 
• Political Intent: The political intent of the raid was to render meaningful assistance to the Soviets by diverting German attention to reinforcing the Atlantic Wall defences. The raid was also intended to demonstrate to the United States - a new partner - that a full-scale invasion of France in 1942 was not possible. The Allies needed to buy time to build their forces and win the Battle of the Atlantic before they could land in Europe to stay. The Dieppe Raid was also mounted with the knowledge that American and British forces would land in French North Africa before the end of 1942, putting an end to Vichy France and building a base to grow the Free French Forces of the Interior.

The YouTube videos below provide further insights into the August 1942 Dieppe Raid. Throughout this two-part video series, Dr. Terry Copp, one of Canada's leading military historians, provides in-depth information and poses thought-provoking questions about the assault on Dieppe.

Was the Dieppe Raid a Military Necessity?

After gaining some background knowledge about the Dieppe Raid, we brainstormed the following reasons for and against the raid:

The Dieppe Raid Was Necessary​

• ​Prior to August 1942, there had not been many beach landings; therefore, the Allied troops did not know what they needed to consider when preparing for landings.
• In August 1942, the Second World War was three years in and there was no end in sight. The Nazi Regime was expanding and the Allies were continuing to suffer severe losses.
• The Dieppe Raid forced the Germans to relieve pressure on the Eastern Front. This resulted in a significant decrease in Soviet casualties.
• Mistakes were made, but all mistakes are learning experiences. 

The Dieppe Raid Was Not Necessary

• The Allies could have used different techniques to resolve the problems that led to the assault on Dieppe.

Tour participants sharing their thoughts on the Dieppe Raid

Why does the Dieppe Raid receive so much attention in History curricula?

Dieppe's beach is rocky

Despite the fact that the Dieppe Raid lasted only eight hours, it makes its way into History textbooks and other secondary sources. Abbi, Janelle, and Kathryn shared their thoughts as to why this might be:

•  Abbi: "The narrative that is prominent in regards to the Dieppe Raid is a dramatized and sexy version of the reality. This dramatic story of a failed mission provides a perspective that sells history."
• Janelle: "I think that the Dieppe raid was necessary as a part of the Second World War. I think that it showed the German military that the Allied armies could bring in enough force to overcome their army. It was also important because it was a way for the Allies to find out what types of troops and fire power the German army would have later on in the war during the Normandy Campaign." 
• Kathryn: "We revel in the victim narrative ... why? We need to examine why we revel in the victim narrative. Why do we not promote our contributions to the greater war effort?"

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Presentism

While on Dieppe's beach, Blake explained that presentism is the practice of thinking about an event from a hindsight point of view. He advised that when thinking historically, it is important to refrain from practising presentism. He went on to suggest that to avoid presentism, teachers and students must consider the political, economic, and social situation during the period that the event took place. Studying primary source evidence helps teachers and students understand historical events in context. 

Teaching the Dieppe Raid

Blake asked us to consider the purpose of teaching the Dieppe Raid. He then drew our attention to some challenges that teachers face when teaching their students about the Dieppe Raid. He went a step further to explain how teachers can enable students to think critically and historically about the raid. 

Challenges

• The Dieppe Raid is controversial due to its ethical dimension, its causes, and its short- and long-term consequences. If well researched, the raid will lead to conflicting perspectives among individuals, and current teaching practices favour teacher and student consensus.
• Teachers, students, and society in general have adopted a presentism view of the Dieppe Raid. This prevents them from learning and understanding the challenges and the alternatives that the Allies faced in 1942.
• Textbooks and assignments about Dieppe perpetuate the dominant narrative surrounding the Dieppe Raid. In other words, they portray Dieppe as a failure or disaster.
• Teachers generally ask students to explain why Dieppe was a failure. This in turn limits the sources and perspectives  to which students are exposed.​

Solutions

• Teachers must question and research the origins of the dominant narrative before presenting it to their students.
• Teachers must allow students to use evidence to determine what is historically significant about the Dieppe Raid.
• Teachers must give students the opportunity to conduct research to determine whether the Dieppe Raid was in fact a failure or success. 
• Teachers must embrace disagreement and encourage debate among students.

Using Evidence Versus Manipulating Evidence

The Canadian Encyclopedia (www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)

During our discussion about teaching the Dieppe Raid, Cindy and Blake showed us the photograph to the left, explaining that it is one of the most commonly used images in History textbooks. They then brought to our attention the fact that there exists no evidence to suggest that the photograph provides an accurate narrative of what happened at Dieppe on 19 August 19 1942. In fact, Cindy and Blake shocked many of us when they informed us that the image was taken and manipulated by the Germans in their effort to spread propaganda.  

This photo lends itself to a possible research question for students: If the Canadians did not all die at once, what actually did happen during the Dieppe Raid?​.

Tactical Exercise Without Troops: ​An Authentic Learning Activity

To enhance our understanding of the conditions that the Canadian troops faced when they came ashore at Dieppe, Blake and Lee led many participants through a Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT). This exercise involved the participants charging from the water's edge, up the rocky beach towards the town. 

After completing the exercise, many participants commented on the challenges that the Canadian troops must have faced during the raid. They observed that it would have been very difficult for the Canadians to move efficiently up the beach's steep slope over slippery and uneven chert rock, all the while carrying heavy kit.

Soldier Biographies

Marshall's Soldier
Private James Burnett
Royal Regiment of Canada, R.C.I.C.​
​Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery

"When I saw my soldier's grave, I was met with shock at first. I'd learned so much about James that I knew him personally. I felt he was my friend. Seeing his grave really did shock me, even though I had a week to prepare for it. The sadness kicked in. It was one of the only two times I really was downright emotional. Looking down at the gravestone of a young man (20 years old - 4 years older than I), I was so filled with sadness, sorrow, and despair that I introduced him as my brother during the reading of his biography. I was honored however, to read his biography, and to share his story. I left it at the grave site. Hopefully many others will have the blessing of being able to read into his life as did I."

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Abbi's Soldier
Private ​Harry James Gibbons
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, R.C.I.C.
​Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery

"Sharing my uncle’s soldier bio was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. When I first entered the cemetery I was shocked at the beauty of it. It made me immensely happy to know that my great uncle was buried in such a beautiful place surrounded by his comrades. When I saw his grave, I was filled with sadness; and yet I felt comforted to finally have the chance to visit Harry after learning so much about his life. I felt honoured to have the opportunity to share his life and military service with my fellow tour participants, and I know that he would have been grateful to have so many visitors. It was definitely an emotional experience as I presented, especially when I read the letter I had prepared sharing the lessons Harry’s story has taught me throughout the years. However, the experience of researching my great uncle has allowed me to learn more about my own family history, and to question the prominent narratives about the Dieppe Raid. I left my soldier bio at Harry’s gravesite and I hope others will be inspired to research the multitude of soldiers who fought within the First and Second World Wars." 

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Seminar

After Abbi and Marshall's soldier biographies, Abbi led a large group discussion during which we pondered and shared responses to the following questions: 

• How did you approach the topic of Dieppe in your classroom prior to participating in this morning's discussion and TEWT activity?
• Do you think your teaching method with change? How will you teach students about the Dieppe Raid now? 

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