'Looking back over the intervening years, the Dieppe Raid, so far as the Allied Air Forces were concerned, was a reasonably successful operation; not so much by what was achieved on the 19 August 1942, but from the lessons learnt, which made the later invasion successful. As is well known now, the German reaction was massive and swift, and the air fighting was said to have been the fiercest of any single day during the war. Losses in the air on both sides were heavy, and although the Allies were able to accept their casualties because of ready replacements, the Germans could not - or so we were told. No doubt there was some truth in this!
'Possibly because of Dieppe, the Mulberry Harbour idea was finalised, since Dieppe confirmed that it was not possible to take a vital port on the French coast without its being made useless by the Germans.
'Speaking personally, it was just another 'op', another daylight raid over occupied Northern France, although this time the army and the navy were taking part. There was plenty going on once the other side was reached. We, as fighter-bombers were under orders not to seek any combat since we had a specific job to do, and to let the 'Spit' squadrons get on with tackling the Luftwaffe.
'But what impressed me most was all the debris of war, not only on the beaches but far out to sea. There were bright yellow dinghies and bits of aircraft floating about, apart from rubbish of an unknown character. The small German coaster which accidentally ran into our landing fleet earlier that morning was still afloat and burning. Ashore there appeared to be the utter random confusion of a junk yard. The whole panorama was canopied by a pall of smoke.
'Yet a few days later when we went to the same area, the whole mess had vanished, as though swept clean with a new broom. Once more the quiet and placid conditions prevailed along the French coast, with hardly a movement anywhere, yet we were well aware that many pairs of eyes - French and German - were watching us!'
John Brooks, 174 Squadron
'Somebody found a supply of orange-headed pins (as used on plotting maps), and on our return to Charmy Down and to the pubs in Bath, we were all to be seen wearing 'Dieppe Pins' awarded for our part in this heroic action! They lasted a few days, I think.'
Frank Mitchell, 87 Squadron
I think that we were all quite exhausted by the end of the day which I believe was the greatest single air battle of the war with losses in excess of ninety aircraft on both sides. Certainly the squadron flew more sorties than on any occasion previously and that we got through the day without losing a single pilot was certain proof that the unit was by then a very experienced outfit.
'Returning to my digs that evening I told my wife that it had been better than going to the pictures whereupon I fell asleep. My mother, who was rather deaf, had been telephoning during the day for news and that evening she again called; to be told that I was in bed. "I knew it all along," she said, "He's dead!" '
Michael Pedley, OC 131 Squadron
'The issue of the Daily Mirror the following morning carried the whole of the front page with one picture, the boys of 88 Squadron. But the caption! The usual awful blurb, for the benefit of the factory girls and others, about 'Cows grazing peacefully in the field and our brave heroes in the air just before take-off for Dieppe, where Death is the order of the day! When I telephoned the Editor, congratulating him about the picture, but grumbled about the caption, he said, "Quite right, but that's what the girls like." You cannot win.
'In retrospect, I feel that the contribution made by squadrons of 2 Group was all that was expected. Whatever concept of the Dieppe Raid might have been - it was thought to be a try-out for D-Day -there is no doubt that many lessons were learned for the future reference. Air tactics; the co-ordination needed between bomber force, fighter force, and both with land forces. It must be remembered that at that point we had not, by any means, reached the refinements of sophisticated Tactical Air Force expertise. Dieppe was a damn good try at it. Despite the ground losses, it was probably invaluable in order to get the necessary know-how for the Big Thing later. And of course, the Spitfire boys had a field day.'
James Pelly-Fry, OC 88 Squadron
'About two years later, on D + 10, I arrived in Normandy with our US IX Tactical Air Command HQ (Advanced). As the Allied forces consolidated their positions, poured in thousands of tons of supplies and reinforcements and engaged the enemy on that relatively small sector, strategists were puzzled by the inactivity of a crack German Army on the Allied left flank. As you know, the enemy sat there for week after week. Historians now know that, in addition to the excellent intelligence deception and Patton's Third Army (still) in the UK, Operation Jubilee in 1942 had conditioned the German strategists to believe that the logical site for the main landing of the invading forces would be in the Pas de Calais area, and Normandy was a diversion. So I think it is pretty well understood that the heavy sacrifices at Dieppe in 1942 saved thousands of other Allied lives directly and indirectly during June 1944 in Normandy, especially on that longest day which also profited from Dieppe experience.'
Harold Strickland, 71 Eagle Squadron
'It was a long day for the squadron beginning with a maximum effort first light attack with smoke to blind gun positions threatening the first stages of the assault. That preplanned effort was followed by quick reaction responses throughout the day to calls for assistance from the beach-head. It concluded with the laying of the defensive screen. It was a day of truly direct co-operation with the other forces - a classic Combined Operation.
'We in 226 were fortunate in that we did not suffer more aircrew casualties for our aircraft took a great deal of punishment in the course of the day; not a little from our own side. I think I am correct in recalling that only three aircraft were fully serviceable at the beginning of the following morning for our return to Swanton Mor-ley Base. The remainder followed us if and when they could. 226 Squadron got a special mention for its smoke laying in the message received from No 2 Group Headquarters on the following day. We were proud of that but we had already 'celebrated' on the night of the 19th immediately it was all over.'
