8. Fleming participated in the failed Dieppe raid in 1942
Ian Fleming did not go into action with his commando unit, though he selected its missions and targets. In 1942 he selected the unit to participate in the raid on Dieppe, which was a much larger mission involving primarily Canadian troops, with contingents from the British Army and Navy, and a small contingent of US Army Rangers. The Special Intelligence Unit was assigned to the raid for a specific purpose. They were to obtain an Enigma machine and bring it back to the British. This has led some to speculate the Dieppe Raid was a cover for the Enigma raid, though such was not the case.
Instead, the Dieppe Raid, which was already being planned, was seen by British Naval Intelligence as an opportunity to snatch a coveted Enigma. Fleming’s team was to be in and out, not remaining with the other commandos. The attempted seizure of an Enigma machine, like virtually all of the goals of the Dieppe raid, ended in failure. Fleming was present during the Dieppe Raid, the closest he personally came to combat during the war. He observed the catastrophic raid unfold from the deck of a destroyer, HMS Fernie. Fernie was attacked several times by the Luftwaffe during the raid, but Fleming was not injured.