Marsh Is.#322 Dieppe Raid - 1992 Imperforate Mint Issue
August 19, 1942 After the fall of Sevastopol, the German army had captured or destroyed most of the Soviet Union’s southern oil facilities and factories. Hoping to divert Germany’s military efforts away from the Russian theater, the Allied leaders hastily decided to attack the port city of Dieppe, France, located only 65 miles from England. Under the cover of darkness, 237 ships carrying mostly Canadian troops began their assault. Their element of surprise was lost when one group of landing craft encountered a German naval patrol. Merciless German machine gun fire mowed down the Canadians in droves as they stormed the beaches. Panicking soldiers on the retreat rushed back onto the landing vessels and swamped them. More than half of the 6,000-man invasion force was slaughtered. The failed raid on Dieppe showed that much more planning was needed before another invasion of the European continent could be attempted.