Like any modern town Dieppe is now thriving, it is of course a cross channel ferry port. The harbour is full of expensive modern leisure craft and the water frontage full of Tabacs, Bistros, Wine Bars and Restaurants catering for all tastes and cultures. The city has expanded south where shopping malls, mega-hypermarket stores and leisure parks are served by a somewhat manic ring road. Dieppe 2018 has seemingly little in common with Dieppe 1942.
On our visit in September 2017 we tried to locate what was left of Dieppe 1942 and armed with a collection of photographs taken by the German's just after the raid, we attempted to relocate and re-photograph some of those very same images. To our surprise many were still there even after 75 years while others had of course long since succumbed to development.
Here then we present Dieppe Then & Now 1942 - 2017 as a photo essay.
On our visit in September 2017 we tried to locate what was left of Dieppe 1942 and armed with a collection of photographs taken by the German's just after the raid, we attempted to relocate and re-photograph some of those very same images. To our surprise many were still there even after 75 years while others had of course long since succumbed to development.
Here then we present Dieppe Then & Now 1942 - 2017 as a photo essay.
TOP: The Avant Harbour. MIDDLE: "Backer" tank on White Beach. BOTTOM: "Bert" tank on Boulevard Marechal Foch.
TOP: "Blondie" tank behind the Casino. MIDDLE: Boulevard De Verdun. BOTTOM: "Burns" tank on Red Beach.
TOP: Defensive caves on Le Pollet cliffs. MIDDLE: "Cheetah" tank on Promenade. BOTTOM: Casino and beach from the western cliffs.
TOP: Hotel Les Arcades. MIDDLE: LCT3 and "Beetle" flame thrower tank on White Beach. BOTTOM: LCT3 and "Chief" tank on White Beach.
TOP: LCT5 burning on White Beach. MIDDLE: Marching down Rue Sygogne. BOTTOM: Marching past the town hall.
TOP: On the corner of Rue Duquesne. MIDDLE: The top of Rue Sygogne. BOTTOM: Wreckage on the promenade.
The German defences as they are today. Some were built after the raid in preparation for further allied assaults but the chalk cliffs bordering the port were well fortified prior to the attack. Many of these tunnels still survive albeit in various states of collapse.
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With special thanks to the people of Dieppe for keeping the memory of the raid alive with the prolific memorials and information panels that adorn the promenade, thereby ensuring that the men that gave up their lives on that August morning will never be forgotten.
Design, layout and colour photography copyright Steve Sullivan, September 2020
Design, layout and colour photography copyright Steve Sullivan, September 2020
