Osprey Elite 44 : Security Forces in Northern Ireland 1969-1992

For the past 30 years Northern Ireland has been ravaged by inter-communal strife, which has left more than 3,000 people dead and over 22,000 injured. The politics of what are known in Northern Ireland as 'the Troubles' are complex, and largely incomprehensible to those not born in the province. Religious bigotry, police brutality, blood feuds stretching back centuries, social and economic deprivation all came to a head in the summer of 1969. Northern Ireland was engulfed in a virtual civil war, with inter-communal riots raging in its two main cities, Belfast and Londonderry. To restore order British Regular Army troops were deployed onto the streets of these two cities. The conflict in Northern Ireland remains unlike any other campaign conducted by the British Army this century. There have been no set-piece battles, no decisive victories or crushing defeats; just a grinding, relentless series of small scale operations in response to riots, bombings, sectarian murders and terrorist ambushes. Tim Ripley, a specialist in modern military affairs and research associate at Lancaster University's Centre for Defence and International Security Studies, explores the history and uniforms of the security forces in Northern Ireland from 1969-92 in this book which is illustrated by a wealth of photographs and eight full page colour plates by Mike Chappell.

Contents

• A Community in Conflict 1969-1992
• Principal Terrorist Groups
• The Royal Ulster Constabulary
• The British Army
• The Ulster Defence Regiment
• Irish Security Forces
• The Plates