The Germans and the Dieppe Raid: How Hitler's Wehrmacht Crushed Operation Jubilee

(Hardback)

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The author throws new light on the Raid. Written from the Nazi perspective, an original angle. Answers many questions and raises more. The German part in the 19 August 1942 Dieppe raid has largely been ignored. Launched by Winston Churchill to appease his Soviet counterparts, Operation JUBILEE was one of the Allies' greatest debacles of the war. The majority of the 6,100 soldiers and marines dispatched by Lord Louis Mountbatten were captured or killed. Just 2,211 of the 4,963 Canadians involved returned to England. Two years later the Canadian Army fought from Normandy into Germany with fewer men captured than at Dieppe. By exploring the German experience, this superbly researched book provides answers to previously unasked operational questions. How well were the Nazi occupiers prepared for an attack on Dieppe What threat did the raid pose to the Germans' defence of mainland Europe What lessons did the Wehrmacht learn, and did their High Command use the Dieppe experience when preparing for the inevitable Allied invasion of 'Fortress Europe' How did Hitler and his henchmen respond to the Western Allies' failure to break down their defences in occupied western Europe The book also addresses how Goebbels' propaganda machine exploited the victory, and the reaction of the German people. Drawing on extensive German source materials, the Wehrmacht's role in defeating Operation JUBILEE is comprehensively examined in fascinating detail, adding a new dimension to the history of this poorly-planned and under-resourced adventure. AUTHOR: James Shelley was born and raised on the southern Devonshire coast, where he still resides. He earned a Bachelor's degree with first-class honours in German and History from Swansea University in 2020, winning the Department of History's Masterman Prize. A year later, he published an academic paper on Dieppe with the War in History journal. In 2019, he was invited by the UK's Joint Services Command and Staff College to deliver a lecture entitled 'The Germans and Dieppe: A German Learning Experience'. From 2018 to 2019, he taught English in northern Germany on a programme sponsored by the British Council. 32 b/w illustrations

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"...a true gem, providing Second World War history enthusiasts with a unique look at how in August of 1942 a hardly imposing German defensive grouping defeated a far better trained and equipped Allied raiding force."-- "Globe at War"

Author Bio

James Shelley was born and raised on the southern Devonshire coast, where he still resides. He earned a Bachelor's degree with first-class honours in German and History from Swansea University in 2020, winning the Department of History's Masterman Prize. A year later, he published an academic paper on Dieppe with the War in History journal. In 2019, he was invited by the UK's Joint Services Command and Staff College to deliver a lecture entitled 'The Germans and Dieppe: A German Learning Experience'. From 2018 to 2019, he taught English in northern Germany on a programme sponsored by the British Council.