The Dieppe Raid was meant to test German defenses along the French coast, but instead it became one of Canada’s darkest days of the Second World War. At dawn, thousands of Canadian soldiers stormed the rocky beach under heavy machine-gun fire, trapped by cliffs, barbed wire, and well-fortified German positions. Tanks bogged down or broke apart on the slick stones, communications collapsed, and units were cut down before they could advance. Within hours the raid had devolved into chaos, with men fighting desperately for survival on a shoreline that offered no cover and no escape. By the time the assault was called off, more than two-thirds of the Canadians who landed were dead, wounded, or captured. The disaster at Dieppe left a scar on the nation, but the harsh lessons learned helped shape the planning that would later make D-Day a success.