Aircrew Europe Six Medal Group, With Africa Star and 1942-43 Bar, 13th Squadron Observer, Operation Jubilee, 19/8/1942, the Dieppe Raids, One of the Top Five Most Secret Operations of WW2 with His Observer Wing {x 2} Dog Tags, Cap Badge & Silver O Wing

Of Sgt F.H. Westbrook -(Observer-13 Sqn)-

Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War.

For over 60 years it has been thought by many of the world's historians that it was a foolhardy raid, with extraordinarily optimistic intentions, that failed, costing thousands of lives, numerous aircraft and ships, possibly, pointlessly .

In truth, it was in fact, one of the most top, top, top secret operations of the entire war. The whole event was an operation to capture for Bletchley Park a new, ultra top secret 4 rota enigma machine, kept in a German HQ safe, containing the new upgraded German enigma machine, plus several months worth of future German codes and cyphers. Even the special forces commanders of the raid where kept completely in the dark, and barely a dozen highest level top intelligence officers had even the remotest clue as its intentions. It was meant to look like a rehearsal for an allied invasion, so the German High Command wouldn't have the remotest clue as to its main objective. Thousands of allied soldiers died, not in vain as has been thought, but in order to, potentially, save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment of tanks, were put ashore from a naval force operating under protection of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters.

The port was to be captured and held for a short period, allegedly to test the feasibility of a landing, and to gather intelligence on German coastal defences, port structures, and important buildings were to be demolished. The raid was intended as a boost for Allied morale, and to demonstrate the commitment of the United Kingdom to re-open the Western Front and support the Soviet Union, fighting on the Eastern Front. Little did anyone know for the past 60 years, just how important this raid truly was, it was in fact an incredibly costly diversion to hide an 'ultra' top secret operation.

Aerial and naval support was insufficient to enable the ground forces to achieve their objectives; the tanks were trapped on the beach and the infantry was largely prevented from entering the town by obstacles and German fire. After less than six hours, mounting casualties forced a retreat. The operation was a fiasco in which only one landing force achieved its objective and some intelligence was gathered (including electronic intelligence).

Within ten hours, 3,623 of the 6,086 men who landed had been killed, wounded or became prisoners of war. The Luftwaffe made a maximum effort against the landing as the RAF had expected, but the RAF lost 106 aircraft (at least 32 to anti-aircraft fire or accidents) against 48 German losses. The Royal Navy lost 33 landing craft and a destroyer.

Both sides learned important lessons regarding coastal assaults. The Allies learned lessons that influenced the success of the D-Day landings. Artificial harbours were declared crucial, tanks were adapted specifically for beaches, a new integrated tactical air force strengthened ground support, and capturing a major port at the outset was no longer seen as a priority. Churchill and Mountbatten both claimed that these lessons had outweighed the cost. The Germans also believed that Dieppe was a learning experience and made a considerable effort to improve the way they defended the occupied coastlines of Europe.

Fighter Command claimed to have inflicted many losses on the Luftwaffe for an RAF loss of 106 aircraft, 88 fighters (including 44 Spitfires), 10 reconnaissance aircraft and eight bombers; 14 other RAF aircraft were struck off charge from other causes such as accidents. Other sources suggest that up to 28 bombers were lost and that the figure for destroyed and damaged Spitfires was 70. The Luftwaffe suffered 48 aircraft losses, 28 bombers, half of them Dornier Do 217s from KG 2; JG 2 lost 14 Fw 190s and eight pilots killed, JG 26 lost six Fw 190s with their pilots. The RAF lost 91 aircraft shot down and 64 pilots; 47 killed and 17 taken prisoner, the RCAF lost 14 aircraft and nine pilots and 2 Group lost six bombers. Leigh-Mallory considered the losses "remarkably light in view of the number of Squadrons taking part and the intensity of the fighting" noting that the tactical reconnaissance suffered heaviest with about two casualties per squadron. The Luftwaffe in France was back to full strength within days of the raid. Copp wrote that Dieppe failed to inflict the knockout blow against the Luftwaffe that the RAF sought. Although the Allies continued to lose on average two aircraft for every one German aircraft destroyed for the rest of 1942, the output of fighters by the United States, Britain and Canada combined with better Allied pilot training, led to the Luftwaffe gradually losing the war of attrition in the skies above France. Copp concluded that: "The battle for air superiority was won on many fronts by continuous effort and August 19, 1942 was part of that achievement". The Forward Air Controller, Air Commodore Adrian Cole, was injured when Calpe was attacked and was awarded the DSO for gallantry. Of course Copp had no idea as to the real objective of the raid

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