August 19, 1942: Operation Jubilee is launched, later to be better known as the Dieppe Raid. It becomes key toward building Operation Overlord nearly 2 years later, which becomes D-Day.
Over 6,500 infantry, mostly Canadian, supported by tanks and air protection from Britain's Royal Air Force, went ashore at Nazi-occupied Dieppe, in Normandy, France. The intention was to capture and hold the port, and to demolish Nazi buildings there, to test the feasibility of a larger landing, and to gather intelligence.
It was a fiasco. Support turned out to be insufficient. Tanks proved useless on the beaches. Nazi gunfire and other obstacles prevented the infantry from reaching the city. After 6 hours, a retreat was called. Over 900 men were killed, and another 2,000 were taken prisoner -- about half the force now out of the war.
Both sides learned important lessons regarding coastal assaults. The Allies learned lessons that influenced the success of the D-Day landings. Artificial harbors were declared crucial, tanks were adapted specifically for beaches, a new integrated tactical air force strengthened ground support, and capturing a major port at the outset was no longer seen as a priority. Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his military commander for Dieppe, Vice Admiral Louis Mountbatten, both claimed that these lessons had outweighed the cost.
The Germans also believed that Dieppe was a learning experience and made a considerable effort to improve the way they defended the occupied coastlines of Europe. As D-Day proved, they didn't learn enough to stop the Allies.
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August 19, 1942 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played:
* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox won the opener, 6-4. Cecil "Tex" Hughson outpitched Spud Chandler. Jim Tabor hit 2 home runs. The New York Yankees won the nightcap, 2-1. Ernie "Tiny" Bonham outpitched Joe Dobson. Over the 2 games, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams each went 1-for-7 with a walk, but Ted's hit was a 2-run home run. Charlie Keller hit a home run for the Yankees in each game.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Boston Braves, 11-1 at Ebbets Field. Pete Reiser, Dolph Camilli and Billy Herman each had 3 hits.
* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 8-0 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Roger Wolff pitched a 9-hit shutout.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-2 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-1 at Briggs Stadium (later renamed Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 5-1 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Rookie Stan Musial went 2-for-3 with a walk.
* And the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns were not scheduled.
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