Unauthorized Action: Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid [Hardcover]

Brian Loring Villa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 1989

On August 19, 1942, a mainly Canadian force left England in an attempt to seize the German-occupied French port of Dieppe--a mission that has been described as the largest raid in history. The result was a complete disaster. Here Brian Villa unravels all the complexities that led to it: the political interests in both Britain and Canada; the pressures placed on Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff; and especially the vagaries of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was ultimately responsible as Chief of Combined Operations. As the first thorough examination of the disaster, the book is an important contribution to the literature on World War II.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

About the Author:
Brian Villa is Associate Professor of History at the University of Ottawa.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 16, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195406796
• ISBN-13: 978-0195406795
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,208,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incisive study of Governments at war, November 6, 1997

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unauthorized Action: Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid (Hardcover)

I was prepared not to like this book. I say this at the beginning to give the reader of this review warning: I'm a convert, somewhat, to the author's point of view.

The Dieppe Raid is one of the puzzles of WW2. Why the British persisted in launching it when it had already been cancelled once, and was obviously a precarious proposition at best, has never been satisfactorily explained. My worry was that Villa, being a Canadian, would take an explicitly anti-British point of view, with which I would take issue. He doesn't.

Instead, the book focuses on the decision-making process, and the way governments launch operations in wartime. This part of the book is fascinating, and enlightening. His premise (that Mountbatten launched the raid himself, as Combined Operations head, without the required approval of the Chiefs of Staff) is a bit of a stretch, but by the end of the book, I was willing to say I needed to see an alternative explanation before I believed otherwise.

The book's style is rather formal, and there's little attempt at humor or levity, but the writing is clear and incisive. The author has obviously done his homework. There are separate chapters on the navy and RAF, both of which display knowledge of the overall context of the period of the war in which Dieppe took place, and the circumstances under which the decision was made. All of this strongly adds to the book itself, and the author's thesis. All in all a very good book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, July 31, 2004

By 

Michael A Dorosh (Calgary, AB, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unauthorized Action: Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid (Hardcover)

An excellent book with a chilling additional chapter in the updated edition.

Very scholarly work, examines in detail the supposition that Mountbatten launched the Dieppe Raid without permission or authorization. The claim is supported by evidence, though it may take several readings to fully grasp the intricacies of the argument being presented.

Focusses entirely on politics and thus will not satisfy those looking for the military details of this action, nor the planning issues. A well focussed, well written, and - if one reads the final chapter added to the first edition - chilling story of how this disastrous raid came into being and who may have been finally responsible.

5.0 out of 5 stars Canada's brutal beating at Dieppe, October 15, 2010

By 

Canuck in the US Army (FOB GARDEZ, AFG) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Unauthorized Action: Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid (Hardcover)

Canada got plastered on that day-August 19,1942-the leadership in Canada's military at the time had backbone but forgot to use it that day. LTG Crerar,LTG McNaughton and the Task Force Commander-MG Hamilton- failed to speak up and protect the military personnel and allowed this disaster happen. Yes Canada's military wanted to meet the enemy dead on but should have scrubbed the whole plan even if they would lose their jobs. This is a great read for all the lessons it brings to the table. Great read, great facts of this brutal disaster in Canadian military history.