Evening star., 1942-08-21
Text of Dieppe Communique
Attack Called Successful Demonstration
Of Coordination of Three Services
3y the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Aug 21-FollolUing
is the tert of the combined head
quarters conlnaunique issued last
night on the Dieppe raid:
Reports nov received from force
commanders make 1t possible to give
a full co-ordinated story of COM
bined operations of the raid in the
Dieppe area.
These reports show that as COM
bined operation the raid was sue
cessful demonstration of co-ordina-
ton of all three services. A large
military force embarked on board
naval vessels and transports. That
force was assembled and negotiated
the most hazardous sea passage and
arrived off the selected points off
the French coast at 4:50 am. so
pm. Tuesday, Eastern War Time).
The troops were landed on all six
beaches selected at the time laid
down. Aircraft covered these land
ings as arranged and then contin-
ued to cover the ships and men
throughout operations.
The raid had as its objectives the
testing by an offensive on larger
scale than previously OF defenses
of what is known to be a heavily de-
Tended section of the coast, destruc-
ton of German batteries, of a radio
location station which plans an i'm
portant part in German attacks on
our Channel conveys, destruction of
German military personnel and
equipment and the taking of pris-
oners for interroga ton. The raid
was a reconnaissance in force, hav-
ing vital part in our agreed Of
fensive policy.
German Reinforcements.
It was known that as a conse-
quence of our avowed aggressive
policy the Germans had recently
been heavily reinforcing the coastal
defense of the whole of the occu-
pied territory. Heavy opposition was
therefore anticipated In fact. it
became clear during the raid that
the enemy had brought additional
troops and guns to the Dieppe area
quite recently.
Despite this heavy opposition the
forces were landed on all beaches,
together with some tanks. They sue
ceeded in destroying two batteries
and a radio-location station, inf1ict-
ing heavy casualties upon the en-
emy forces and in sinking two small
vessels and in bringing back
number of prisoners.
Our troops, the majority of whom
were Canadians, remained ashore
for nearly nine hours from dawn
and were then re-embarked in
naval vessels which throughout this
period were lying close of the
French coast assisting our landing
forces by heavy bombardment.
Tanks which had been landed and
some OF which succeeded in breaking
into the town were ordered to be
blown up and destroyed before our
troops re-embarked.
During engagements on shore
there were numerous individual
bravery by our forces. Throughout
the landing extensive air cover for
both ships and landing forces was
provided by aircraft from all op-
irrational commands OF the RAF,
from the United States Army Air
Force, the Royal Canadian Air
Force, the Royal New Zealand Air
Force, and Polish. Czech, Norwegian,
Belgian and Fighting French squad
rons.
Great Air Battle.
While the principal objective of
the air operations was to give sup
port to the landing and cover to
the forces during the land engage
ment and to naval craft, there in
fact developed one of the greatest
air battles of the war.
Although the air battle had not
been planned as one OF the objec-
tives of the operation the Germans
were forced to call up aircraft re-
Inducements from all parts of o.
cupied France. Holland and Belgium
Many OF these enemy aircraft were
engaged before they ever reached
the area of operations, large forma .
tions being broken up and dispersed
particularly over the mouth OF thu
Somme.
During the engagement 81 Ger
aircraft are officially known to have
been destroyed and about twice tina,
number have probably been de-
Stroyed or damaged.
In all these operations 90 of oul