Dieppe Raid

[Paul S.]

The lessons supposedly learned at Dieppe could just as easily have been learned by experiments and exercises on UK beaches. What the Armies had for experiments and research in combined operations I don't know, but the Admiralty had a thriving Department of Miscellaneous Weapon Development, headed by a Canadian as a matter of fact: Cmdr. Goodeve. They came up with weapons like the Hedgehog.

I would offer that this is not true. While military training exercises try to replicate what will be done and what will happen when the 'real thing' comes, it can not and does not contain those unexpected events that occur in real warfare. One only needs to look at the Tarawa landings or even D-day examples.

As for your contention that Dieppe was intentioned to fail for political reasons, I would offer in reply that the entire operation was an on again, off again, and on again affair in which operation security was thrown to the winds. One can not plan an operation of that scale, brief the decision makers and commanders, and then leave it to be executed virtually unchanged at a later date without 'word getting around'.

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[Surpmil]

I would offer that this is not true. While military training exercises try to replicate what will be done and what will happen when the 'real thing' comes, it can not and does not contain those unexpected events that occur in real warfare. One only needs to look at the Tarawa landings or even D-day examples.

As for your contention that Dieppe was intentioned to fail for political reasons, I would offer in reply that the entire operation was an on again, off again, and on again affair in which operation security was thrown to the winds. One can not plan an operation of that scale, brief the decision makers and commanders, and then leave it to be executed virtually unchanged at a later date without 'word getting around'.

Was there ever a training exercise that could reveal "those unexpected events that occur in real warfare"? Training is not "real warfare".

Tarawa was another piece of carelessness wasn't it? Why weren't the reefs detected and provided for in planning? It's not like air photos couldn't have been taken and studied. Probably they were, but unwelcome news is often ignored once egos and careers get involved.

The "on again, off again" nature of Operation Jubilee was indeed one in which operational security was "thrown to the winds".

That's not normal procedure is it? Therefore, when it happens one has to ask "why?"