Description

Balmur Book Publishing Ltd., Toronto, Published date: 1982. Softcover, printed paper wrappers; ix, 61 pp, plus 8 unnumbered leaves of colored plates; 20 x 26 cm. Canadian War Museum Historical Publication No. 17. Illustrated with black and white photographic illustrations, maps, and eight full color plates reproducing wartime paintings by Charles Comfort, Lawren P. Harris, and German war artists. In good+ condition. Illustrated paper covers with light shelf wear and mild surface handling and soiling; scuffing to edges and spine with some color loss; light bumping and creasing to edges and corners; spine sound. Interior pages have some mild toning, but are otherwise clean and unmarked. Concise historical reassessment of the Dieppe Raid of 19 August 1942, examining planning, execution, casualties, and long-term lessons of Operation Jubilee, supplemented by documentary photographs and official war art illustrating Canada's early Second World War experience in Europe. Contents include: List of colour plates; Foreword; Canada at Dieppe; Canadian background to the raid; The origins of the raid; Preparations for RUTTER; Revival of the operation: JUBILEE; The JUBILEE plan; German defences at Dieppe; Approach to contact; No. 3 Commando at Berneval Battery; No. 4 Commando at Varengeville Battery; Tragedy at Puys; The action at Pourville; Frontal attack at Dieppe; The air battle; The raid in perspective; Epilogue: Return to Dieppe; Appendices: Table of casualties; Suggested reading; Biographies of war artists; Index. [From back cover] "Forty years have passed since Canadian soldiers stormed ashore on the beaches of Dieppe." With these words Lt.-Col. T. Murray Hunter leads us back to the little resort town on the French coast that forever claimed its place in Canadian history on 19 August 1942. Almost 5,000 Canadians embarked for Dieppe. Only 2,210 returned on completion of the operation. Since that day, controversy has surrounded the raid. Was it justified? Did it serve any useful purpose? Could it have been avoided? Murray Hunter cuts through the controversy to bring us this concise, accurate account of the events. Augmenting the text are photographs of the battle and eleven colour plates of paintings (some never previously published) by Charles Comfort, Lawren P. Harris and several German war artists.