Quite apart from the British Cabinet's lack of evidence, our reader's father suggested that the fuel storage tanks in the Republic might in fact be part of a smuggling racket between Eire and Northern Ireland (which, by the way, still continues). He was right. Was there rationing in Ireland during ww2? . He sneaked a look and discovered these were U-boat officers, whose craft were laying up in remote inlets on the coast, come ashore for unofficial R and R, and wearing their uniforms because Ireland was neutral.". A former Irishman's Diarist was among those responsible for defending Irish ports during the Emergency. This story was updated in 2023. Favourite haunts were Molly's Bar, Arnolds Hotel and McGilloway's. I've never heard this. Robert Fisk. I've gained a sudden interest in U-Boats recently and haven't found a ton of information on them. On the other hand, he quoted then recently released Cabinet papers that might fit with the Quilty case, in which the British suggested that U-boats may occasionally have landed crews for purposes of relaxation and obtaining fresh provisions. The Royal Navy carried out the operation, and planned to tow the submarines to three areas about 100 miles (160 km) north-west of Ireland and sink them. 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Many British ships were repaired in Irish . But our reader's dad wasn't the only Brit to cross the border for rest and relaxation. The rest of Ireland had a Catholic, nationalist majority who wanted self-governance or independence. That said, if a U-Boat did dock in Ireland, it would be treated in line with international law. As for the rumoured U-boat incursions elsewhere: While this was going on, it was difficult to be patient with stories about German submarines openly refuelling at bases along the south and west coast., Fisk took the word of wartime minister for defence Frank Aiken who in 1979 told him: "No German U-boat landed on the Irish coast; if it had done, I think I would have heard about it.". by ChristopherPerrien 03 May 2007, 21:24, Post On May 9, another Coast Guard vessel sunk U-352 in the North Atlantic. by kamehouse 07 May 2007, 11:20, Post They sank shipping in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and attacked coastal targets in the Antilles. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Saturday 17 September 2011 00:00. Univ of South Carolina Press, 1994. The first Type XIV was U-459 (Georg von Wilamovitz-Moellendorff), commissioned in November 1941 and made her first patrol in April 1942. And our reader himself admits that "many of the suppositions about German forces in the Irish Republic may be down to the very German-looking uniforms used by the Irish at the time but which were changed in the 1940s". People in the Hamptons called to report the fire 27 miles away. This is absolutely true of the opening days of the war. Did German U-boats dock in Ireland? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Clay Blair's best-selling naval classic Silent Victory: The U.S. When the United States entered World War II, both sides understood the key to Allied victory would be the restoration of Americas industrial might. Thanks for this. One of eight U-boats that arrived in Londonderry after the German surrender in 1945. At the onset of World War II, the German high command wasted no time in sending U-boats to harass shipping along the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Discussions on all (non-biographical) aspects of the submarine forces of the Kriegsmarine. Our reader's dad "told me that one of the Irish landlords insisted he did not go into the snug since 'other gentlemen officers' were already there. are all persistant myths. And why do so many British people believe it? Hi Christopher,I didn't think of Argentina as an option but I am open to all suggestions. Ireland was indeed neutral and de Valera did his make his notorious condolence visit. Throughout Operation Drumbeat, the military said as little as possible about the U-boat attacks along the East Coast. 31 . He sneaked a look and discovered these were U-boat officers, whose craft were laying up in remote inlets on the coast, come ashore for unofficial R and R, and wearing their uniforms because Ireland was neutral.". So thoroughly did I check out every possible lead that I came up with three U-boat stories, at least one of which is absolutely copper-bottomed. Did german u boats refuel in ireland? The idea that Hitler fled to . Norwegian Allied troops also used German-style helmets in 1940 often prompting patriotic Englishmen to arrest them. On April 17, a Coast Guard cutter sank U-175 with depth charges while escorting a convoy south of Iceland. O'Sullivan said the crew had ribbons down the back of their hats this was a normal part of German naval rating's uniform and I thought this gave credibility to his memory. Newspapers had to report presumably, because the U.S. [], [] U-boats, sophisticated and much-feared maritime predators, traveled together in wolf packs to sink their targets. Which is what happened after Bloody Sunday, when the army's top brass decided to libel the dead. It's to soon on the way out, and on the way back, you've shot all your torpedoes well before you would need to refuel, and later in the war british naval and air power make the risk of detection to great. By the second half of April, Allied shipping losses fell by half. I found mention of something similar on the Dn Laoghaire Chat forum. Hardegen didnt even bother to submerge the U-boat. At the end of the month, all tankers were ordered into port. They begged or stole anything in reach one old man reputed to be worth thousands had trousers patched with paper. In May and June, there were only 87 U-boat attacks on U.S. shipping. An expert in explosives, the father was periodically responsible for supplying a tugboat called the Tamara, disguised as a fishing trawler but really (as Fisk recalled) searching for the U-boats presumed to frequent Irish ports. The U-boats killed 5,000 seamen and passengers, more than twice the number of people who perished at Pearl Harbor. British intelligence on Jan. 12 warned U.S. Navy headquarters that a group of U-boats was headed to Newfoundland and another to the American coast between Portland, Maine, and New York. The U-boats killed 5,000 . Where did you hear it? That changes though as Britain's position becomes more precarious. One of them, so they told me in the village of Inver, courted a girl who worked in a local post office. Many British ships were repaired in Irish shipyards. What is it called when you listen closely and pay attention to what someone is talking? Several Royal Navy officers regularly arrived in Donegal to go duck shooting at Drumbeg and Lough Eske in 1940. What 3 things do you do when you recognize an emergency situation? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In 1979, not long before he died, Frank Aiken, IRA veteran and wartime minister of "coordination for defensive measures" told me that "no German U-boat landed on the Irish coast if it had done, I think I would have heard about it.". Now this was after the cessation of WWII and they were going back to Germany. So they even admitted themselves that it was complete bullshit, speculation at best. When did Germans come to Ireland? By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Did Mexico fight in ww2; How good is Spain's military; Is Spain's Army strong. Author. If it's coming from that type of Brit, you can probably dismiss it out of hand. It was something, at least. Criticise them for bombing Yemen today? Despite being frequently encountered as rumours, no U-boats ever used Ireland as a refuelling base. More specifically, Archer was quoted by the British as saying that a U-boat called in "three times a week at a base at the mouth of the Doonbeg river, Co Clare". Our reader's dad, however, believed that the Tamara was on no wild goose chase. The U.S. military did not respond. The residents of Ballymore, a fishing village 3 miles west of Dingle, noticed a strange craft heading for the rock at Ventry harbour. [], [] two men belonged to the crew of a B-18 assigned to patrol the coast of New England. One of them, so they told me in the village of Inver, courted a girl who worked in a local post office. On the evening of Jan. 11, 1942, Reinhardt Hardegen, the audacious captain of U-boat 123, jumped the gun. So in the morning, I was recalling the activities of Gerry Adams and Brendan Hughes and Martin McGuinness whom I remember in Derry in 1972 as a cold, ruthless, rather frightening figure and in the afternoon, I was wading into the Saville report. (formerly the Public Record Office) show that a German agent was sent to Ireland to co-ordinate an operation which would see thousands of Nazi troops land at Larne . As Dr Macnamara summarised: They frequently at night would surface off Quilty, put on their civilian clothes and with the aid of a small dinghy row ashore and retire to Caseys pub for several pints of Guinness, before returning to their submarines. He spotted the big British freighter Cyclops, carrying Chinese sailors and cargo to the British Isles, 300 miles east of Cape Cod in Canadian waters.

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