How Catholic was Hitler?

[Amarok]

I have to respectfully disagree about allies not planning an invasion

In 1940, Prime Minister Churchill directed the army to make preparations to storm the Republic of Ireland from the north to repel any Nazi assault along the southern coast of the island. Under terms of the plan, codenamed “W”, the British 53rd and 61st infantry divisions would be stationed near Belfast. If called into action, the former would move to secure Dublin and then race to the coast to attack any German beachheads, while the latter would move south down the west side of Ireland, securing port facilities before linking up with the 53rd. A brigade of Royal Marines waited in Wales with orders to cross over to Ireland and hold strategic bridges near Wexford in the southwest. In addition, three Hurricane squadrons and Anson bomber wings would be rushed to airfields near Dublin to pummel the invaders from the skies. London was explicit that the invasion would only be initiated if the Irish government asked for help, however British commanders didn’t expect the whole of the population of the republic to welcome the occupation. To that end, Plan W called for the British to crush resistance, commandeer infrastructure and to shut down the telephone system if necessary, without the consent of local authorities.

Since independence, Ireland had spent years organizing its small national army to meet a British invasion. Most of its troops were stationed along the northern border. However with the Nazi threat looming, Dublin drafted all new strategies based around Anglo-Irish cooperation. The national air corps equipped itself with British aircraft like Gloster Gladiators and Avro Ansons, while the army discarded its grey uniforms and German Stahlhelm-style helmets in favour of olive drab and British Mk II Brodie helmets (to avoid confusion on the battlefields).

Ultimately, all such plans proved unnecessary – Ireland remained largely untouched by World War Two.

http://militaryhistorynow.com/2015/03/15...rald-isle/