The situation for the RAF was complicated. Officially, the Irish interned any RAF crews that landed in Ireland. However, by the middle of the war, they were quietly allowing them to return to Northern Ireland and thence back to their units. However, German crews were interned for the duration, with pressure from the British and Americans to do so for “security reasons”
Overflights around coastal waters did happen with unofficial permission. As did RAF flights over the tips of Eire bordering Northern Ireland. It all had to be kept hush hush because otherwise Eire would have lost its neautrality status - something Germany constantly threatened. But unlike the Germans, the Allies had greater influence because Ireland needed their shipping for foos and supplies.
A couple of excellent books are:
Guests of the State by T.Ryle Dwyer (about internment of aircrews)
and
In Time of War: Ireland, Ulster and the Price of Neutrality, 1939-45 by Robert Fisk
Yes, I did know that Ireland was “neutral” and there was nothing in my post that indicated anything different. I don’t need to look it up. I also saw your “proof”. Let me think if I can make you understand my point, which you obviously didn’t get before. Putting Ireland’s “neutrality” aside, most Allied and neutral countries had elements of their population that, not only sympathized with the Nazis, but were indeed Nazis. Therefore, it isn’t surprising to me that there were people in Ireland that also favored the Nazis and that enjoyed the fact that Britain got its behind kicked around a little. However, to simplify the Irish people’s and government’s motivations into some notion that this happened just because of the “domination” of Britain and the US over Ireland is rather ludicrous.
Perhaps it is also worth mentioning that, in spite of the official neutrality of Ireland, it is estimated that some 70,000 Irish men volunteered to fight in the British Armed Forces in addition to the 50,000 or so Northern Irish men that also fought for the British. Therefore, it is also obvious that, in spite of any resentment towards the British, many Irish people sided with the Allies.
Now, after the war, Nazis that saw the need to run away went to many different countries. Those countries included several South American countries, England, the US, Spain, etc. Again, it doesn’t surprise me that there were some in Ireland also.
I guess my position on this is “So what?” It isn’t a shocking revelation. Are we supposed to feel that we have to prescribe a moral indictment on Ireland for having Nazis among them? In the long list of culprits, Ireland is right at the bottom, as far as I’m concerned.
Yep Krad actually i think this show that the Allies fought against the German machine instead to go to punish the the nazis for their crimes , allowing most of them to live many years in peace . I think we should be more shocked by nazis in US and England instead of such in Ireland and other countries , because wasn’t they the biggest opponenst fighting for freedom and justice ?? hmm something is not right and smell fishy here
Ireland had less Nazis then Britain and the USA. Irish sailors radioed German uboat sighting to the Royal Navy and it was Winston Churchill who asked for the stop to allied pows “finding their way” to the north as it brought German attention to the Republic even though he told Éamon de Valera “it was now or never” take it as you will. I have still to meet an Irish Nazi and i mean a true Nazi not this neo crap. We supported the Hun but NOT the Nazi. People like Otto Skorzeny did live here (Interesting story about him and the gas man who served in the British army) and another man who went on to start a book company that would become the suppler to state run schools. The main point is Ireland Did Not Support Nazi Germany.
Although a member of the British Commonwealth, Ireland (Eire) remained neutral throughout the war. The Prime Minister, Eamonn De Valera, refused repeated requests by Britain for the use of port facilities at Cobh, Berehaven and Lough Swilly on the west coast of Ireland during the Battle of the Atlantic, ports that Britain considered essential to her survival at that time. When De Valera refused to order all German and Japanese diplomats out of the country London cancelled all travel between the Irish Republic and Britain on March 12, 1944. This could have been for security reasons prior to the Normandy landings. In December, 1941, Hitler had considered invading Ireland and using it as a platform for the assault on the British mainland. If this had proceeded it would have marked the end for Britain. It was Admiral Raeder who changed Hitler’s mind, pointing out that in the face of Britain’s huge naval superiority it was quite out of the question. The help De Valera gave the Germans was to refuse Britain the use of airfields and submarine bases in Ireland which would have set back the U-boat operations in the Atlantic.
The use of the Berehaven port for instance would have enabled our anti-submarine escorts to operate a further 180 miles out into the Atlantic. During the ‘Emergency’ enlistment in the British Army however, was popular and around 42,000 Irishmen joined the armed forces or went to sea in the Merchant Navy. Eight won the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award. These servicemen, when returning home on leave had to wear civilian clothes to avoid any embarrassment should they come home in a British uniform. If they had so, Eire would have to intern them as foreign combatants under International law. Thousands more went to England to work in British munitions factories during the war. Whenever an Irishman died in battle he was reported in the press as having died while working in Britain. (On May 2, 1945, de Valera called at the German legation in Dublin and expressed his condolences for the death of Hitler. It was his foreign affairs department who wrongly advised him that it was the right thing to do. (In neutral Portugal flags were flown at half mast after the government ordered two days of national mourning).
Ya, so?..I thought it was interesting and wanted to share it. I wasn’t asking for any credit or applause for it. Next time I’ll post an analysis of the article based on a subjective assessment of the pro’s and con’s as it affects mainstream society:shock:
no no…I apologize if that was the perception. I thought that if we found interesting articles related to certain threads that it was ok to do this. If this is taken in a wrong way, I apologize. I posted newspaper articles before as have others about war stuff so i thought it was ok?Anyways if the perception is otherwise perhaps I shall make a point of the exact source of the contribution so there is no misunderstanding . is that ok?
