Eire's neutrality created a unique experience for Fermanagh during the Second World War, bordered as it is by 4 southern counties, Cavan, Leitrim, Donegal and Monaghan.
When Britain declared war on Germany, the blackout curtains were tightly drawn throughout Fermanagh while on the southern side of the border the lamps continued to burn brightly.
Fermanagh had the potential to be of great benefit to the war effort as it was very close to the Atlantic Ocean where Allied shipping were under attack from German U-Boats. This potential was realised when the British Government entered a secret agreement with the Eire Government.
Despite Eire's official neutrality, its government often provided indirect support for the Allied Forces. The best example of this is the permission given to allow Allied planes to use the "Donegal corridor". Also of help was the fact that Eire located look-out posts, staffed by the Coastwatching Service, around its western shoreline to observe Allied and German movements at sea and in the air. Each look-out post had an individual reference number, identified by large stones placed on cliff tops which could be read from the air. These proved invaluable to Allied pilots enabling them to pinpoint their location as they returned from operational flights.The
The Lend-Lease Agreement of 11 March 1941, made between the Allies and the United States, gave President Roosevelt the power to lend or lease equipment to any country to help it defend itself against the Axis powers. As a result American Catalinas were loaned to the RAF and joined their fleet of Lerwick and Short Sunderland flying-boats. What was kept secret was the fact that the Catalinas lent by the Americans came with US personnel who trained RAF pilots in their use and who even flew operations for the Allies. Long before America officially entered the War, a serviceman of the US Navy was the first American to go into combat while based in Northern Ireland. He was Ensign Leonard 'Tuck' Smith who was based at Castle Archdale. He and eight colleagues had been posted to Lough Erne to assist the RAF in learning to fly their lend-lease Catalina aircraft.
The benefit of these covert agreements was fully realised in May 1941. On 24 May 1941 the German battleship, The Bismarck sank a symbol of British Naval power The Hood, killing 1415 men. The coastal command at Castle Archdale joined to search for The Bismarck. On 25 May 1941, Catalina Z of the 209 Squadron set course through the Donegal Corridor towards the Atlantic. The co-pilot was an American, Leonard 'Tuck' Smith, and flying with him was RAF Pilot Officer Briggs. What followed was one of the most important episodes of the War. Smith and Briggs sighted The Bismarck on 26 May 1941 enabling Allied forces to track the battleship and sink it the following day. Their contribution and that of the personnel for the Lough Erne bases heralded the end of battleship warfare in the Atlantic. The surveillance capabilities of the Allied forces effectively ended the German dominance at sea.
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