| Aftermath of the Dieppe operation. Canadian dead on White beach between Churchill tanks “Blossom” and “Buttercup” with “Boar” just visible beyond. The 14th Canadian Army Calgary Tank Regiment (14th CATR), with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, Essex Scottish Infantry, Mont-Royal Fusiliers, and “A” Commando of the Royal Marines, White and Red Beaches constituted the main landing force during the Dieppe Raid. The Calgary Regiment intended to land 58 tanks, but only 29 were ultimately landed. No provision for testing the invasion beach was made, so the tanks were tested on English beaches; they performed well there, but on the Dieppe beach, composed of chalk and stone, the Churchills’ treads quickly ground into the surf. Some tanks sprung their tracks, while others bogged down. Only 15 made it across the seawall. Blocked by tank obstacles and heavy fire, they were driven back to the beach, where they provided fire support to the infantry. None of the tanks returned to England. All the crews that landed, except for 2 wounded men who were evacuated, were either killed or captured. Landing Craft, Tank 5 (LCT-5) No. 121 touched down in front of Dieppe’s prominent Casino at 0525 Hours, which was right on the waterfront, and unloaded its tanks of 14th CATR. Very accurate enemy mortar and artillery fire wiped out LCT-5’s crew, leaving the burning craft beached in front of the Casino. LCT-5 transported B Squadron, 9 Troop, consisting of tanks “Buttercup,” “Blossom,” and “Bluebell,” with Daimler Dingo scout car “Harry.” All 3 tanks and the Dingo landed dry. “Buttercup,” was a Churchill Mark III tank commanded by Sergeant John D. Morrison (September 20, 1912 – May 31, 2000). His tank led the way, using the beach track laying device called “chespaling,” which laid a carpet under the tracks. While advancing up the beach, enemy shell fire hit the 6-pounder (57 millimeter) gun mantlet causing spalling on the inside of the turret. “Buttercup” successfully crossed the beach, wire and sea wall and for the remainder of the battle, concentrated its fire on the west headland and on the seafront buildings behind and to the west of the Casino. Later, “Buttercup” returned to the beach below the Casino to provide some cover from the intense fire coming from the west headland. The driver positioned the tank parallel to the water’s edge to give the crew some protection for the evacuation. The crew could not blow up the interior of their tank because too many wounded infantry were huddled around the tank. Morrison, like most Canadian prisoners, was sent to Stalag VIIIB. The 2nd tank, “Blossum,” commanded by Lieutenant Marcel Lambert (August 21, 1919 – September 24, 2000), attempted to follow the same path as “Buttercup,” on the laid chespaling tracks but swerved off the chespaling, breaking its right track in the chert stones and stopped alongside the chespaling track. While remaining stationary for the rest of the morning, “Blossum” directed its fire at targets on the west headland and at a 37 millimeter (1.47-inch) gun in a fortified blockhouse located at the northeast corner of the Casino. The 6-pounder (57 millimeter) shells had little effect on the blockhouse and “Blossum” positioned at an angle to the east side of the blockhouse, so the tank wasn’t exposed to its field of fire. Lambert survived Stalag VIIIB to serve in the Canadian Parliament. “Boar,” a Churchill II Oke flamethrower tank whose version is for its designer, landed in LCT-3 transporting 8 troop that arrived at 0530 Hours. It was the 2nd tank off the ramp and landed heavy, knocking off its flamethrower, rendering its main armament ineffective. “Boar” proceeded to the west, down the beach, and crossed onto the promenade towards the Casino. Remaining capable of movement throughout the morning, “Boar” was ordered to return back to the beach to cover the withdrawal. The crew was then ordered to immobilize the tank and use it as a pillbox. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0372.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.28 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4150 x 2530 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Kriegsberichter |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 20, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Dieppe |
| State or Province | Normandy |
| Country | France |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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