Ernst Weber Drohl (1879-?) was a professional wrestler, strongman performer, and German

Abwehr The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...

agent during World War 2. Born near Edelbach in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, he became a travelling performer using the name "Atlas the Strong" and toured extensively in America and Ireland. His knowledge of Ireland and the English language drew the attention of the Abwehr in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

. In early 1940 he was selected to deliver money, a radio transmitter and instructions to the IRA. He was landed on the Irish coast by the submarine U-37 at

Killala Killala () is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West (known locally as Enagh Beg), which contains a number of ancient ...

on the

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

border on 8 February. His rubber dinghy capsized on the way to shore, causing the loss of the transmitter. He succeeded in meeting his contact

Seamus O'Donovan James O'Donovan ( ga, Séamus Ó Donnabháin; 3 November 1896 in County Roscommon – 4 June 1979 in Dublin), also known as Seamus or Jim O'Donovan, was a leading volunteer in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Agent in Ireland for the Abwehr. ...

at Killiney in Dublin. On 24 April 1940 he was apprehended in Ireland for illegal entry. He was released from the District court only to be rearrested under the Emergency Powers Act and confined to prison where he went on hunger strike and was released 8 days later. Arrested finally in 1942 he spent the rest of the war in Mountjoy prison and

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

internment camp where he was interned with other German spies including Hermann Goertz.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber-Drohl, Ernst 1879 births Abwehr personnel of World War II Year of death missing Austrian strength athletes Austrian male professional wrestlers Hunger strikers