Operation Green (Ireland) facts for kids
Operation Green (German: Unternehmen Grün), also called Case Green or Plan Green, was a secret plan by Nazi Germany to invade Ireland during World War II. An unknown German officer, called "Hadel," created this plan. It was meant to help with Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe), which was the German plan to invade the United Kingdom.
Even though Operation Green was very detailed, many people think it was just a trick. It might have been designed to make the British military worried, not to be a real invasion. To prepare for any German attack, the British Armed Forces secretly made their own plan, called Plan W. This plan was about taking over all of the Irish Free State with the help of the Irish government.
Germany's main goal during World War II was Operation Barbarossa, which was the invasion of the Soviet Union. They did not want to use too many soldiers or supplies in Britain or France. They only wanted to do what was needed to stop Britain and France from getting in the way of their plans for the Soviet Union.
General der Artillerie Leonhard Kaupisch was in charge of carrying out Operation Green. He commanded parts of the German Fourth and Seventh Army. The idea for Operation Green likely came from Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock. He was in charge of the western side of the German army during Operation Sea Lion. On August 8, 1940, thirty-two copies of the plan were sent out as "Top Secret" to the German High Command. Some of these copies still exist today.
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Was it a Real Plan or a Trick?
Operation Green was thought up in early 1940, and the plan was finished in August 1940. This was less than three weeks after Hitler first ordered Operation Sea Lion on July 16, 1940. The plan was shared widely and even talked about in public between 1940 and 1941. By 1942, the Irish military even got a copy of Green through the British military. Irish Military Intelligence G2 Branch then translated it into English.
This made some people wonder if the Germans were just trying to trick the British. There was some truth to this idea. For example, Generalmajor Walter Warlimont remembered a special order from June 28, 1940. This order told German forces to mislead their enemies about a possible invasion of neutral Ireland. The goal was to spread rumors that Germany was getting ready to land in Ireland. This would make Britain feel even more surrounded. These efforts might have made Britain very worried. It also led Britain to try hard to convince the Irish government to stop being neutral and join the Allies.
Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, who led the German Navy, was not very excited about Operation Green. He had similar doubts about Operation Sea Lion. He was worried about how strong the German navy was and how they would get supplies to any soldiers who landed in Ireland. He said that without supplies and more soldiers, their troops would soon be in trouble. They would face a situation like the Namsos or Dunkirk battles.
Because of these concerns, Operation Green was seen as a "worst-case scenario" for the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), which was the German High Command. Kaupisch was supposed to keep planning and training for Sea Lion and Green. However, he seemed to stop preparations in late 1940 and never went back to them. From his point of view, Green had become just a trick. This idea is supported by a warning given to German soldiers in the plan: "The 'Green' operation is a completely new task. 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 his goal. Everything depends on teamwork, and on each person's quick thinking and ability to act alone. Trust in German leadership and soldiers should be the basis of this operation."
This shows that the outlook for German ground forces in 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 have to fight against British troops coming from Northern Ireland and from Great Britain. These problems were probably okay for Hitler, but not for Raeder. He did not believe Ireland could be a "back door" into Britain with the German forces they had.
Operation Sea Lion was first moved to Spring 1941 on October 12, 1940. Then, it was completely canceled on February 13, 1943. Because of this, Operation Green also became unimportant.
How Detailed Was Operation Green?
Even though German spies in Ireland only started gathering information in mid-1939, Operation Green was very detailed. This was probably because German civilians living in Ireland during the 1930s had collected a lot of information. The fact that the plan for Green was finished just days after it was ordered shows how good the planning staff were at putting all the information together.
Hitler hoped to make peace with Britain. Because of this, he did not let German spies gather information in Britain from 1936 to 1938. Even when they tried to spy in Britain after the fall of France, it usually went very badly. Examples include Operation Lobster I and Operation Seagull. As Sea Lion was delayed and then stopped, the planning staff made two more versions of Green, adding more details each time.
Details in the Plan
The full plan for Green came in five books, each about a different military topic. One good example of the detail was a 75-page booklet called "Militärgeographische Angaben über Irland" ("Military Geographical data on Ireland"). This booklet described Ireland's borders, size, history, industries, roads, plants, weather, and climate. It also had 17 pages of detailed drawings of 233 cities, towns, and villages, with a list of terms. The booklet came with 120 photos. Extra parts included street maps of 25 cities and towns, with street names and even 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 Ordnance Survey maps. There were also details about high tides, rock formations, and possible paths German troops could take from the invasion beaches. Another addition in a later version of the plan in 1942, made by the OKL (German Air Force High Command), was called "Küsten-Beschreibung des Irischen Freistaates (Irland)" ("Coastal description of the Irish Free State"). This part had aerial photos of the areas, some taken from 30,000 feet high, where houses and trees could be seen.
