Operation Seagull (''"Unternehmen Möwe"'' or ''"Seemöwe"'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

) was an

Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...

II/

Brandenburger Regiment The Brandenburgers () were members of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht special forces unit during World War II. Originally, the unit was formed by and operated as an extension of the military's intelligence and counter-espionage organ, the ''Abwehr''. ...

-sanctioned mission launched in September 1940. The object of the mission was to infiltrate the UK in preparation for

Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (), was Nazi Germany's code name for their planned invasion of the United Kingdom. It was to have taken place during the Battle of Britain, nine months after the start of the Second World ...

(''Unternehmen Seelöwe'' in German).

Military context

Operation Seagull was planned in connection with Abwehr's remit of intelligence gathering for Operation Sea Lion. Despite being planned and launched, the mission was aborted midway during the sea crossing to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. At the time of Seagull's conception, Abwehr chief

Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Franz Canaris (1 January 1887 – 9 April 1945) was a admiral (Germany), German admiral and the chief of the ''Abwehr'' (the German military intelligence, military-intelligence service) from 1935 to 1944. Initially a supporter of Ad ...

had already issued orders that regional Abwehr stations known as ''"Ast's"'' (see

) were not to attempt to infiltrate into Britain via Ireland for the foreseeable future, due to the dismal failure of Operation Lobster I (''"Unternehmen Hummer"'' in German) in July 1940. However, Seagull was directed by Army Group Northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

via the Brandenburger Regiment attached to Abwehr II anyway.

Agents involved

Christian Nissen aka "Hein Mück" had already taken part in Operation Lobster I. His orders were to transport an NCO from the

Brandenburgers The Brandenburgers () were members of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht special forces unit during World War II. Originally, the unit was formed by and operated as an extension of the military's intelligence and counter-espionage organ, the ''Abwehr''. ...

, Helmut Clissmann, and one Abwehr I. radio operator to the southern coast of Ireland to carry out their mission. The vessel chosen was the ''"Anni Braz-Bihen"''. Clissmann was stationed at

Westende Westende is a town in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It lies on the Belgian coast, also called the Flemish coast. It used to be the far west (West-ende: Dutch for west-end) of the is ...

, Belgium in readiness for the operation. Nissen received his orders from his direct superior in the Regiment, Captain Hollman. Clissmann's mission had two parts. First, he and the radio operator were to be landed by boat in the southern region of

.The spot chosen for the landing was

Galway Bay Galway Bay ( Irish: ''Loch Lurgain'' or ''Cuan na Gaillimhe'') is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south; Galway ...

due to Nissen's familiarity with the area gained during his

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

internment in Ireland. Once landed, the two agents were to establish contact with the IRA. After successful contact, Clissmann was to use the help of the IRA to travel to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. Once in Britain Clissmann was to seek out suitable guides to help a possible invading force of Brandenburger troops to the

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

area. If travelling to Britain proved impossible, Clissmann was to enlist the help of the IRA in searching within Ireland for guides to the Dover area. In the event of the agents being forced to remain in Ireland, they were to make contact with Captain

Hermann Görtz Hermann Görtz (also anglicised as Goertz; 15 November 1890 – 23 May 1947) was a German spy in Britain and Ireland before and during World War II, liaising with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). After the war, he committed suicide rather ...

through the German Legation in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. Unfortunately for the Abwehr agents, the entire mission had to be aborted even before reaching the Irish coast. During the seacrossing from

a number of things went wrong; the

bilge pump A bilge pump is a water pump used to remove bilge water. Since fuel can be present in the bilge, electric bilge pumps are designed to not cause sparks. Electric bilge pumps are often fitted with float switches which turn on the pump when the bilg ...

on the boat failed, the Danish mechanic became unconscious after an accident, and the vessel was buffeted by a heavy storm for three days. These events forced Nissen to head back to Brest Bay,

Involvement of the IRA

There was no involvement or prior knowledge of Operation Seagull by the IRA in Ireland, or by agents of the IRA working with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

at the time. The mission brief provided by Abwehr II staff to the agents, namely to "establish contact with the IRA," provides an insight into the lack of understanding they had of the IRA's strength and presence in Ireland at the time, more than anything that may have come of the plan.

Footnotes

Further information and sources

* Mark M. Hull, ''Irish Secrets. German Espionage in Wartime Ireland 1939-1945'', 2003, {{ISBN, 978-0-7165-2756-5

Notable Abwehr operations involving Ireland

* Operation Lobster * Operation Lobster I * Operation Seagull I * Operation Seagull II * Operation Whale *

Operation Dove (Ireland) Operation Dove (''"Unternehmen Taube"'' in German) also sometimes known as Operation Pigeon, was an ''Abwehr'' sanctioned mission devised in early 1940. The plan envisioned the transport of IRA Chief of Staff Seán Russell to Ireland, and on the ...

* Operation Osprey * Operation Sea Eagle *

Plan Kathleen Plan Kathleen, sometimes referred to as the Artus Plan, was a military plan for the invasion of Northern Ireland by Nazi Germany, sanctioned in 1940 by Stephen Hayes (Irish republican), Stephen Hayes, Acting Irish Republican Army (1922–1969), I ...

Operation Mainau Operation Mainau (German: Unternehmen „Mainau“) was a German espionage mission during the Second World War. It was sanctioned and planned by the German secret service (''Abwehr'') and executed successfully in May 1940. The mission plan involve ...