The story of the artillery used by the armed forces of the Republic of Ireland (Eire), from independence to the present day. Following on from the author's acclaimed book on AFVs in Irish service, this new book covers the operations and equipment of all the artillery units in the Irish armed forces. From the early days of Independence and civil war to modern-day peace keeping, from coastal artillery to light mortars, all the units and their equipment are described and illustrated. Profusely illustrated with photos, maps, and scale plans. Essential reading for all military historians and artillery enthusiasts!
Born in the Civil War of 1922–23, the army of the Republic of Ireland occupied a sensitive place in the national culture for many years. In World War II, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland's integrity as a neutral. Post-war, it found a new role in 1960, providing troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and since then has supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the border with troubled Ulster has obliged the Republic to invest in reform and modernisation. Ireland's freedom to seek examples and equipment worldwide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, illustrated in this study of Ireland's forces over 80 years.
The period of 1923-1948 in Irish Republic history, carried the sombre undertones of an unrealized and unrealizable ideal. In spite of riots, shootings and death, 500 unconvicted men eked out the war years in Tintown University. Here, they tell their story, spanning 25 years of history.
This book explores the military life and experiences of the gunners stationed in Ireland's Kildare Barracks over the course of almost 100 years while it was under both British and Irish military commands. Built in 1901 to train British artillery brigades for service in the Boer War, and closed in 1998, the barracks provides an exceptional spotlight for the local history of County Kildare and the military history of 20th-century Ireland. Through numerous personal histories, the book reflects upon the importance of the barracks in shaping the activity and development of the county. These tales - both informative and touching - provide a means of examining landmarks in Irish and international 20th-century history, including the Curragh Mutiny, World War I, the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War and the Emergency - while telling the story of a national military institution and the personnel who passed through. The fascinating personal histories offer poignant reflections on those who served at the barracks.
"Shelldrake is an informative and detailed synopsis of the carefully preserved and restored guns and artillery on display in Canada. The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is represented by a long and distinguished line of gunners with historical ties back to the days before Canada's Confederation. The honour of defending Canada while standing steady to support operations overseas in peace and war continues to this day. In doing so, it is necessary to remember that the weapons of war are an integral part of what keeps this nation safe, although the examples that have been used to make it so are few and far between. The descriptions of Canadian artillery and the places of honour where they can be viewed highlights the importance of the equipment that brought our nation forward at key turning points in history when our guns were in use as tools of war at home and overseas. This guide book will show the interested reader where to find examples of the historical guns preserved in Canada, and perhaps serve as a window on how Canada's military contribution to security in the world has evolved."--Page 4 of cover.
In the spring of 1980, the Irish Department of Defence sanctioned the establishment of a new unit within the Irish Defence Forces and the Irish Army Ranger Wing (ARW) came into being. In the decades that followed, its soldiers have been deployed on active service at home and abroad, generally without the knowledge of the wider public. The ARW is made up of seasoned men from across the island, who are selected through tough competition. Only the best of the best make it through and are trained in an extraordinary range of specialist skills. Being one of these elite operators takes more than simply being a skilled soldier – it means believing you are the best. Shadow Warriors tells the story behind the creation of the ARW, from its origins in specialist counter-terrorism training in the late 1960s and the preparation of small unconventional units in the 1970s to the formation of the ARW itself in 1980 and its subsequent history. The first and only authoritative account in the public domain of this specialist unit, authors Paul O'Brien and Sergeant Wayne Fitzgerald have been granted access to the closed and clandestine world of Ireland's Special Forces, who train hard, fight harder and face unconventional types of warfare, yet prefer to stay out of the limelight.
"Breaching the Marianas" by John C. Chapin is a book about the WWII campaigns and Marine Corps history. The book gives a detailed account of what happened on the Mariana Islands of Saipan during the war. Excerpt: "Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan by Captain John C. Chapin, USMCR (Ret) It was a brutal day. At first light on 15 June 1944, the Navy fire support ships of the task force lying off Saipan Island increased their previous days' preparatory fires involving all calibers of weapons. At 0542, Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner ordered, "Land the landing force." Around 0700, the landing ships, tank (LSTs) moved to within approximately 1,250 yards behind the line of departure. Troops in the LSTs began debarking from them in landing vehicles, tracked (LVTs). Control vessels containing Navy and Marine personnel with their radio gear took their positions displaying flags indicating which beach approaches they controlled."
Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson, an Irishman who in June 1922 was assassinated on his doorstep in London by Irish republicans, was one of the most controversial British soldiers of the modern age. Before 1914 he did much to secure the Anglo-French alliance and was responsible for the planning which saw the British Expeditionary Force successfully despatched to France after the outbreak of war with Germany. A passionate Irish unionist, he gained a reputation as an intensely 'political' soldier, especially during the 'Curragh crisis' of 1914 when some officers resigned their commisssions rather than coerce Ulster unionists into a Home Rule Ireland. During the war he played a major role in Anglo-French liaison, and ended up as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, professional head of the army, a post he held until February 1922. After Wilson retired from the army, he became an MP and was chief security adviser to the new Northern Ireland government. As such, he became a target for nationalist Irish militants, being identified with the security policies of the Belfast regime, though wrongly with Protestant sectarian attacks on Catholics. He is remembered today in unionist Northern Ireland as a kind of founding martyr for the state. Wilson's reputation was ruined in 1927 with the publication of an official biography, which quoted extensively and injudiciously from his entertaining, indiscreet, and wildly opinionated diaries, giving the impression that he was some sort of Machiavellian monster. In this first modern biography, using a wide variety of official and private sources for the first time, Keith Jeffery reassesses Wilson's life and career and places him clearly in his social, national, and political context.
The 40mm Bofors Gun, first produced in the 1930s, has become one of the most famous artillery pieces of all time. It shows no sign of fading from the defence scene even though, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, it performs in many roles that were not contemplated by its original designers. It has also proved to be so versatile that it is now allied to electronic and other technological marvels that were mere pipe dreams only a few years ago. When the Bofors entered the international defence market, its primary quarry, the military aircraft, was still a slow and fragile machine that could be terminally damaged by a single hit from a 40mm projectile. Terry Gander describes this early period in the gun's development and he shows how, despite recent?increases in target speed and other performance parameters, it can still inflict a one-hit kill on almost any aircraft, helicopter?or guided missile. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the story is that the fundamentals of today's Bofors guns remain virtually unchanged from the very first examples to come off the Karlskoga production line in Sweden. In all its forms, the Bofors continues to be a sound, reliable and lethal piece of military hardware that has given good service to gunners all over the world.?Terry Gander's comprehensive account of the history of this remarkable weapon over the course of almost eighty years is fascinating?reading and an invaluable work of reference for military historians and artillery specialists alike. It is the definitive work in the field.??As featured on BBC Radio Guernsey.
