As it’s VE day it is probably timely for me to post a bit about “In Time of War“, Robert Fisk’s account of “Ireland, Ulster and the price of neutrality, 1939-1945″. Chapter 7 covers the miltary plans prepared by each side and the Irish government for war on this Island. It gives an inkling of the “what if” of Ireland having become a battlefield in the second world war.

The German plan for invasion was Fall Grün, or “Plan Green”. This would have seen an initial force of around 4000 men land from France along the coast from Wexford to Dungarvan. After taking the ports there, commandos and light infantry would push inland about 30 miles to a line running from Gorey across to Clonmel. The general impression is that this was to be a diversionary attack during the main invasion of Britain – Operation Sea Lion.

There was a later suggestion of an airbrorne invasion of Northern Ireland with over 30,000 men. This was proposed by General Kurt Student the man who later lead the successful airborne invasion of Crete in 1941. The plan talked of a retreat to the south in the event of a defeat where the soldiers would be interned. But it is more likely that it would have led to the activation of the British “Plan W” and our entry into to war (ironically to help “liberate” the six counties).

There was a secret agreement between the Irish and British governments on cooperation in the event of German attack. The British plan for this was “Plan W”. This envisaged a German attack in the South, probably towards Cork. Dev’s government would then be able to call for assistance through a series of code words giving direct access to the British government and military command.

Assistance would have come from the British 53rd Division, based in the north. This would have moved south to Dublin along three routes. The rush would be to cross the Boyne before the Luftwaffe could destroy the bridges there, and particularly the railway viaduct at Drogheda. As British fighter squadrons were transferred to Baldonnell and Collinstown, a troop rail head was to be set up by Fairyhouse to receive men and material coming from Belfast.

There are also hints that Plan-W was the nucleus for a British invasion. It describes cooperation from Irish army units as being expected “if friendly”. In places it provides details of Irish defenses at the border, information that would only be of needed if the British army was fighting its way across.

The Irish government’s plans were to fight whoever attacked first. This was aspirational at best. The army was willing in spirit but poorly equipped. The regular army had been supplemented by the new Local Defense Force (LDF). But they were critically short of guns and ammunition. 100,000 had no weapons. The other 20,000 had only 100 rounds each.

There were no tanks and only 4 modern fighter aircraft available. A tentative offer from Germany of British weapons taken at Dunkirk was wisely turned down the Dev. But the British government were reluctant to supply weapons to the only country in the Commonwealth (technically) that had remained neutral. And the Americans, at Britain’s insistence, would not supply weapons either.

In all likelyhood conventional defense would have lasted a few days at best, or even only hours before we were overwhelmed. In the north of the country there was to be a defensive line from Longford to Louth. The second line was to run along the Boyne. This was to be held by General Hugo McNeill’s 2nd Division. In the south the main line of defense was to be the river Blackwater running across Cork. This was to be held by the 1st Irish Division and General Michael Joe Costello.

Perhaps reflecting the fact that so many of the senior army and government figures had fought in the War of Independence and the Civil War, defensive plans called for units to split up and start “guerilla resistance” after delaying actions. But as experience in continental Europe showed, Nazi reprisals for guerilla attacks were an order of magnitude more severe than anything the Black and Tans carried out.

An Irish army war game on the defense of Dublin was carried out in June 1941. The initial defense of the city was on a perimeter from Raheny strand to the Pheonix park, down to Terenure and back to Booterstown. In the event this was forced, the inner defense line was to be from Mountjoy to Kilmainham and back to the sea. If the army was pushed back from there the north side of the city was to be abandoned. The final stand would have taken place in the area between Leeson street and the Liffey, in a defense of Dublin Castle, Trinity and Leinster House.

We all can be very grateful that this desperate outcome never came to pass. For this reason amongst others, we all should salute those that made VE day happen.