On 19 August 1942 allied forces made up mainly of Canadians performed an unsuccessful raid on the French port of Dieppe, code named Operation Jubilee. The raid was unsuccessful, with a high casualty rate because of the incorrect assessment of the German strength in the area including the presence of the 10th Panzer Division. The landing forces included some 30 Churchill tanks and some seven scout cars. Only 15 of the Churchills managed to leave the beaches before being stopped by roadblocks. It was, however, the first time that armoured fighting vehicles had taken part in an amphibious landing.
The five-man Infantry Tank Mk IV Churchill (A22) was largely based on experiences of the Western Front from 1914 to 1918, although the first was produced in May 1941. It was a slow and well-armoured tank with a design that resembled First World War tank mounted with a turret. The Churchill became the most important and successful of British tanks and was produced in ten main versions, along with a variety of special purpose tanks. Three main models of Churchills were used during the Dieppe raid. The Mk I was armed with a turret-mounted two-pounder (40mm) gun and a hull-mounted three inch (76.2mm) Howitzer. The Mk II had a machine gun instead of the Howitzer and the Mk III was armed with a turret-mounted six-pounder (57mm) gun. The Germans captured and salvaged 23 Churchill infantry tanks, most damaged after heavy fighting. The most numerous was Mk III, of which ten were acquired, along with five Mk II and six Mk I tanks, although only a few were in a state to be repaired. Vehicles beyond repair were scrapped for spare parts and then used for target practice or other training exercises. A single example of every model was transferred to the Army Weapons Office for evaluation and testing purposes. A small number of Churchills, mainly Mk III were taken into German service, including one Mk III nicknamed ‘Blondie’, previously commanded by Corporal Jordan. Churchills equipped the Captured Panzer Company, which in late 1942 became Panzer Regiment 100. In late 1943 there were still two Mk III tanks in service with Panzer Regiment 100 and they were eventually transferred to Panzer Abteilung 205 in early 1944. It was very hard to maintain Churchills in running condition since there were only spare parts available from scrapped tanks along with a limited supply of ammunition. One of the Mk III tanks was personally inspected by Albert Speer, the Minister for Armaments and Munitions. The Churchill received the German designation of Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk IV(e).