The Northern Ireland Troubles: Operation Banner 1969–2007 (Essential Histories)

"The British campaign in Northern Ireland remains one of the most controversial actions in recent history. This new book by Aaron Edwards considers the strategic, operational and tactical aspects of what become the longest ever campaign embarked upon by British troops. The 38-year campaign, codenamed Operation Banner, went through a number of phases. It began as a peacekeeping operation, morphed into a counter-insurgency operation and ending as a policing and counter-terrorism force. Banner was massive in scale. No less than 10,000 troops were on active service throughout the campaign and at one point as many as 30,000 men and women were deployed on Ulster's streets. Drawing on extensive new research, this book presents an authoritative introduction to the 'Troubles', providing a strategic analysis of the successes and failures of the campaign."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

No other modern British military campaign evokes as much emotion as the difficult and exceptionally lengthy operational deployment to Northern Ireland. Aaron Edward's new volume on the so-called 'Troubles' considers the strategic, operational and tactical level aspects of the British Army's longest ever campaign: the 38-year Military Aid to the Civil Power deployment in Northern Ireland, which was provided to support the local authorities restore law and order in the midst of sustained republican and loyalist violence. Codenamed 'Operation Banner' the Army's role went through a number of phases, moving from a peacekeeping stance in 1969-71, to a counter-insurgency position in 1971-77, finally ending in 2007, thirty years after the decision to scale back its activities in favour of giving the Royal Ulster Constabulary (and from 2000 the Police Service of Northern Ireland) primacy in counter-terrorist operations. An essential volume for anyone looking for insight into this historic conflict.

"The British campaign in Northern Ireland remains one of the most controversial actions in recent history. This new book by Aaron Edwards considers the strategic, operational and tactical aspects of what become the longest ever campaign embarked upon by British troops. The 38-year campaign, codenamed Operation Banner, went through a number of phases. It began as a peacekeeping operation, morphed into a counter-insurgency operation and ending as a policing and counter-terrorism force. Banner was massive in scale. No less than 10,000 troops were on active service throughout the campaign and at one point as many as 30,000 men and women were deployed on Ulster's streets. Drawing on extensive new research, this book presents an authoritative introduction to the 'Troubles', providing a strategic analysis of the successes and failures of the campaign."--Publisher description Cover 1 Title Page 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 Chronology 8 History, myth and memory in the Troubles 11 Brits, Provos and Loyalists 18 Politics in the streets 24 From counter-insurgency to internal security 30 Soldiering the peace: General Sir Mike Jackson GCB, CBE, DSO, DL 60 The international dimension 65 A reporter’s-eye-view:Malachi O’Doherty 71 Ceasefire to endgame 74 Conclusion and consequences 79 Bibliography 87 Index 91 Imprint 1 Om konflikten i Nordirland mellem det unionistiske protestantiske flertal og det irsk-nationale katolske mindretal samt den britiske hærs indgriben i konflikten 1969-2007 (Operation BANNER)