In the early morning of August 19, 1942, over five thousand Canadian troops landed on the beach at Dieppe to reclaim the shore from German troops occupying France. It was a mission doomed from the start. Mere hours later, over two-thirds of the men were dead, wounded, or taken prisoner by German forces. It was the worst disaster in Canadian military history, and historians have found no convincing explanation for why the operation was mounted in the first place.

Through first-hand accounts, ground-level descriptions, and extensive research, author Jim Lotz takes us through the events of that morning. What emerges is a portrait of courage--of men doing what they could to maintain the honour of their regiments and save the lives of their comrades against impossible odds. The story of the Dieppe raid is made up of a hundred lesser-known tales of Canadian soldiers, which Jim Lotz brings together in this short and readable book.