Military Strategies of of the I.R.A. During the Anglo Irish War of Independence, 1919-21 Essay Example for Free

Military Strategies of of the I.R.A. During the Anglo Irish War of Independence, 1919-21 Essay At the outbreak of hostilities it was apparent that the I. R. A. could not hope to win a traditional stand up military fight against a modern, well equipped army with the financial backing of The British Empire. In order to engage the crown forces in a guerrilla war, weapons and ammunition were required in large numbers. General Head Quarters (G. H. Q. ) authorized smuggling operations and had sent volunteers abroad to procure arms. G. H. Q. sold arms to the individual units, many of which were hampered in their operational status due to lack of funding to purchase weapons and ammunition. As the war progressed many Royal Irish Constabulary (R. I. C. ) barracks and the Crowns Tax Offices were attacked and burned. GHQ issued a general raid order in September of 1920. The primary objective the Volunteers attacks on isolated R. I. C. barracks were to obtain arms and ammunition. Many of these barracks were poorly defended and usually consisted of terraced houses. In order to disrupt the governance of rural areas, tax offices were targeted. These targets allowed collection of funds from the local populace that were to be appropriated to the Crown. These tactics were adopted by many units when news of the initial successes of these barracks and tax office attacks filtered out, throughout the country. The volunteers embarked on a campaign of Intimidation of R. I. C men and their families, and members of the general public who supported the crown forces, many of which were shot. This tactic was extremely effective at reducing the morale of the R. I. C. Recruitment dropped and resignations increased in the organization The R. I. C. retreated to larger towns after it was decided to evacuate may rural barracks. This tactic led to large parts of rural Ireland becoming ungovernable. This allowed the Dail to implement their much heralded Courts System, collect taxes and implement civil control. Most units at the start of the war appeared to act independently without central command control. Attacks on Crown Forces were sporadic in nature and were badly planned. Inexperience of many of the men in these units led to many failed operations Many units operations amounted to sabotage by digging trenches in roads, de-railing trains, cutting of communications lines, snipping at barracks and personnel. Even the most poorly equipped and inactive units could engage in many of these tactics. The effectiveness of military actions conducted varied widely accordingly to geographic location. Areas like South Tipperary, East Limerick and Cork were particularly active, while areas such as Wexford, Mayo and Waterford had low turnout and low activity. Cite. Meeting and Drilling after the day’s work was done, amounted to the extent of some volunteers actions for the duration of the war cite The willingness of volunteers to risk their safety was also another factor which hindered operations in many units. Volunteers who possessed weapons especially rifles were usually picked to partake in operations over volunteers who did not. The men who possessed guns gained experience on active operations and were given higher status within units. In many areas this led to a cycle of a select group of men getting more and more experience on active service, while men who had no weapons remained inactive were not gaining any such experience. To alleviate this some units introduced rotational systems were guns and ammunition were stored in a central weapons dump. Access to weapons dumps could only be gotten after permission from the units Quarter Master was given. Activity of units depended largely on the membership and the professionalism of their commanding officers. Traditionally commanding officers were elected and appointed by their members. Electoral decisions appeared to be based on the social standing of the officers, family traditions and whether the men liked them or not. Many units were hampered in their operations as officers would not authorize actions as they feared for their own safety or were incompetent in planning and action. To instil discipline and a sense of military professionalism G. H. Q. sent organizers out to instruct and train these officers and units that they commanded. Training camps were set up to properly instruct officers and volunteers. The military discipline in these camps was strictly enforced and the training was particularly gruelling. When men returned to their units, they were expected to instil similar discipline within the rank and file. Discipline was to be rigorously introduced by commanding officers and military punishment meted out for infractions. Formal reporting structures were introduced and all commanders were expected to submit reports to the central authority of G. H. Q. on a regular basis. These reports were analysed by G. H. Q. and orders were issued to individual units. This strategy led to a more centralized planning and intelligence apparatus. Ultimately G. H. Q. decided to set up divisions with respective commanders, in attempt to coordinate the activities of the volunteers within bordering brigade areas. These attempts at introducing a modern military structure into the different units were mostly successful, although highly active units such as South Tipperary maintained a more independent existence until the end of the war. Initially the volunteers had a very high tolerance to violence and did not want to be involved in operations that led to murder. This tolerance was