During the first half of World War II, German soldiers searched for repulsed Canadian soldiers and destroyed equipment on the Dieppe coast of France. Of the approximately 5,000 Canadian troops, 3,367 were killed, wounded, or captured, an exceptional casualty rate of approximately 68%.

　　German soldiers search among the wreckage of repulsed Canadian soldiers and destroyed equipment on the beaches of Dieppe, France, during the first half of World War II. Two abandoned Churchill tanks and a landing craft from the 14th Canadian Tank Regiment survived.On August 19, 1942, British forces executed Operation Jubilee, a massive air raid against the port on the French coast of Dieppe. Approximately 4,900 Canadian, 1,000 British, and 50 American soldiers left the British port on 237 warships. Canadian troops made up the bulk of the attack force in the raid on Dieppe. Of the approximately 6,100 troops, nearly 5,000 were Canadian soldiers. Air support was not up to the task and advance reconnaissance was inadequate. The landing on the German-controlled Dieppe beach was unsuccessful. Of the 6,086 Allied troops who landed, 3,623 were killed, wounded, or captured. The Royal Navy lost one destroyer and several landing craft, and the Royal Air Force lost 106 aircraft compared to the Luftwaffe's 48.

　The Allied landing at Dieppe was delayed, and as the Canadian regiments landed in the dawn light, they were met with heavy machine-gun fire from German soldiers who were on full alert. Allied tanks were trapped on Dieppe beach, and infantrymen were almost prevented from invading the town by obstacles and German fire. In less than six hours, casualties mounted and the retreat was forced. Of the approximately 5,000 Canadian troops, 3,367 were killed, wounded, or captured, an exceptional casualty rate of 68%. The Royal Navy lost the destroyer Berkeley and 33 landing craft, with 550 casualties. The Luftwaffe lost 106 aircraft. Six of the 50 U.S. Army Rangers attached to the Commando unit were killed, seven were wounded, and four were taken prisoner. This was the first time U.S. troops had participated in a World War II ground battle. The Germans suffered 591 casualties, 322 killed, 280 wounded, and lost 48 aircraft and one patrol boat.

　On August 19, 1942, German forces on the French Channel coast near Dieppe repulsed a landing operation led by Canadian troops that had been executed for obvious propaganda purposes. The number of Allied troops participating was less than 6,000. This bloody and unsuccessful operation had a profound impact until the Normandy landings of June 6, 1944, when Operation Jubilee was formulated by the Western Allies to justify the absence of a second front to the Soviet Union on the Western Front.