Saturday, August 19, 2017

Dieppe 75 Years On :: SteynOnline

Dieppe 75 Years On :: SteynOnline
"Three-quarters of a century ago - August 19th 1942 - the Allies staged what became known as "the Dieppe Raid", a daring assault on the French port of Dieppe, then held by the Germans. 
It was a predominantly Canadian operation: the 2nd Infantry Division provided 5,000 troops, supported by the Royal Navy and RAF, a thousand UK commandos and about 50 US Army Rangers. 
It was a necessary operation, but also an all but foredoomed one. 
In the end, of the 6,086 men put ashore at Dieppe, 3,623 were killed or wounded or carted off to German PoW camps.
The bravery of those young Canadian men cannot be overstated. 
In this reprise of The Mark Steyn Weekend Show from earlier this year, I talk to the screenwriter, producer and director Lionel Chetwynd - born in Hackney, raised in Montreal, but long resident in Hollywood. 
We discuss politics and popular culture, but the great weight of the conversation is about the Dieppe Raid, with which Lionel has a personal and regimental connection, and about what happened when he pitched a tale of wartime sacrifice with a dash of Ian Fleming to Hollywood studio execs. 
Click below to watch:

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