Evening star., 1942-08-20
Writer Accompanying
Rangers 10 Dieppe
Praises Ga||antry

Germons Defeated in
Bitter Hond-to-Hond
Fighting, Meier Says
Larry Meier OF the Internd-
tional Ne1Ds Service Uns among
the American correspondents in
London to be chosen to 90 on the 4
Dieppe raid. He accompanied
American Ranger units and Uds
1Oounded by shrapneL)
BY LARRY MEIER,
Representing the Association of American
Correspondents in London
ABOARD A ROYAL NAVY GUN
BOAT OFF DIEPPE. Aug. 10 de-
layed) (Pt.--The American Rangers
first actual United States units to
participate in land operations on
the Continent in this war-proved
their gallantry and Won a victory
in their all-important share in the
record-breaking Dieppe assault.
l accompanied the Rangers and
their Commando fellow warriors
into the heaviest flank along the
French coast where the Allies blasted
German gun emplacements in order
to cover the Dieppe landings.
/ was the only correspondent to
accompany the Rangers. We left a
Southern English port just before
dusk like Lilliputian armada. our
gunboat flagship escorting scores of
new. American-made troops landing
craft, f1anked by another fleet of
troop and tank landers.
We returned somewhat fewer in
numbers-many bloody. including
me-but triumphant. having de-
feated the Germans in bitter hand
to-hand fighting and smashed
battery.
Greatest Air Battle.
Meanwhile, the Canadians from
tally assaulted Dieppe. all forces
proving the German continental de-
fenses not impregnable. thus rails
ing the curtain for second front.
Overhead all day ragged history's
greatest air battle with numerous
American flying Spitfres to pro-
tect the Yanks below
Queit prevailed until long after
Tuesday nightfall when the gaunt
silhouettes of minesweepers cut
across the path from the half moon
creating a miles-long protective
front for our fleet.
| In deepest night the mothering
| gunboat and her numerous deadly
ducklings passed through.
The Americans and British dis
covered that while not impossible, it
would not be easy to esta ablish
continental bridgehead.
Nearing the French coast in the
pre-dawn blackness, suddenly there
came cry from the bridge lookout:
"Starshell to port, sir"
The flare lit up our DESTROYER.
Then in a few seconds: Two star
shells to starboard, sir"
Run on Four Flakships.
Then He'll broke loose. Veterans OF
many naval engagements said they
never had seen such FAX. We had
run right on four flakships. two on
either side, hurting everything they
had and giving . the. British and
Americans the ghastliest Is minutes
Ceaselessly the four fiakships
shrapneled the fleet. Tracer bullets
showed the path of their deadly
fellows and Lit up the target while
the destroyer answered with all guns
blazing
The first time the desperateness
OF the situation dawned on me, a
youthful sailor nearby screamed
They got me-" He had lost his left
eye. / moved to better shelter,
lacking a tin hat, and watched
tracers ny across the bows.
Suddenly there was a blast in nv
face. was knocked semi-conscious
l thought I was a goner. but / re-
covered. thinking myself lucky to
escape until put my hand to nv
lace and discovered something wet
and not. Then my chest felt wet.
realized I had been shrapneled in
the left side of my face and the right
side OF my chest, but they did not
hurt for hours.
Guns Finally Silenced.
Firing continued for many min
utes. -Four different men were mt
In our front gun turret and each
was wounded successfully. Finally
all guns aboard were silenced at the
same time. The flagship fell silent
thinking doubtless that our gun
boat was sunk. Why she wasn't /
can't understand. Certainly she was
holed plenty, but for some time she
continued toward the coast, mean
while dropping landing party
headed by Commando commander.
Then our damaged motors stopped,
For some time We drifted toward the
vicinity OF the flagships and Ger
man coastal batteries, but later we
were towed away by an American
| made landing craft.
! The fury of the German assault
on our feet made me wonder what
was occurring with the British
American land troops.
| They had suffered losses, but had
managed to reach shore, struggle up
clefts in the cliff and make an
encircling movement on the Belle
ville-Berneville district 4 miles east
of Dieppe. They wrecked batteries
which otherwise would have shelled
the major landing part at Dieppe.
Similarly other commandos car
| ried out a diversion and silenced
batteries west of Dieppe without
running into such fax interference
as our left wing.
Numerous Dogfghts.
Dawn brought the great air bat
tie. I watched numerous scrambled
individual dogflghts and saw many
Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmitts 90
into "the drink" along with some
RAF planes. but the record Raj
umbrella proved most effective.
1t. Berry Chandler of Houston,
Tex, whose mother resides in Gal
weston, was plotting Spitfire which
was shot down. but he was picked
up quickly unhurt.
everywhere we were. it certainly