Despite all this detail, much of the information was old or not complete. For example, the Galway–Clifden railway was described as working, but it had closed in 1935. Ireland was also called perfect for military actions because of its "excellent network of roads." Details about cities like Derry and Belfast were correct, but they did not say how many British troops were in those cities. On the other hand, the Ardnacrusha power station on the lower River Shannon was fully detailed in the plan. 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 (Abwehr) in August 1940. The German spies later called the IRA's plan "Plan Kathleen" and the German Foreign Ministry called it "Operation Artus." It is important not to confuse Green and Plan Kathleen. Operation Green only talks about military strength in Ireland, not about Irish politics. Green does not mention the IRA in its military estimates. Even if the planners wanted to include details about the IRA, they probably would not have gotten accurate information from the Abwehr.
Green's Role in Sea Lion
Putting aside the idea that Green might have been a trick, its military goals fit well with Operation Sea Lion. If Sea Lion was successful, Operation Green was meant to achieve several military goals:
- To make British Army troops in Northern Ireland move away from Britain, so they could not help defend Britain.
- To stop Ireland from being a safe place or a starting point for British troops.
- To provide a base for the German Air Force to attack northern Britain.
If Operation Sea Lion succeeded, Green was expected to be the next step. The plan did not include details for setting up a government in Ireland. However, it did mention "rounding up of dissidents" (people who disagreed with them). Dublin was listed as one of six German administrative headquarters that would be set up on the two islands after Sea Lion was completed.
How the Plan Would Work
The German troops for Green would start from the French ports of Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, and Nantes. The first group would have 3,900 soldiers. Their target was an 85-mile stretch of the southern coast of Ireland between Wexford and Dungarvan. After capturing the ports there, German units were expected to fight up to 30 miles inland. They would set up a secure area from Gorey on the Wexford-Dublin road, across Mount Leinster (2,610 feet high) above Borris, County Carlow, through Thomastown in County Kilkenny, to Clonmel in County Tipperary.
The first landings would include artillery (big guns), commando units, and a motorized infantry battalion (soldiers who move in vehicles). A bridge-building battalion would also land, along with three anti-aircraft companies and several "raiding patrols" to check Irish Army defenses. Reserve soldiers from the German 61st, 72nd, and 290th Divisions would take over guarding duties in the Gorey-Dungarvan area once it was secure. The rest of the plan's details seem unclear from this point on. They likely depended on whether Operation Sea Lion succeeded in Britain.
Landing by Sea
Places considered for beach landings in Green included the Waterford-Wexford area (which was preferred), 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 were supposed to use ships available in occupied France at the time. However, there were not many ships, and Operation Sea Lion had priority. This was another reason why Raeder was not happy with Green. Operation Green was expected to use over 50,000 German troops, and Sea Lion was expected to use 160,000. But for Green, the Germans only found two steamships around the northwestern ports of France: the French Versailles and the German Eule. They also found three small coastal ships: Mebillo, Clio, and Franzine.
It is also important to remember that to get to Ireland, the ships would have had to sail around the British coast near Cornwall. Every ship taking part in Green was supposed 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's West of France Air Command was planned as part of Sea Lion.
Irish Defenses Against Green
It was expected that Irish forces would fight back against the first invasion. Landing craft and ships carrying German troops were to have guns facing forward. Invading troops were told to take defensive positions as soon as they were attacked. They were only to retreat in the most serious emergencies.
There were some gaps in the German planning. For example, the plans for attacking Cobh (as a possible landing area in Green) did not include details about the 9.2-inch and 6-inch artillery defenses there. These weapons were part of the defenses of the Treaty Ports, which the British had given to Irish forces in 1938.
Green only dealt with the invasion plan. It did not include details on how to control the people or take over the whole island. However, some Irish people supported Nazi Germany 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 trick to distract the enemy than a real attempt to take over the island. However, once committed, it might have been hard for the German forces to pull back.
IRA's Role
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Ireland had no part in or knowledge of Operation Green. However, it is likely that Sean Russell and his acting Chief of Staff Stephen Hayes thought such a plan was possible. Russell is known to have contacted the German Foreign Ministry and German spies while he was in Berlin. Hayes is known to have approved Plan Kathleen before it was sent to the German spies in Berlin in August 1940.
However, German spies were not given orders to gather information on Ireland for Operation Green. This might be because the planners felt they already had enough military information. But it is more likely because 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 publicly available books and information given by German civilians who had worked in Ireland during the 1930s.
See also
- The Emergency
- Oskar Metzke
- IRA Abwehr World War II — Main article on IRA Nazi links
German Spy Operations in Ireland
