Operation Lobster I facts for kids

Operation Lobster I (called Unternehmen Hummer I in German) was a secret plan by the Abwehr. The Abwehr was Germany's military intelligence service. This plan aimed to send three German agents into Ireland in July 1940. It was part of a larger group of secret missions called Operation Lobster during World War II.

Secret Agents Sent to Ireland

Choosing the Agents and Their Boat

The first person chosen for this mission was Christian Nissen. He was also known as Hein Mueck. In June 1940, Nissen was asked to find a boat. This boat needed to carry three agents to Ireland. Nissen had served in World War I. He knew the area around Ireland well from being held there as a prisoner.

Nissen chose a fancy yacht named Soizic. It was 36 feet long. The boat was made to look like a French fishing vessel. Even though it was missing its propeller, Nissen believed it could reach Ireland using only its sails.

The Mission Team

Three men were picked for the mission. Two were German from South Africa: Herbert Tributh and Dieter Gärtner. The third was Indian national Henry Obéd. Their job was to travel to England to gather secret information, also known as espionage. Tributh and Gärtner were students and did not speak English very well. Obéd was supposed to be their guide and help them with language. Obéd strongly disliked the British. He had worked for the Abwehr before. A fisherman from Brittany joined the crew on the day they left to help Nissen with navigation.

The Soizic left on July 3, 1940. It was headed for Fastnet Rock near Baltimore Bay in County Cork, Ireland. The boat flew the French flag. On the third day, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Fastnet Rock, two British warships were seen. A British seaplane flew over the yacht. But the Soizic continued without trouble to Baltimore Bay. Nissen waited there for nightfall.

Capture of the Agents

Landing in Ireland

The three agents got into a small dinghy. They landed on the shore on July 7, 1940. No one challenged them. They landed near Traspaleen Sound, Castletownshend. They carried suitcases full of equipment given to them by the Abwehr. They were supposed to split up right away and try to get into Britain. They had no orders to contact any German officials in Ireland.

Arrest by Irish Police

Later that day, the three men were still together. They asked some local people for the fastest way to get to Dublin. They were told to go to Skibbereen. The men took a bus there. Then they got a ride to Drimoleague. There, the Garda Síochána (Irish police) stopped them. The agents were trying to take a bus to Cork.

The police asked to check their luggage and who they were. The agents said they were students on a sightseeing trip. But they could not prove their story. They were arrested. The police officers called Dublin for help. Special police officers, called Special Branch, came to interview the men. They quickly found out the men were foreign agents. They likely did this by searching their luggage.

What Was Found in Their Luggage

The luggage contained several items:

• Eight small bombs: These were called incendiary bombs. They weighed eight ounces each. They were made of paper tubes filled with a chemical called thermite.
• Four tins of gun cotton: This is a type of explosive material. The tins weighed a total of 102 ounces (2.9 kg). Each tin was labeled 'Carres French Peas'.
• Six detonators: These are devices used to set off explosives. They were hidden in wooden containers that looked like fishing reels.
• Six lengths of safety fuse, two rolls of electrical tape, and two cutting pliers.
• Money: They had a total of £829 in currency.

Each of the men was sentenced to seven years of hard labor.

German Reaction to the Capture

The Abwehr's daily records for July 18, 1940, noted: "A message was received from Dr. Hempel. He was the head of the German office in Dublin. It said that agents from Operation Lobster I had been arrested. The equipment they carried was proof against them. Because of this, the director decided that future secret acts against England would not go through Ireland. They would go directly to England."

Dr. Hempel was very upset about the failed mission. First, he had not known about it at all. Second, he worried about how it would affect the delicate relationship between Germany and Ireland. Hempel was right to be concerned. The operation made Irish military intelligence (G2 Branch) more worried. It also led to them working with British intelligence (MI5) for the rest of the war.

After returning to France, Nissen told his local Abwehr office that his mission was successful. He then went to north-western Brittany. He waited there for his next mission to Ireland, which was Operation Lobster II.

IRA Involvement

There was no known involvement or knowledge of Operation Lobster I by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the time of the mission.

See also

• Operation Green (Ireland)
• IRA Abwehr World War II - Main article on IRA Nazi links