With its trademark "you are there" style, Mark Zuehlke's tenth Canadian Battle Series volume tells the story of the 1942 Dieppe raid. Nicknamed "The Poor Man's Monte Carlo," Dieppe had no strategic importance. The decision to assault it with the largest raid mounted to that date was political. With the Soviet Union thrown on the ropes by German invasion and America having just entered the war, Britain was under intense pressure to launch a major cross-Channel attack against France. Since 1939, Canadian troops had massed in Britain and trained for the inevitable day of the mass invasion of Europe that would finally occur in 1944. But the Canadian public and many politicians were impatient to see Canadian soldiers fight sooner. Against this backdrop it was agreed the army would carry out the Dieppe raid. Almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers from 2nd Infantry Division and the Calgary Tank Regiment formed the core of a 6,000-strong force.

The Canadians were committed in April to a raid set for late June. Such a large raid had never been attempted. Naval and army personnel were equally inexperienced. Trial and error was the order of the day. The first major rehearsal proved such a shambles the raid was pushed back to the end of July only to be cancelled by poor weather. It appeared the raid was off for good. But, in a decision still shrouded in controversy, the operation was reborn. On the night of August 18-19, 237 ships sailed.

A chance encounter with a German convoy resulted in an exchange of gunfire. The plan had counted on surprise, which was now lost. Still, the ships continued. In the pre-dawn hours the troops stormed ashore. They landed on five separate beaches. On the flanks, two commando companies struck at major German gun batteries. In the centre, the Canadians landed on three beaches. One was a narrow strip of gravel at Puys.

Here the Royal Regiment of Canada faced slaughter with 199 of the 544 coming ashore being killed. Only 67 escaped back to sea. The rest surrendered. At Pourville, the South Saskatchewan Regiment landed about a mile west of Dieppe. Soon joined by the Cameron Highlanders, the two battalions tried to fight inland only to be stopped by fierce German resistance. In the ensuing melee, Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Merritt's gallantry and disregard for personal safety earned a Victoria Cross. Forced to retreat, the 1,026 strong force lost 154 killed, 269 wounded, and 256 taken prisoner. Merritt was among those captured.

Tragic as these assaults were, they paled in comparison to the frontal attack across the beach at Dieppe. Three Canadian battalions-the Essex Scottish, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, and Le Fusiliers Mont-Royal-one British commando unit, and the Calgary Regiment tanks were caught in a maelstrom of fire and pinned down. The attack hopelessly stalled after two hours, but another two hours passed before the embattled troops were ordered to withdraw. By 1400 hours those who could escape had. The rest were left for dead or to surrender. Of the 4,953 Canadians, 2,211 returned to Britain-about half being men who never got ashore. Total casualties were 3,367. This included 913 Canadian dead and 1,946 prisoners of war.

The Dieppe raid will be Canada's most costly day of the war. Drawing on rare archival documents, personal interviews, and other sources, Mark Zuehlke examines how the raid came to be and why it went so tragically wrong. From the clash of personality and ambition between those masterminding the raid to the experiences of the common soldier left to carry it out, Zuehlke uncompromisingly tells the story. Ultimately, Tragedy at Dieppe honours the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought and died that fateful day on the beaches of Dieppe. It is a fitting tribute timed to commemorate the raid's 70th Anniversary.