Operation Green (Ireland) facts for kids
Operation Green (German: Unternehmen Grün) was a secret plan by Nazi Germany. It was a detailed plan for a possible invasion of Ireland during World War II. This plan was meant to support a bigger invasion called Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe), which was the plan to invade the United Kingdom.
Even though Operation Green was very detailed, many historians believe it was mostly a trick. It was designed to make the British military worry, rather than being a real invasion attempt. To counter this, the British military secretly worked with the Irish government to create their own plan, called Plan W. This plan was for British forces to occupy all of Ireland if the Germans invaded.
Germany's main goal during the war was to invade the Soviet Union in an operation called Operation Barbarossa. They didn't want to use too many soldiers in places like Britain or France. They only did what was needed to stop Britain and France from interfering with their main goal.
General der Artillerie Leonhard Kaupisch was responsible for carrying out Operation Green. The idea for the plan might have come from Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock. Thirty-two copies of the plan were made and marked "Top Secret" in August 1940. Some of these copies still exist today.
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Was it a real plan or a trick?
Operation Green was created in mid-1940. The plan was finished in August 1940, just three weeks after Hitler first ordered planning for Operation Sea Lion. The plan was shared widely and even talked about publicly between 1940 and 1941.
By 1942, the Irish military even got a copy of the plan through the British. Irish military intelligence then translated it into English. This made some people suspect that the Germans wanted the British to hear about Operation Green. They might have wanted to create a "bogeyman" (something to scare them) on Britain's western side.
There is some truth to this idea. A German general named Walter Warlimont remembered a secret order from June 1940. This order told German forces to mislead the enemy about a possible invasion of neutral Ireland. They wanted to spread rumors that Germany was preparing to land in Ireland. This would make Britain feel more surrounded and under siege. These efforts might have made Britain more worried. It could have led Britain to try hard to convince the Irish government to join the Allies and give up its neutrality.
Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, head of the German Navy, was not very excited about Operation Green. He also had doubts about Operation Sea Lion. His main worries were about Germany's naval strength and how to resupply any troops that landed in Ireland.
He said that if German troops landed in Ireland, they would be cut off. The land in Ireland would not protect them much. Without supplies and more soldiers, they would soon face strong British forces. These British forces would come over with the help of the powerful British Navy. He thought German troops would end up like those at Namsos or Dunkirk, meaning they would be trapped or forced to retreat.
So, Operation Green was seen as a very risky plan by the German High Command. Kaupisch continued planning for it but seemed to stop preparations in late 1940. From his point of view, Green had become just a trick. This idea is supported by a warning given to German forces in the plan: "The 'Green' operation is a completely new task for us. There are no past examples to follow. In many cases, troops will have to take care of themselves. Each commander must find a way to reach their goal. Everything depends on teamwork, and each person's quick thinking and ability to act alone. Trust in German leadership and soldiers should be the base of this operation."
The outlook for German ground forces in Operation Green was not good. They had no experience with large-scale amphibious warfare (landings from the sea). They might have to fight and survive without new supplies, artillery support, or air cover. They would also be among people who might not like them. They would also have to fight against British troops coming from Northern Ireland and from Great Britain. These problems were probably okay for Hitler, but not for Admiral Raeder. He did not agree that Ireland could be a "back door" into Britain with the German forces they had.
Operation Sea Lion was first delayed until Spring 1941, then completely cancelled in February 1943. Because of this, Operation Green also became unimportant.
How detailed was Operation Green?
German spies in Ireland only started gathering information in mid-1939. However, Operation Green was very thorough. This was probably because German civilians living in Ireland during the 1930s had already collected a lot of information. The fact that the plan was finished just days after it was ordered shows how well the planning staff put the information together.
Hitler still hoped to make peace with Britain. So, he didn't allow German spies to work in Britain from 1936 to 1938. Even when they tried to gather information in Britain after France fell, it often went badly. Examples include Operation Lobster I and Operation Seagull.
As Operation Sea Lion was delayed and then cancelled, the planning staff kept updating Operation Green. They added more details with each new version.
Details in the plan
The full Operation Green plan came in five books. Each book focused on a different military topic. For example, one book was 75 pages long and called "Military Geographical data on Ireland." This book described Ireland's borders, size, history, industries, transport, plants, climate, and weather. It also had 17 pages of detailed drawings of 233 cities, towns, and villages. It included 120 photos and maps of 25 cities and towns, even listing street names and addresses of garage owners.
A second version of the plan in October 1941 added 332 photos of the Irish countryside and coast. Most of these were tourist photos. They were used with very accurate maps. There were also details about tides, rock formations, and possible routes for German troops from the invasion beaches. Another update in 1942, made by the German Air Force High Command (OKL), included high-altitude aerial photos. Some of these photos were taken from 30,000 feet, showing houses and trees.
