Battle over Dieppe 19th August 1942

Battle over Dieppe
On 19th August 1942

Dieppe from 10 000 ft.

The ill-fated Allied landing at Dieppe on 19 August 1942 was intended as a reconnaisance in force to learn the techniques required to breach Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.The air operations in conjunction with Operation Jubilee resulted in some of the fiercest air battles of the war. The RAF saw the operation as an opportunity to force the Luftwaffe to do battle on their terms. To that effect, the RAF committed 49 fighter squadrons: four Spitfire IX, 42 Spitfire V, and three Typhoon. Additionally there were eight squadrons of Hurricane fighter-bombers, four squadrons of reconnaisance Mustangs and seven squadrons of Blenheim and Boston light bombers.

Opposing this force were the experienced Jagdgeschwader JG 2 and JG 26. Each were equipped with approximately 115 fighters. About 220 bomber aircraft were operating from bases in northern France and The Netherlands. The German fighters would, therefore, be outnumbered by about three to one.

The Allies fighter performance on the day was hailed as a great victory in stark contrast to the humiliating losses of the army and the not inconsiderable losses of the navy. The RAF’s victory claims amounted to 47 destroyed, 27 probable and 76 damaged Fw 190s, 3-1-2 Bf 109s, 33-8-46 Do 217s, 8-3-11 Ju 88s and 5-0-0 He 111s. The Allied losses amounted to 71 pilots and 10 aircrew killed or missing, and 106 aircraft, including 88 fighter aircraft.

Actual Luftwaffe losses, however, were actually considerably less at 48 aircraft. Twenty-three fighters were lost, 16 from JG 2 and seven from JG 26. Fourteen pilots were killed, eight from JG 2 and six from JG 26.

Luftwaffe fighter losses:

Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"
Time	Rank	Last Name	First Name	Unit	Aircraft	W.Nr.	Markings	Place	Cause / casualty / damage
11:20	Ofw.	Czwilinski	Paul	2./JG 26	Fw 190 A-2	5396	Black 10	Dieppe harbor	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 %
-	Oblt.	Winkelmann		Stab II./JG 26	Fw 190 A-3	2557	<<		Landing gear. Pilot unhurt.
11:00	Uffz.	Rieder	Hans	5./JG 26	Fw 190 A-2	2120	Black 9	Dieppe / St Valéry	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 %
-	Ofw.	Gerhardt	Werner	5./JG 26	Fw 190 A-3	0538	Black 3	Dieppe area	MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 %
15:00	Fw.	Golub	August	9./JG 26	Fw 190 A-2	5298	Yellow 6	in sea, 15km NW Dieppe	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 %
-	Uffz.	Berg	Heinrich von	10./JG 26	Fw 190 A-3/U3	2240		4km N Hesdin	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 %
-	Oblt.	Schmidt	Johannes	11./JG 26	Bf 109 G-1	14058		10km N Dieppe	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 %
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"
Time	Rank	Last Name	First Name	Unit	Aircraft	W.Nr.	Markings	Place	Cause / casualty / damage
-	Oblt.	Leie	Erich	Stab I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	0326		near Abbeville	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out: injured, 100 %
-	Lt.	Böhm	Reinhardt	2./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	0341	Black 9		MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 %
-	Uffz.	Brietz	Günther	I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	2186		in sea, off Dieppe	KIA Crashed after being hit by enemy flak, 100 %
-	Uffz.	Epsiger	Kurt	I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	7015			MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 %
-	Uffz.	Röbbers	Rudi	I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	0208		near Dieppe	Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot injured, 65 %
-	Fw.	Schweikart	Karl	I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	0320		in sea, off Dieppe	MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 %
-		unknown		I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	0479		near Dieppe	Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters, 65 %
-		unknown		I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	0545		near Dieppe	Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot unhurt, 65 %
-		unknown		I./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	0231		near Dieppe	Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out, unhurt, 100 %
-	Gefr.	Eimer	Siegfried	4./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	0226	White 12		MIA, failed to return from sortie. Location and cause unknown. Body found 10.10.42, 100 %
-	Lt.	Spinner	Ludwig	4./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	5527		near Rouen	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out: injured, 100 %
-	Uffz.	Geguns	Günther	6./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	5216	Yellow 2	near Dieppe	MIA, combat with enemy fighters, 100 %
-	Lt.	Sommer	Franz	6./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	5223	Yellow 11		MIA, combat with enemy fighters, 100 %
-		unknown		II./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	5518		Beauville	Crashed-landing after engine failure, 20 %
-	Uffz.	Urban	Werner	II./JG 2	Fw 190 A-3	5529		Le Havre / Octeville airfield	Emergency landing damaged by enemy MG fire. Pilot wounded, 20 %
-	Uffz.	Günther	Wilhelm	III./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	2071		near Beauville	Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot wounded, 30 %
-	Fw.	Pfeffer	Heinz	9./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	5270		near Petiot	Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out (probably): injured, 100 %
-		unknown		10./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	5299		Caen / Carpiquet airfield	Undercarriage collapsed on landing, 30 %
-		unknown		10./JG 2	Fw 190 A-2	0272		near Paluel	Emergency landing due flak damage from British cruiser. Pilot unhurt, 30 %
-	Fw.	Kley	Erwin	11./JG 2	Bf 109 G-1	10311		Le Tréport airfield	Aircraft over-turned on landing after combat. Pilot killed, 80 %
-		unknown		11./JG 2	Bf 109 G-1	10313		Monchy-Bréton airfield	Emergency landing due to technical faults, 50 %

Luftwaffe fighter pilot claims amounted to 96, JG 2 pilots claiming about 60 victories and JG 26 about 38.

Much debate has been afforded Operation Jubilee. The Allies claim the operation a success as a rehearsal for the D-Day landing in early June 1944. However, there is no doubt the Dieppe operation marked the beginning of the Allies supremacy in numerical strength for the remainder of the war.