Sunday, August 12, 2012

World War II Dieppe Raid Uncovered: James Bond Creator Commander Ian Fleming Helped Devise The 1942 Battle


Globalnews.com offers a report on the the Dieppe Raid in 1942.

The news site notes that Royal Navy Commander Ian Fleming, an assistant to the Director of British Naval Intelligence and the future author of the James Bond thrillers, had a hand in the planning of the battle.

Commander Ian Fleming, whose commando group, the 30 Assault Unit, was involved in the raid, observed the battle from a Royal Navy ship off the coast.

You can watch the news video via the below link:

http://www.globalnews.ca/video/battle+of+dieppe+uncovered/video.html?v=2265652663#top+stories

Below is a brief explanation of the raid from the History Channel:

During World War II, an Allied force of 7,000 men carry out a large daytime raid against German positions at the French seaport of Dieppe. Aided by tanks and aircraft, the commando force--made up of approximately 5,000 Canadians, 2,000 British soldiers, and a handful of American and Free French troops--gained a foothold on the beach in the face of a furious German defense. During nine hours of fighting, the Allies failed to destroy more than a handful of their targets and suffered the death of 3,600 men. More than 100 aircraft, a destroyer, 33 landing craft, and 30 tanks were also lost. Despite its high costs, the Dieppe raid provided valuable logistical information later used in planning the successful 1944 Allied landing at Normandy.

You can also read my Counterterrorism magazine piece on Ian Fleming and his 30 Assault Unit via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/IanFlemingsCommandos.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/IanFlemingsCommandos2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/IanFlemingsCommandos3.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/IanFlemingsCommandos4.jpg

Ian Fleming died on August 11, 1964.

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