Mike Zima
| Date and Place of Birth: | circa 1916 Lovett, Alberta, Canada |
| Date and Place of Death: | August 19, 1942 Dieppe, France |
| Baseball Experience: | Amateur |
| Position: | Outfield |
| Rank: | Trooper |
| Military Unit: | 14th Armored Regiment, Canadian Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Michael F. Zima was born in Lovett, Alberta, and moved to Newcastle
in the Drumheller Valley, Alberta as a child. Zima was an active athlete
and played the outfield with the Newcastle team and the Drumheller
Nationals. His older brother Joe was a well-known boxer in Drumheller.
Zima was married to Dorothy and had two children, Mike Jr., and Robert.
Prior to enlistment he was a mine worker.
Along with his wife’s brother, Floyd Bigford, he joined the 14th Armored
Regiment (Calgary Tanks) on February 22, 1941. After training at Camp
Bordon together they were sent to Britain and arrived there on July 2,
1941.
On August 18, 1942, Trooper Zima and Lance-Corporal Bigford left Britain
with the Calgary Tanks bound for France. The Dieppe Raid was an Allied
attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the Northern coast of
France. Over 6,000 troops, predominantly Canadian, were supported by
large British naval and Allied air force contingents. The objective was
to seize and hold a major port for a short period, both to prove it was
possible and to gather intelligence from prisoners
The main attack was at three points and the Calgary Tanks were in the
middle. Attacking thirty minutes after the flanking assaults and onto a
steep pebble beach they were met with intense fire. Only 29 of 58 tanks
disembarked, two sunk in deep water, 27 made it ashore but only 15
managed to climb the beach and cross the sea-wall onto the esplanade
under unrelenting fire. However, they were completely stopped by
anti-tank blocks, were immobilized, or later returned to the beach to
cover the withdrawal.
The raid was generally considered to be an unmitigated tactical
disaster, with no major objectives accomplished. 3,623 of the 6,086 men
who made it ashore were either killed, wounded, or captured, including
Trooper Michael Zima.
Floyd Bigford returned to England safely and immediately informed Zima’s
family that he was missing. He was officially reported missing on August
25, 1942, and officially reported killed in action in late October 1943.
Mike Zima is buried at the Calais Canadian War Cemetery in France.
Date Added: February 8, 2013
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