Digger Magill, 226 Squadron
'A big fighter effort went into the support of the Dieppe Raid. Many of us talked about it after the event and I remember fairly well the general reaction of my contemporaries in Fighter Command. From our point of view we thought the whole operation was an extraordinary nonsense. The Commando Raid led by Lord Lovat to the west of Dieppe made sense to us. We thought that a raid in some force like Lovat's with a specific objective, even though by itself it proved only that that sort of operation could be done, that it might be repeated elsewhere, and so would have served to worry the Germans about their coastal defences, would probably divert over-large resources to a wasteful and extended defensive exercise. But the raid itself on Dieppe baffled us. It was large enough to invite heavy casualties, but too small for the Germans to consider it an 'invasion' of any sort. It had to have only limited objectives, and we could not see what there could be to justify the effort. We would have liked to have set about the nearest German airfields in a big way, notably that at Abbeville with whose fighters we often tangled on Sweeps, and to have made life thoroughly unpleasant by repeated attacks on and around them - instead of anchoring ourselves to the immediate area of Dieppe in the strength that we did. To maintain the Dieppe cover we all had a pretty sweaty day - I did four sorties covering seven hours or so — and I suppose that around fifty squadrons must have taken part to keep that localised cover going.
'In saying this I would not wish to detract anything at all from our admiration and respect for the troops who carried out the raid. They were brave men and we wouldn't willingly have swopped places. But we also could not see how they could avoid being on a beating to nothing. Some weeks, or months, before Dieppe I had located and escorted back towards England the small commando force which attacked the Bruneval radar station. To my mind that sort of operation - the stiletto rather than the blunt and heavy cutlass — was what we ought to be about. But we were just up at the sharp end and didn't have to plan the War. Maybe it all made, or makes, sense. I wonder, sometimes, though . . .'
Myles Duke-Woolley, OC Debden Wing
'One of the subsequent incidents which meant a lot to me was a special ceremony in their ex-patriate HQ in Kensington when the squadron commanders and I were presented with the Norwegian War Cross by King Haakon. An informal party had been arranged afterwards, on which Prince Olaf (as he then was) was coming with the Norwegian Air Force boys. "I'd better just tell my father where I'm going," he said. The response from King Haakon was, "Oh, no you don't. If there is going to be a party with these chaps I'm coming too." So it had to be hastily reorganised into an official lunch at Claridges.'
David Scott-Maiden, OC North Weald Wing
Squadron Leader D. C. Carlson, CO of 54 Squadron received the DFC for his part in the Dieppe Operation. (IWM)
John Brooks of 174 Squadron flew two fighter-bomber sorties to Dieppe and received the DFM. (J. W. Brooks)
Squadron Leader Pete Wickham flew five missions to Dieppe, leading his own 111 Squadron twice and the 308th US Squadron three times. He won a bar to his DFC. (IWM)
I was in operations as a fighter pilot from the autumn of 1941 until the end of the war. Of all the fighting I took part in I believe the Dieppe Raid proved to be one of the hardest tasks. My personal score of one FW190 shot down was a modest result (that day), but the Luftwaffe was at its very best and the Norwegian Wing was fairly inexperienced. I feel the Dieppe Raid was a turning point in the war. The German losses were high, and more German forces were deployed to the Eastern Front. The quality and the perseverance of the average German pilot was on the decline.'
Svein Heglund, 331 Norwegian Squadron
I completed three tours of operations during the war, was shot down four times, served 34 years in the RAF which included many other tough assignments, but I am sure that this was the most dramatic of them all.'
Jchn Ellacombe, 253 Squadron
'From the air defence point of view the main differences between Normany and Dieppe were:
1 the whole of the resources of the air forces in UK were devoted to smashing the enemy airfields, communications and sea defences.
2 Fighter Command were responsible for the air defence of the beach-head until I got ashore with airfields and HQs etc., and took over control of the whole of the beach-head until we were well established and the Americans took control of their sector.
'In the event, there was practically no enemy air opposition because of the effect of the bombing and our offensive patrols over his airfields.
'There is no doubt that the Army and Navy gained some useful experience at Dieppe and put it to good use during the landings in North Africa, and the landings in Sicily and Italy. Taking the operation as a whole, Dieppe was very small fry compared with the subsequent operations, and in the interim all three services had gained a mass of experience both in seaborne operations, airborne operations and tactical air force operations. To say nothing of manipulating Signals Intelligence.'
Sir Harry Broadhurst, Deputy SASO, 11 Group
I led my squadron on all four missions and the Wing on one of them that day, so when the evening came and daylight was dwindling away we were tired, but we were happy. Especially happy, because two pilots we lost came back safely, having baled out over the Channel and being rescued by the Navy. Comparing our losses with the enemy's gave us a satisfaction which was equally shared between the pilots and their ground personnel. It was with proud-ness I could talk to the men before we turned in for the night and thank them. My pilots and I had every reason to praise their work. All aircraft worked perfectly, four squadron missions, all of them with 12 aircraft each, not one engine failure, not one gun jammed, not one radio failed, indeed an engine change was performed within six hours. And the next morning 12 aircraft ready for a fighter Sweep over Northern France, where not a single Luftwaffe 'plane was seen. We all slept well that night.'
