Following the capture of Eoin O'Duffy by the NKVD, the remnants of SS-Division
Éire were reorganized into a pair of new formations - SS-Division
Saint Patrick and SS-Division
Gael. Led by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin, the vast majority of SS-Division
Gael ended up perishing at the hands of the Red Army during the Battle of Berlin. SS-Division
Saint Patrick, on the other hand, primarily fought on the Western Front. After the catastrophic Axis defeat at the Battle of the Bulge, the surviving members of
Saint Patrick spent the remainder of the war in Allied custody.
From 1943 onwards, the Irish Government began to take a decidedly pro-Allied stance. After the success of Operation Overlord, Seán Lemass agreed to look into sending a small contingent of Irish troops to mainland Europe. Intense lobbying on the part of pro-Ireland groups in the United States, combined with news of German brutality in Warsaw was enough to get Lemass the support he needed to declare war on Germany. On October 3rd, 1944, Ireland declared war on Germany. The Irish Government agreed to send the 2nd Division to Europe, under the condition that it would be placed under American (as opposed to British) control. The Allies agreed, and the 2nd Division was joined with Patton's Third Army just in time to participate in the invasion of Germany.