List of weapons used by the Irish National Liberation Army

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List of weapons used by the Irish National Liberation Army during The Troubles (1969–1997).

Sources[]

Main articles: Irish National Liberation Army § Arms importation, and Timeline of Irish National Liberation Army actions

Obtaining arms was one of the greatest difficulties faced by the INLA in its early years. Their Marxism made them beyond help from Catholic Irish-America, who had traditionally been a lifeline for funds and weapons for Irish republicans engaged in armed struggle.[1] At a time when the Provisional IRA seemed replete with Armalites, the INLA was mainly armed with shotguns, which the rank and file wryly took to calling "Costello-ites" after their leader. The INLA's main source of arms early on was from sympathizers in the Middle East, from where they imported a contingent of AK-pattern rifles in 1978 and later much larger shipments of arms via a French contact.[2]

Small arms[]

Model Image Caliber Type Origin Details
Pistols
PA63 FEG PA-63 (parabellum pl).jpg 9×18mm Makarov Pistol  Hungary [3]
Browning Hi-Power High power Inglis (6971784217).jpg 9×19mm Parabellum Pistol  Belgium [4]
CZ 75 Cz75.jpg 9×19mm Parabellum Pistol  Czechoslovakia [5]
Walther P38 Walther P38 1943 Whermacht.jpg 9×19mm Parabellum Pistol  Germany [6]
Webley Revolver Webley IMG 6789.jpg .455 Webley Revolver  United Kingdom [7]
Walther PPK Walther PPK-L.jpg 9×17mm Short (.380 ACP) Pistol  Germany Stolen from an off-duty Royal Irish Regiment soldier's car in Dublin in 1994.[8]
Rifles
Lee–Enfield .303 British Bolt action rifle  United Kingdom Used in a sniper attack as late as 1989.[9]
M1 carbine M1 Carbine Mk I - USA - Armémuseum.jpg .30 Carbine Semi-automatic Carbine  United States [10]
M1 Garand M1-Garand-Rifle.jpg .30-06 Springfield Semi-automatic rifle  United States [11]
Ruger Mini-14 Ruger Mini-14 GB NB.jpg 5.56×45mm NATO Semi-automatic rifle  United States [12]
SKS Simonov-SKS-45.JPG 7.62×39mm Semi-automatic rifle  Soviet Union [13]
AR-15 Colt AR-15 SP1 Swedish Army Museum 001-2.jpg 5.56×45mm NATO Semi-automatic rifle  United States [14]
FN FAL FN-FAL belgian.jpeg 7.62×51mm NATO Battle rifle  Belgium Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995.[15]
Springfield Armory M1A M1A Kafziel.jpg 7.62×51mm NATO Semi-automatic rifle  United States [16]
Gewehr 43 Gewehr 43 noBG.jpg 7.92×57mm Mauser Semi-automatic rifle Nazi GermanyNazi Germany [17]
Hakim Rifle Rifle Hakim.jpg 7.92×57mm Mauser Semi-automatic rifle  Egypt [18]
Assault rifles
AK-47 AK47.jpg 7.62×39mm Assault rifle  Soviet Union [19]
AKM AKM NTW 4 92.jpg 7.62×39mm Assault rifle  Soviet Union [20]
AK-63 AK-63D.jpg 7.62×39mm Assault rifle  Hungary Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995.[21]
M16 M16a2-final.png 5.56×45mm NATO Assault rifle  United States
CAR-15 Commando USAF GAU-5A.jpg 5.56×45mm NATO Assault rifle  United States Imported around 1985.[22]
RK 62 RK62.jpg .223 Remington/5.56×45mm NATO Assault rifle  Finland A single example seen at INLA funeral in 2019. Possible civilian version with long barrel and different muzzle brake, chambered in .223/5.56.[23]
Submachine guns
M3 submachine gun M3-SMG.jpg .45 ACP Submachine Gun  United States [24]
Sterling submachine gun Sterling SMG2.JPG 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  United Kingdom [25]
Uzi Uzi 1.jpg 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Israel
Sanna 77 Samopal Vz 25.JPG 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Rhodesia [26]
Škorpion vz. 61 Submachine gun vz61.jpg 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Czechoslovakia [27]
MP5 Hkmp5count-terr-wiki.jpg 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Germany Stolen from a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) vehicle in May 2000.[28]

Explosives[]

Model Image Type Origin Details
IED Semtex H 1.jpg Improvised explosive device  Ireland Often using Gelignite or a Soviet-made plastic explosive, possibly Semtex.
Molotov cocktail Euromaidan in Kiev 2014-02-19 11-43.jpg Incendiary device  Ireland
Various models of Chinese and Soviet-made hand grenades Rgd 5 hand grenade.jpeg Hand Grenade  Soviet Union,  People's Republic of China [29]

References[]

  1. ^ English, Richard (2003). Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA. Pan Books. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-330-49388-4.
  2. ^ Fortnight Magazine, Issue 195, p. 7-8. Fortnight Publications, 1983.
  3. ^ The Starry Plough – March/April 1999 Archived 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Page 10-11.
  4. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  5. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  6. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  7. ^ "INLA firing party using Webley at 1984 funeral".
  8. ^ Sunday Life 13 July 1997.
  9. ^ Sunday Life 12 November 1989.
  10. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  11. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  12. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  13. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  14. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  15. ^ Oppenheimer, A. R. (2018-06-30). IRA: The Bombs and The Bullets. A History of Deadly Ingenuity. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-7165-2895-1.
  16. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  17. ^ The Starry Plough, June 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2019-08-02)
  18. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  19. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  20. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  21. ^ Oppenheimer, A. R. (2018-06-30). IRA: The Bombs and The Bullets. A History of Deadly Ingenuity. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-7165-2895-1.
  22. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  23. ^ ALLISON MORRIS (23 May 2019). "Gun used at INLA funeral featured in BBC Stacey Dooley documentary". Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  24. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  25. ^ Fitzmaurice, Maurice (11 June 2019). "Machine gun and cash seized during operation against INLA". BelfastLive. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  26. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  27. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
  28. ^ Archived 25 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (2018-06-30). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.
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