Helge Mehre, OC 331 Norwegian Squadron
'During the day's operation, our patrol heights had increased to keep on top of the enemy and thus the air battle had become ever more remote from ground activity yet still played a vital part. It was also good to remember that despite our losses we (in 602) had destroyed four aircraft and damaged eleven. On our return to No 14 Group, we were all delighted to receive a signal from the AOC, Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw as follows:
"I saw 602 Squadron's Dieppe combat films today and congratulate the squadron on the way pilots closed the enemy to decisive range before opening fire."
A fitting end to a busy day.'
Peter Brothers, OC 602 Squadron
At the end of the day when we landed back at Duxford in the quiet, warm dusk of the Cambridgeshire countryside, we had lost one Typhoon with engine failure, and another missing; we had claimed two probable victories and three damaged and had taken a very small part in a great and heroic raid. The enemy may have been as frightened by the Typhoons as we were at the time though I doubt it — but the day of the Typhoon was still to come.
Roland Beamont, 609 Squadron
*
There can be little doubt that the Royal Air Force in general and the fighter pilots in particular had a terrifically exciting day and successful day, despite the subsequent realisation of their overall losses. On the evening of 19 August, the fighter pilots' tails 'were well up'. For many months they had wanted a really big, decisive confrontation with their counterparts in the German Luftwaffe and over Dieppe their wish had come true. For many of the pilots who had reached operational units after 1940, this was the first occasion that any of them had seen German bombers in the air; and many did not see or encounter bombers again in the war.
Although it has been mentioned already, by August 1942 many of the wing, squadron and flight commanders were veterans of the 1940 air battles fought over Southern England. What is also true is that many of the more junior pilots at Dieppe were seeing their first big actions, several future successful air fighters, in terms of German aircraft brought down, claimed their first aerial victories on that day.
It is little wonder, therefore, that in the vast majority of squadron messes, hotel bars, or pubs that evening, these same pilots pro-ceeded to have some tremendous parties. Many of them turned into quite a 'thrash'. During some of these the occasional pilot who had been missing, would suddenly turn up. At Manston, the Norwegians were in full swing when their wounded CO, Wilhelm Mohr, hobbled in with his leg encased in plaster. This delighted his pilots who proceeded to sign the plaster in the time-honoured manner. Then Rolf Berg turned up, smiling sheepishly, and wearing an enormous white sailor's polo-neck pullover.
One of the most incongruous sights was aboard Peter Scott's SGB—9 Grey Goose as it finally returned home. It will be remembered that Scott had rescued several soldiers and airmen from the water, including a German flyer and the Norwegian fighter-pilot, Olav Djonne. Scott went below to see how everyone was getting along. He found the German with the ship's cat on his lap, sitting quite happily next to Djonne, who only hours before would quite happily have killed him in the air, while the German's armed guard, sitting on the other side of his prisoner, was fast asleep with his head on the German's shoulder. It is sights like this that makes one wonder why people go to war with each other in the first place.
In the mess of 71 Eagle Squadron, a different scene was taking place, much to the delight of those watching. Wee Michael McPharlin, it will be recalled, was pulled out of the sea shortly after he had swallowed his entire supply of benzedrine tablets.
We didn't realise for some time that he was still full of benzedrine, but when we did it accounted for his liveliness and lack of apparent need for sleep even after propping up the bar until 2 am. When I had consulted the MO about the effects of a dose of the size he had so happily gobbled, we estimated that he might continue at full throttle for, maybe, 48 hours. He would then go out like a light. And so it was. We could not leave him unattended because this was all guesswork, so we arranged for relays of pilots to keep him company. He stayed on full song all night, all the next day, all that night again, and showed no sign whatever of slowing up as the third night approached. Suddenly, and in mid-pint, he crumpled like a wet flannel - in the space of perhaps a minute, out to the wide and apparently filleted. We poured him into bed, and he slept the clock round, suffering no apparent ill-effects when he woke up. Our faith in benzedrine as an escape aid zoomed.
Myles Duke-Woolley, OC Debden Wing
*
On the morning of 20 August, 91 Squadron were out early looking for any signs of missing pilots who might still be bobbing about in their dinghies. German aircraft too were out over the Channel on similar missions. Pilot Officer E. Tonge (DL—L) was known to be near some enemy aircraft and failed to return from his search sortie. Flight Lieutenant J. R. Heap (DL-B) found a Dornier 24 flying- boat near Dieppe and attacked. It went down, hit the sea and exploded. The battle of the previous day might be over, but the war was continuing.
*
Thursday, 20 August, 1942. 6 am — Dawn Readiness:
'Here I am after the most hectic and exciting day of my life. We were in the thick of things at Dieppe yesterday and no doubt you are anxious to know how we made out. . . .'
Pilot Officer John Godfrey, 412 Squadron
