Ireland/Northern Ireland Timeline

[Canadian Army]

A while back I wanted to do a campaign set in Ireland/Northern Ireland. So did some research: here is what I came up with for the Time-line:

Background 1990-1997 — The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was very active in Ireland in years leading up to Twilight; placing moles in two key places: Garda’s Special Branch, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary’s Special Branch. With those moles in place, the IRA was aware of British/Irish counter-terrorist efforts to detect, capture, and arrest IRA members. Moreover, Sinn Féin was elected to the Oireachtas (legislature of Ireland) and by 1997 had passed Fine Gael - The United Ireland Party; as the second largest party in Ireland. The IRA also became very active with the smuggling and stashing of arms caches in Ireland.

October 15 1997 — The IRA takes and holds the towns of Petigoe, Belleek, Belcoo, and Keady, with no regular army units available, the brunt of the offensive falls to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the Army’s Home Defence Unit; the Ulster Defence Regiment.

October 25 1997 — The British offensive against the IRA begins with a with a helicopters assault on Petigoe. During the assault; five Chinook helicopters are shot down by the IRA; with SAM-7 Surface to Air missiles; resulting in the failing of the offensive. The British are forced to band all of their helicopters from combat zone and use armoured transport for the next assault.

October 31 1997 — The British offensive against Petigoe fails again; due to heavy RPG-7 fire by the IRA.

November 1 1997 — The IRA sink the HMS Helford, HMS Blackwater, HMS Itchen, HMS Orwell, and HMS Spey moored HM Naval Base Clyde; with 106mm Cannons mounted on motorboats.

November 2 1997 — Open warfare erupts between the Protestant Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Catholic IRA in Northern Ireland; fighting begins in the streets of Belfast and Londonderry, and many Catholics and Protestants are killed or forced out in the ensuing violence. In the border counties of Fermanagh and Armagh, the IRA seized control and calls for military support and assistance from Ireland to protect Fermanagh and Armagh from the Protestant forces.

November 3 1997 — Elements of 2 Brigade; Óglaigh na hÉireann (Irish Defence Forces) moved into the border counties; the 2nd Irish Civil War begins.

November 4 1997 — The British Armed Forces destroy the main elements of the Aer Chór na hÉireann (Irish Air Corps) and SeirbhÃ*s Chabhlaigh na hÉireann (Irish Naval Service), leaving Ireland with only an Army to defended itself.

November 26 - December 9 1997 — The Irish Defence Forces enjoyed a number of early successes, taking Enniskillen, Armagh, Newry, and Londonderry.

December 13 1997 — The British form the 36th (Ulster) Defence Division and move it into Fermanagh and Armagh.

December 14 1997 — First British and Irish conscripts arrive in Northern Ireland.

January 21 1998 — The remnants of Irish Naval Service form the Naval Infantry Regiment and remnants of Irish Air Corps forms 5 Independent (Air Force) Battery; anti-aircraft defense.

March 3 1998 — With destruction of Irish Naval Service and elimination of IRA sea threat the remnants British Northern Ireland Squadron are redeployed to Mediterranean.

June 1998 — The 36th (Ulster) Defence Division goes on the attack and retakes some of its lost border territories except for Londonderry and Armagh.

November 1998 — As winter approached, the war is stalemated as both sides concentrated on feeding their civilian population. At the same time, the IRA began a new campaign of terror in Northern Ireland.

March 1999 — The IRA continues its guerrilla war, despite RUC crackdowns.

Mid-May 1999 — The 36th (Ulster) Defence Division lays siege Londonderry.

April 1999 — Irish Defence Forces launched a two division attack, but it flounders on the 36th (Ulster) Defence Division defensive line.

May 1999 — The 36th (Ulster) Defence Division launched its own offensive. The severity of the attack resulted in the Irish Defence Forces being pushed back along the entire front.

June 1999 — Armagh falls to 36th (Ulster) Defence Division.

August 1999 — The 36th (Ulster) Defence Division drives to outskirts of Ballyshannon, which isolates the Donegal region.

October 1999 — The 36th (Ulster) Defence Division halts its offensive and secured all of its gains. For all its success, however, the 36th (Ulster) Defence Division could not seize Londonderry, to which it had laid siege to in mid-May.

January 2000 — The year begins with a surprise offensive by the Irish Defence Forces. Conducted in the middle of the worst winter seen in Ireland for many years, it takes the 36th (Ulster) Defence Division totally by surprise and accomplishes its goal re-establishing links with Donegal and breaking the siege of Londonderry.

June 2000 — The 36th (Ulster) Defence Division launched a two-pronged offensive, with a southern drive towards Dublin and eastern drive into Donegal to isolate Londonderry.

June 7 2000 — The southern drive is halted at Drogheda, while the eastern drive encountered stiff resistance and stalled on the outskirts of Bailyshannon.

September 2000 — As autumn set in, the 36th (Ulster) Defence Division begins the siege of Bailyshannon, which could continue through the winter.

Currently —In Northern Ireland, the troubles continued, and the situation shows no signs of ending. Northern Ireland is, for all intents and purposes, an independent country. The war with Ireland continues to be bogged down, with both sides launching a number of unsuccessful attacks. The oncoming blight has increase hardships on both sides, but the war continues — the government that sues for peace is the government that is overthrown. The situation has come to resemble that found in places like Ethiopia, the Sudan, and various other African countries during the 1980s.