Dieppe — France
The 1993 Canadian TV film reconstructs the disastrous Dieppe Raid of 19 August 1942 — 5,000 Canadian troops storm the beach in a rehearsal for future invasion and are slaughtered within hours.
Operation Jubilee tested German coastal defences and sought to demonstrate Allied capability. Of 6,086 men who landed, 3,623 were killed, wounded or captured in nine hours; 916 Canadians died. The bitter lessons of Dieppe — including the need for fire support, surprise and deception — directly shaped the planning of the successful D-Day landings two years later.