Plan W: Difference between revisions

After the [[German invasion of Belgium (1940)|invasion of Belgium]] and [[Battle of the Netherlands|the Netherlands]], the British were convinced that an invasion of Ireland would come from the air, via [[paratrooper]]s. They were not satisfied with the Irish government's defence capability, particularly against airborne troops. The topic of reoccupying the 26 counties of Ireland had been a matter of political conversation in Britain since the beginning of the war. In June 1940, [[Malcolm MacDonald]] offered to "give back" the six counties comprising [[Northern Ireland]] – an offer of [[Irish reunification|Irish unity]] – if Ireland would join with the Allies, but the offer was not taken seriously. The same month Major General [[Bernard Montgomery|Bernard "Monty" Montgomery]] was busy planning the seizure<ref>See [[Robert Fisk]]'s ''In Time of War: Ireland, Ulster and the Price of Neutrality, 1939–1945'' (1996). London: Gill & Macmillan. {{ISBN|0-7171-2411-8}} — (1st ed. was 1983) p. 241. Cobh was to be attacked by the [[British 3rd Infantry Division]] so that the [[Cork Harbour]] could be used as a naval base for the anti-submarine war in the Atlantic, the plan was eventually dropped as one division was not considered enough of a force to reoccupy this part of the State.</ref> of what he referred to as "Cork and Queenstown ([[Cobh]]) in [[Southern Ireland (1921–22)|Southern Ireland]]" ''(sic)''. [[Winston Churchill]] was to also refer to the "... most heavy and grievous burden placed upon Britain by the Royal Navy's exclusion from the three [[Treaty ports (Ireland)|Treaty Ports]] [in Ireland]."<ref name="fisk242">Fisk p. 242</ref> ''[[The Economist]]'' reported that Britain should seize the ports if they become "a matter of life and death".<ref name="fisk242"/> The remarks were made in the face of mounting losses in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]].