48 hours after the initial landings and the taking of Cork, German troops would be at the gates of Dublin. The occupation is swift as the 4th and 7th Army Corps easily overwhelm the Irish resistance. A Gauleiter is put in place as the head of the city as the Nazis take over what was considered one of the six administrative centres of the British Isles.
As it was so far from the Reich, the occupation in Ireland would mainly be left to its own devices. Shelter, food and fuel would be taken from the Irish population by force. Resistance would not be tolerated. The Irish Army was only approx. 6,000 strong so an invasion force of a fair size would easily be able to dispose of the Isle’s poorly equipped army.With Ireland now under the Germans, bombing raids on Britain from both directions could have overwhelmed the RAF.
So, what would the British have had to have done in this situation? Invade Ireland first of course!
Known as Plan W, General Montgomery drew up plans to cross the Irish Sea and seize the Emerald Isle before the Germans could get their hands on it. Plan Kathleen was also in the pipeline to occupy and defend Northern Ireland.
Luckily, there was never any need for this potential costly operation as Ireland remained virtually unscathed during the war. Neutrality and its geographical location protected the country from a possible invasion. The biggest reason of all though, has to be the skill and bravery of the RAF who prevented Operation Sealion from ever taking place.
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
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