Military Internees, Prisoners of War and the Irish State during the Second World War (Palgrave Pivot)

Between 1939 and 1945, over two hundred German and forty-five Allied servicemen were interned in neutral Ireland. They presented a series of extremely complex issues for the de Valera government, which strove to balance Ireland's international relationships with its obligations as a neutral. Between 1939 and 1945, over two hundred German and forty-five Allied servicemen were interned at the Curragh military camp in neutral Ireland, after crashing or washing ashore on Irish territory. Their presence in Ireland caused the de Valera government a series of very challenging problems; Dublin was bound by international law to intern belligerent personnel who crossed Irish borders, but was also very mindful of its sometimes fractious relationship with Britain and the United States. De Valera chose a difficult and sometimes contradictory path, choosing to sometimes ignore and sometime implement international law, disregarding some of Ireland's obligations as a neutral, while consistently leaning towards the Allies in his operation of the belligerent internment system. At the same time, Dublin had to navigate an intricate relationship with prisoners of war held abroad -- in Europe, Asia and Northern Ireland -- which, at times, stretched Irish neutrality to breaking point Front Matter....Pages i-vi Introduction....Pages 1-10 Locking Them Up: Internment, Prisoners of War and International Law....Pages 11-26 Keeping One Eye Abroad: Belligerent Internment and Diplomacy....Pages 27-53 Settling in and Earning Their Keep: Life in K-Lines....Pages 54-84 Breaking Out and Breaking In: Escape....Pages 85-107 Conclusion: ‘Not Breaking but Making International Law’?....Pages 108-115 Back Matter....Pages 116-125