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Although the 1942 attack on Dieppe was a near total disaster, on both flanks the Commandos had some successes. In the west 4 Commando, with a handful of US Rangers, successfully destroyed a gun battery at Le Mesnil.
We start with a brief description of the war situation in 1942 (dreadful) and the formation of the Commandos and the US Rangers. The main focus of the book is on 4 Commando's attack on the gun batteries. The Commando training for the mission is examined in some detail as is the planning for their part of the raid. The raid itself is covered in great detail, from the departure from the south coast, through an almost moment by moment account of the fighting at the gun battery, on to the eventual withdrawal and return home.
A great deal of use is made of Lord Lovat's own words, mostly taken from his memoirs (March Past). A large number of other eye witness accounts are also used, including a good selection from Germans.
Good use is made of the relatively unlimited space of the e-book to provide a number of useful appendices with supporting information - casualties, the fate of No.4 Commando, orders of battle and an original press report from 1942.
This is an interesting venture for Osprey, and uses the space available in e-books to provides a very detailed account of this successful raid.
Chapters
1 - 1942
2 - Planning
3 - Training
4 - Departure
5 - Hostile Shores
6 - Landing
7 - Orange 2
8 - Assault
9 - Withdrawal
10 - Jubilee Heroism and Disaster
11 - Homecoming
12 - Aftermath
Appendix 1: No. 4 Commando casualties
Appendix 2: No. 4 Commando after Operation Cauldron
Appendix 3: Allied Weapons and Equipment
Appendix 4: German Weapons and Equipment
Appendix 5: Significant Aircraft in Operation Cauldron
Appendix 6: Significant Warships in Operation Cauldron
Appendix 7: Hitler’s Commando Order
Appendix 8: No. 4 Commando order of battle on Operation Cauldron
Appendix 9: Regiments and Corps represented in Operation Cauldron
Appendix 10: A.B. Austin’s pool report
Author: Will Fowler
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 240
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2012
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Allies-at-Dieppe--4-Commando-and-the-US-Rangers_9781782000891