Monday, August 20, 2012

Dieppe raid: Canadian veterans honoured at 70th anniversary services in France

Charly Triballeau / AFP / Getty Images
Charly Triballeau / AFP / Getty Images Canadian veterans take part in the 70th anniversary ceremony of the Dieppe Raid Sunday, in northwestern France, in memory of the Second World War Allied attack on the German-occupied port. Over 6,000 infantrymen, predominantly Canadian, were supported by limited Royal Navy and large Royal Air Force contingents, and 900 Canadians perished.
Ray Zinck, Canadian Press.
DIEPPE, France — A handful of Canadian veterans were treated to a heroes’ welcome Sunday when they returned to the French coastal town of Dieppe to mark the 70th anniversary of one of the bloodiest and most disastrous raids of the Second World War.
Thousands of people lined the streets to greet the seven veterans, now all in their 90s, who are in northwest France to attend the commemorative ceremonies.
The veterans, many who are now using wheelchairs or walking canes, proudly wore red poppies to pay their respects to the 900 fallen comrades killed within hours after 5,000 Canadian troops stormed the pebbled beaches of German-occupied Dieppe on Aug. 19, 1942.
Nearly 2,500 others were either wounded or taken prisoner....Continue reading...

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