Operation Innkeeper facts for kids

Operation Innkeeper (which means "Unternehmen Gastwirt" in German) was a secret plan during World War II. It was created in the autumn of 1941 by Germany. The goal was to send two Irish spies to London. Their mission was to cause damage, also known as sabotage.

This plan was never carried out. It was stopped before it could begin.

The Secret Spy Plan

Operation Innkeeper aimed to send two special agents to London. These agents were from Ireland. They were supposed to work for the Abwehr. The Abwehr was Germany's main spy agency during World War II.

One of the chosen agents was a man named John Codd. He was Irish. The British Army had captured him in 1940. He was then trained by the Germans. The agents learned important skills. This included how to use radios for secret messages. They also learned how to carry out sabotage. Sabotage means secretly damaging things like factories or roads.

Why the Plan Didn't Work

Even though the agents were trained, Operation Innkeeper was cancelled. This happened because Germany had trouble finding and training good Irish agents. They had a special place called Friesack Camp. Here, they tried to train Irish people to become spies.

However, this training effort did not go well. Germany found it hard to get suitable people. Because of these problems, the entire plan for Operation Innkeeper was stopped. It was never put into action.

See also

• IRA Abwehr World War II - Information about connections between the IRA and Germany during World War II.
• Friesack Camp - A place where German forces trained agents.