"Guarding Neutral Ireland"

[Tychsen]

Some may wonder what this has really got to do with this forum , well not everything has to do with the scene of battles , the hardware and "the major players" / what awards they own.

This book is about the Irish Coasal watching Service and the Irish Military Intelligence Service (G2) , how they fucntioned , the information they gathered and how they used it - the Allies it would seem had access to quite a bit and Ireland from the outset although neutral and protecting her own interests leaned very much towards the british and the Allies camp.

No doubt one of the less well known aspects of history in WW2 but one which does shed much light on how a small neutral survived when caught between the actions and interests of the major powers.

I have read two chapters this morning since the book arrived , it is well written , it is without any doubt masterfully researched and it fills a hole in my knowledge of a little known aspect of what went on in my backyard .

Anyone interested in the battle of the Atlantic , Navl , Coastal / Fighter Commands or Luftwaffe operations off Ireland in WW2 this is well worth considering.
The author also takes a long hard look at the Luftwaffe raid which struck Dublin in 1941.

Copies are not easy to find so act quickly is my advice.

[SchnellMeyer]

Good post James and a book worth getting for sure .I have contact with the author and he has done great research on this topic. Thanks for posting.

[Tychsen]

The author has done a very good job of researching his subject , a few things I went looking for turned up with plenty of detail and background.

It has made me want to take a trip down to CBB when time allows to look for oner or two very specific incidents and what was observed at the time.

What I liked was the authors ability to place RAF sightings in the context of what was going on at the time - the areas of operation which aircraft were heading for and on the German side the reasons for their coming to operate off and to pass by Ireland's Coastline.

The Bismarck episode does get quite a bit of coverage which is understandable but in the end the Atlantic did not turn on that one ship , nor did it turn on her sister ship inspite of what Chiurchill said later.
( Although her loss did greatly restrict the groundrules which Hitler dictated thatcapital ships were to operate under ie - "no risk of serious damage or loss" he effectively robbed them of freedom of action ina all theatres of war and ultimately withdrew all units to Norway and homewaters in Feb. 1942 via "Operation Cerberus").

Folks might say this has an Axis interst with a small "a" but to go down that road is to sideline much of the background and actual events followed.