This is despite the fact that Canada declared war on Germany on September 10, 1939, just a week after Britain and far earlier than the US, as an independent nation, rather than as a member of the Commonwealth. Canada would eventually play a crucial part on D-Day as it was assigned one of the five landing beaches.Ĭanada’s role in World War II is not generally well known in Western Europe or even by its Allies, the British and Americans. This pressure arose from a belief that the Canadian army stationed in Britain was not playing an active role in winning the war, despite the fact that this army was being purposefully preserved so that it could play a major role in the ultimate Allied invasion of France. Originally, COHQ planners had wanted the British Marine Division to carry out the raid, but political pressure from Canadians at home and several senior Canadian officers in Britain (particularly Lieutenant General Harry Crerar) resulted in the job being offered to Canada. The major contingent in the raid was composed of soldiers from Canada’s 2nd Infantry Division. The COHQ’s objective was to try to capture a port during this raid, hold it for a short period of time and then withdraw quickly. The Dieppe Raid occurred under the auspices of the Combined Operations Headquarters (COHQ), which was responsible for conducting British raiding operations. The British high command, particularly Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was acutely aware of these political pressures. The US, which had just recently joined the war following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, also thought it best to launch and expedite a direct attack on mainland Europe. On August 19, 1942, the Dieppe Raid or Operation Jubilee, as it was codenamed, was launched as Stalin believed that the Western allies were not carrying their fair share of the burden of the war and so demanded that a second front be opened to draw German forces away from Russia.
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