We Landed at Dawn
London, England: Victor Gollancz LTD, 1943. Third Impression [Stated]. [DJ says 3rd Edition]. Hardcover. 127, [1] pages. Illustrations. Page discoloration noted. DJ has wear, tears, soiling and chips. The only war correspondent who accompanied the Allied Dieppe raid tells the story of the brave, heroic but ultimately futile assault landing which would lay the foundation for the success in Normandy. This is the story of a landing on Hitler's France, of the men who made the landing, and of how they planned and trained for many months. The battles that follow each landing vary in tactics and results, but the strange experiences that precede and accompany the sea crossing, the actions and emotions leading up to the supreme moment when the assault boats ground on the enemy coast, are always the same, or nearly the same. Therefore the author has tried in this book not merely to tell the story of a particular raid, but to describe events common to all those assault landings which will become so vital a part of the United Nations' plan for victory. Before Austin landed at Dieppe as War Correspondent of the British national newspapers, he trained with Britain's new army: and he gives us the full story, not only of the Dieppe raid, but of how the shock troops of this war, the landing assault infantry, the beachhead battalions, train for all combined operations, and of how, with the Navy and the R.A.F., they are being welded into one striking force. Alexander Berry Austin was a journalist (1925 - 1943) with the 'Morning Post' (1925 - 1936) and the 'Daily Herald' (1937 - 1943). He also performed service with the Air Ministry as a Wing Commander engaged on press work with Fighter Command (1939 - 1940) and his posting as official war correspondent for the Daily Herald (1940 - 1943). He participated and reported of the raid on Dieppe by Allied troops (August 1942) and then wrote his book on the raid WE LANDED AT DAWN. He also wrote BIRTH OF AN ARMY relating to his period in North Africa with the First Army and in Italy with the Fifth Army following the Salerno landings (1943). He was killed in action at Scafati (September 1943). Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment of tanks, were put ashore from a naval force operating under protection of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters. The port was to be captured and held for a short period, to test the feasibility of a landing and to gather intelligence. German coastal defenses, port structures and important buildings were to be demolished. The raid was intended to boost Allied morale, demonstrate the commitment of the United Kingdom to reopen the Western Front and support the Soviet Union, fighting on the Eastern Front. Aerial and naval support was insufficient to enable the ground forces to achieve their objectives; the tanks were trapped on the beach and the infantry was largely prevented from entering the town by obstacles and German fire. After less than six hours, mounting casualties forced a retreat. The operation was a fiasco in which only one landing force achieved its objective and some intelligence including electronic intelligence was gathered. Within ten hours, of the 6,086 men who landed, 3,623 had been killed, wounded or became prisoners of war. The Luftwaffe made a maximum effort against the landing as the RAF had expected, but the RAF lost 106 aircraft (at least 32 to antiaircraft fire or accidents) against 48 German losses. The Royal Navy lost 33 landing craft and a destroyer. Both sides learned important lessons regarding coastal assaults. The Allies learned lessons that influenced the success of the D-Day landings. Artificial harbors were declared crucial, tanks were adapted specifically for beaches, a new integrated tactical air force strengthened ground support, and capturing a major port at the outset was no longer seen as a priority. Churchill and Mountbatten both claimed that these lessons had outweighed the cost. The Germans believed that Dieppe was a learning experience and made a considerable effort to improve the way they defended the occupied coastlines of Europe. Condition: Good / Good.
Keywords: Dieppe, Commando, Beachhead, Aerial Combat, Naval Operations, Royal Air Force, Combined Operations, Military Training, Landing Craft, Amphibious Operations, Casualties, Prisoners of War, PBI, Poor Bloody Infantry
[Book #82618]
Price: $40.00