Ireland in WWII

German photo, Connemara

Operation Green was a plan by Nazi Germany (perhaps real; perhaps a ruse to distract the enemy) to invade Ireland. The full briefing consists of five volumes of photographs (including this one), sketches and maps, including tourist photos of the coast. The purported idea was to distract British troops, make Ireland a staging area for German troops rather than British ones, and intercept any American shipping coming to Europe. 

It is possible that this possible threat played into Britain’s decision to expend quite a bit of energy trying to get Ireland to join the Allies. Winston Churchill dangled the possibility of a free and united Ireland before then-President Éamon de Valera, but understandably de Valera questioned his sincerity.

Churchill’s efforts didn’t see fruit. The Irish Free State, as it was known then, declared a neutral stance while quietly helping the Allies. The first American soldiers to join the war landed in Ireland, and American planes were allowed to refuel at Shannon Airport. German soldiers who survived a downed plane or shipwreck were held in detention by the Irish for the duration of the war, while similar Allied soldiers were sent on their merry way to continue the fight. A tower was built near Ballyconneely in Connemara to keep a lookout for German ships. The IRA however, having been bitterly opposed to any cooperation with the British despite the Anglo-Irish treaty, toyed with support of Nazi Germany as they still considered Britain a common enemy. 

Oh, and Nazis didn’t invade Ireland as it turns out.