Dieppe, city in north central France, in Seine-Maritime Department, on the English Channel, at the mouth of the Béthune River. It is a trade and fishing port, with a well-protected harbor situated at the foot of the steep slopes of a range of chalk hills. The city also is a beach resort and a manufacturing center; products include ships, refined petroleum, lumber, processed food, and horn, bone, and ivory products. Points of interest include the Church of Saint Jacques (14th century) and a castle (built 1435, now housing a museum).
Dieppe has figured prominently in the maritime history of France since the 12th century. The English sacked the town in 1339, occupied it from 1420 to 1435, and laid unsuccessful siege to it in 1442. During the 16th century, Dieppe was a prosperous commercial center, frequented by merchants and pirates, and it was a center of the Reformation in France. After the revocation (1685) of the Edict of Nantes, which had assured Protestants of many rights, the Roman Catholics took severe reprisals against the town. In 1694, during the war against the Grand Alliance, Dieppe was virtually destroyed by the English and the Dutch. The city was rebuilt in the 18th century. The Germans occupied Dieppe during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) and again, in June 1940, during World War II. On August 19, 1942, the port, transformed by the Germans into one of the most strongly fortified points on the English Channel, was raided by an Allied commando force of about 5000 Canadians, 2000 British, and small detachments of American Rangers and Free French. The purpose of the raid was to obtain data for a subsequent invasion of Europe. Casualties were heavy, especially among the Canadians. The Germans were expelled from Dieppe in September 1944. Population (1999) 34,653.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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