The Wrangell sentinel., 1942-08-21


 the defenses of German -oeeu-
 pied northern France. Hun
 dreds of planes roared across
 the channel in the early hours
 of dawn. penetrating deep into
 the region south and east of
 Dieppe, bombing gun emplace-
 ments. ammunition dumps and
 other strategic locations,
 storming the French coast at Dieppe this week in the biggest operation of it's kind in this war, American, Canadian, British and fighting French units carried out a complete test of what must be done to insure a successful land ing on the continent From the mo- ment that assault units stormed the beaches on the French coast s was eYidnet that his was no mere Com mando raid; not even a glorified one, but a full dress rehearsal for invasion of the continent.
 The United Nations test of strong but not impregnable defenses Of western Europe cost the Germans gun batteries. ammunition dumps radio location stations and the most anxious hours for the Germans since the Luftwaffe lost the battle of Britain.
 Get Half Nazi Air Fleet
 The Allies destroyed 91 planes and crippled an estimated 273 in the raid, approximately half of the air fleet the Nazis are believed to have in northern France There were AL lied casualties but far below the fig ures given by Berlin The German high command claimed the United Nations forces lost 1,5O0 men in prisoners along with many dead and wounded against 400 German casualties. Allied admission of loss to shipping and air forces were far below these figures It was estima5z ed that approximately Is, 1000 Alliel men took part in the engagement. It was the first time that Amer cans have fought on the sell of Europe since 1917
 In Moscow news of the AlHeI raid on Dieppe quickened Soviet hopes of a second front in western Europe and was displayed promin- ently in the Moscow press. The pa pers also published British and Am erican reaction on Prime Minister Churchill's meeting with Stalin, em- phasizing that results of those talks would soon be apparent.
 "The American are Coming"
 Though the British kept warning the French repeatedly on the radio during the nine-hour engagement not to rise against their Nazi con- querors at this time, as the attack was purely a raid and not a full front invasion, France tingled with excitement and the phrase the Am- orleans are coming" swept like wildfire through the country. It re- echoed in the low countries and throughout western Europe.
 With the greatest armada of planes ever recorded in the air over the English Channel the raid was carried out Wednesday, the Com mandos moving across from Enr- land in hundreds of various kinds of watercraft, even taking a size able tank unit. For nine hours, the5 attacked strategic spots in the areI. wiping out resistance before then. penetrating deep below Dieppe
 The raid, carried out jointly bg the Allied forces under command Of British General Mountbatten. re- suited in getting an accurate first hand picture of the resistance to be expected in establishing a second front, officials said. That it was the fOrerunner of a real second front invasion was generally con- ceded
 Three war correspondents from the United States and one from Can ada covered the battle at first hand, Ross Monro of the Canadian Press actually going ashore with his bat ting cOmpatriots. Munro captured the drama, of the battle in telling what he saw first when the invas- ioR barges in which he was riding grated onto the Dieppe shore slope covered with bodies of Canad- ians in battle dress, the first de- tachments who had tried to storm the incline under the controlling German gun positions. Drew Mid dleton, of the Associated Press, who concentrated on the nine-hour sky battle said, have just watched the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy smash the Luftwaffe in the fierosst battle of the war in the west"
 Eight Spitfires, flown by U. S. pi- lots. were lost in the Dieppe air action but the pilots of three are