Despite all this detail, much of the information was old or incomplete. For example, the Galway–Clifden railway was described as working, but it had closed in 1935. Ireland was also called perfect for military operations because of its "excellent network of roads." Details about cities like Derry and Belfast were correct, but they didn't include information about British troops stationed there. On the other hand, the Ardnacrusha power station on the River Shannon was fully detailed. This was thanks to the German company Siemens, which had built it before the war.
Military goals of Plan Green
Operation Green is sometimes confused with a plan written by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The IRA sent their plan to German Intelligence in August 1940. The German spies later called it "Plan Kathleen." Operation Green and Plan Kathleen are not the same. Operation Green only talks about Ireland's military strength, not its politics. It does not mention the IRA. It's likely that even if the planners wanted to include the IRA, they wouldn't have gotten accurate information from the German spies.
Green's role in Operation Sea Lion
Setting aside the idea that Green might have been a trick, its military goals were meant to help Operation Sea Lion. If Sea Lion succeeded, Operation Green was expected to be the next step. Green aimed to achieve several military goals:
- To make British Army troops in Northern Ireland move away. This would stop them from helping defend Britain.
- To prevent Ireland from being a safe place or stopping point for British troops.
- To provide a base for German Air Force planes to attack northern Britain.
If Operation Sea Lion was successful, Green was expected to follow. The plan did not include how to set up a government in Ireland. However, it did mention "rounding up of dissidents." Dublin was listed as one of six German administrative headquarters. These would be set up on the two islands after Sea Lion was completed.
How the plan would be carried out
The invasion force for Green would start from French ports like Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, and Nantes. The first force would be about 3,900 troops. Their target was an 85-mile stretch of Ireland's southern coast, between Wexford and Dungarvan. After capturing these ports, German units would fight their way up to 30 miles inland. They would set up a secure area from Gorey to Clonmel.
The first landings would include artillery, commando units, and a motorized infantry battalion. A bridge-building battalion would also land, along with three anti-aircraft companies. Several "raiding patrols" would test Irish Army defenses. Reserve German divisions would then take over occupation duties in the Gorey-Dungarvan area. The rest of the plan's details seem unclear. They likely depended on whether Operation Sea Lion succeeded in Britain.
Amphibious landings
Possible landing spots in Green included the Waterford-Wexford area (which was preferred). Other options were the estuary of the River Shannon near Limerick, Galway Bay, Donegal Bay (with Killala, Ballina, and Sligo), Lough Foyle (with Derry), the 'Bay of Belfast' (Belfast Lough), and Cobh in Cork.
The landings would use ships available in occupied France. However, there were very few ships, and Operation Sea Lion had priority. This was another reason why Admiral Raeder was not happy with Green. Operation Green was expected to use over 50,000 German troops. Sea Lion was expected to use 160,000. But for Green, the Germans only found two steamships and three small coasters in France.
It's also important to note that to reach Ireland, the ships would have had to sail around the British coast near Cornwall. Every ship in Operation Green was to carry anti-aircraft weapons. This shows that the planners expected the Royal Air Force (RAF) to attack them. However, air cover from the German Air Force in West France was planned as part of Sea Lion.
Irish defenses against Green
Plan W It was expected that Irish forces would fight back against the initial invasion. Landing craft and ships carrying German troops were to have guns facing forward. Invading troops were told to take defensive positions right away if they came under fire. They were only to retreat in the most serious emergencies.
There were some gaps in the German planning. For example, the plans for invading Cobh (a possible landing area) did not include details about the large artillery defenses there. These weapons were part of the defenses of the Treaty Ports, which Britain had given to Irish forces in 1938.
Operation Green only dealt with the invasion plan. It did not include details on how to control the population or conquer the entire island. However, some people in Ireland supported Nazi Germany. This was because they were still angry about past British rule and the recent division of the country. The unclear nature of the plan suggests it was more of a diversionary attack. But once the German forces committed, it might have been hard for them to pull back.
IRA involvement
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had no involvement or prior knowledge of Operation Green. However, the possibility of such a plan might have been on the minds of Seán Russell and his Chief of Staff Stephen Hayes. Russell is known to have contacted the German Foreign Ministry and German spies while in Berlin. Hayes is known to have approved Plan Kathleen before it was given to the German spies in Berlin in August 1940.
However, no orders were given to German agents to gather information on Ireland for Operation Green. This might be because the planners felt they already had enough military information. But it's more likely that Green, even though detailed, was created very quickly. Later versions of the plan did not include any information from the IRA. Instead, they only added details from public reference books and information from German civilians who had worked in Ireland in the 1930s.
See also
- The Emergency (Ireland)
- Oskar Metzke
- IRA Abwehr World War II
German spy operations involving Ireland
