ABSTRACT
On August 19, 1942, an Allied force of 252 ships under the protection of strong air cover landed more than 6,000 men on the French channel coast in the area of Dieppe, strongly engaged the German defenders and, after eight and a half hours, withdrew. Examination of the intelligence available to the British in planning for the attack on Dieppe may help to answer the some questions and place this greatly misunderstood operation in proper focus. The plans for the Dieppe attack were developed during one of the darkest periods of the war for the Allies. The military situation was grave in all theaters of war. Despite Montgomery’s concern, there is no evidence that German intelligence had pinpointed Dieppe as the target of this particular operation. German intelligence, in the spring and summer of 1942, was alert to the possibilities of attacks on the French coast.
