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The coast defences on the left flank of the Canadian landings were now alerted, the order to stand down was revoked, the Canadians were now to meet fully awake and alerted defenders. To add to their misfortunes, gunboats guiding the landing craft to the beaches crossed paths in the dark, landing craft were lost, to regain their bearings they sailed toward Dieppe harbour. The defenders there, expecting the convoy engaged by the commandos were not affected by the alert to their east. They thought the gunboat approaching was the lead craft of the convoy, but when challenged it did not respond, turning instead toward the beach at Puys, it's intended objective. The defenders at Dieppe were now placed on alert. The German war diaries show that all German troops were at their stations a full fifteen minutes before the planned touchdown.
The craft going to Puys were supposed to beach in darkness, allowing the Canadians the element of surprise. Instead, the Germans already at their posts because of the warning from the convoy, watched the Canadians approach in the light of the early morning. Of the 554 Canadians to land at Puys, better than 90% were to become casualties.
The landing was an unmitigated disaster. The path leading off the beach was commanded by a pillbox at the top of the cliff. There was also a fortified house and emplacements on the cliffs overlooking the beach. And this beach, like the beach at Dieppe, was not sand, but large uneven stones. Every mortar shell and every machine-gun bullet that hit the stones splintered them multiplying the number of missiles causing casualties among the Canadians of the Royal Regiment of Canada. Of the 150 men landing in the first wave, fewer than 10 per cent, 15 men, managed to cross the 40 yards from touch down to the sea wall. Thirty-five minutes late from the planned touch down, the soldiers of the first wave had to wait for the second wave which was a full hour late.
To add to the tragedy of the Puys landing was the fact that the Royal's objective was the batteries on the east headland. Late and without any prospect of getting off the beach they were unable to contribute in any way to the battle taking place in Dieppe. A few of the Royals, following their CO, Lt. Col. Catto, managed to get over the sea wall, but only because one of the German machine guns covering the wall jammed. In the seconds that it took to get another one into action only a handful of men got across and they were now isolated from the regiment, and the regiment was isolated from it's commanding officer. He along with 261 of his men would become prisoners of war, another 227 were killed, only 65 returned to England.