August 19th marked the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid,
when Allied troops crossed the English Channel to launch
an amphibious attack on the port of Dieppe in 1942.
Canadians made up the majority of the Allied forces,
with almost 5000 of the 6100 troops.
Sadly, the Dieppe Raid became the single bloodiest day
of the Second World War for Canada.
The Allies attacked at five different points
along the French coast, but as the assault force approached,
they lost the element of surprise.
Concealed German troops swept the beaches
with heavy machine-gun fire,
resulting in a devastating loss
of more than 900 Canadian soldiers killed,
and nearly 1950 captured.
To commemorate the anniversary, a ceremony was held in Windsor,
Ontario, to pay tribute to those that perished,
and to honour the veterans who fought.
Those in attendance included
the Defence Attaché of the French Republic,
the Mayor of Windsor,
and one of the veterans from the Raid, Mr. John Date.
He received the French Légion d'Honneur.
Ceremonies were also held in Ottawa
and in Dieppe, New Brunswick; as well as in Dieppe, France,
where The Chief of the Defence Staff was in attendance.
On this 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid,
we remember the Canadian troops who sacrificed so much
to bring peace to the people of Europe.
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