eroded of the course of the war as reprisals by the crown forces, led to many civilian atrocities throughout the country. As the casualties list rose, public opinion turned against the British Government. This was galvanized by reports that started to appear in newspapers internationally and in London G. H. Q. published the details of many of these reprisals in their publication their political journal t-Oglach. The publications also included details of military tactics and so also functioned as a training manual for the volunteers. After the introduction of The Restoration of Order Act in August 1920 the and the introduction of martial law in the South in 1921, attacks and reprisals against the civilian population increased. The arrival of the much hated quais military/police forces which later became known as the Black and Tans in March 1920 and the Axillaries the following July exasperated the situation and led to increased militancy in the volunteer force and the general population. Support for the volunteers steadily grew and the general population assisted them with funds, safe houses and intelligence. As a result of police crackdowns and further arrests of suspected volunteers, the continued raids on civilian houses, many volunteers went on the run. By mid 1921 there were over 4,000 suspects interned. Many men who were on the run went on to form the celebrated flying columns. These columns consisted of 20 highly armed men, who would attack patrols by laying ambushes on roads, and then melting back into the countryside. Tom Barry was commanding officer of the 3rd (West) Cork Brigade, which was a particularly effective flying column. They were responsible for many successful attacks on military personnel. On 28th of Nov. 1920 they wiped out an Auxiliary regiment in Kilmicheal, Co. Cork killing nearly a whole platoon. In reprisals the Black and Tans burned the City of Cork on 11th of Dec. There were many other tactics used by the I. R. A. during the war, examples include targeting prominent members of the British Establishment and Intelligence for assignation, it is beyond the remit of this short essay to explore these in their entirety. The ultimate goal of these operations and tactics were to disrupt and demoralize the administration of British Rule. After Bloody Sunday the British Intelligence Network was effectively non-existent which the I. R. A. took full advantage of, by actively engaging Crown Forces in the capital while sending out their own armed patrols in select parts of the city. As we can see at the start of the war the Volunteers were a highly disorganized and poorly equipped force. Through the use of guerrilla hit and run tactics, they made the most of their limitations to disrupt and demoralize the crown forces. After G. H. Q. exerted a central command and military structure the volunteers became a more ruthless and successful in active operations. Ultimately the British Establishment appeared to have overestimated the numbers of active members and their access to weapons. If their intelligence apparatus had not been infiltrated and disrupted by the I. R. A. the Crowns military campaign may have been more effective, and they may have continued the war which would have pushed the I. R. A, to the limits of their abilities and resources. G. H. Q. played a pivotal role in forming public opinion through their domestic publication t-Oglach and releasing accounts of civilian casualties and atrocities to foreign correspondents, effectively winning the propaganda war. It is doubtful whether the isolated regional active units would have been as effective without the co-ordination and leadership of G. H. Q. The organization of operations and centralization of command by G. H. Q. , may have been the deciding factor in the War, although many units remained in a state of disarray and were badly equipped for the duration of the war. As a measure of the success and effectiveness of operations conducted, I. R. A. guerrilla tactics became a blue print for many revolutionary forces around the World.

Got Coal? :: Research Essays

Got Coal? In this essay, I hope to inform the reader about the variations in Pennsylvania’s coals, explain the differing methods of coal mining, and provide insights into the use of coal. Although Pennsylvania’s coal reserves have dwindled, coal is still one of the major energy forms used for electric power generation. Widespread use of alternative energy forms have not yet taken place, although this is an area that needs to develop further, if we don’t want to exhaust our current reserves of fossil fuels. Currently, Pennsylvania is the fourth largest coal producer in the United States. More than 69.5 million tons of coal were mined in the state in 1995. Anthracite and bituminous coal are the two types of coal that are mined in Pennsylvania, and they are classified as hard coals. (â€Å"Coal†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Anthracite is the hardest coal type and contains close to 90% carbon, more than any other coal type. When burned, anthracite emits only a very small amount of smoke. It is used in domestic and industrial applications. Bituminous coal is the most widely used coal in the United States. The uses for this coal type are generating electricity, making coke, and space heating. It is mined mostly in the Appalachian Mountains (â€Å"Clean†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). The heating value and the specific gravity (the weight of a particular volume of coal) vary with coal rank. Low-volatile bituminous coal has the highest heating value. The heating value of anthracite is somewhat lower. In the same manner, specific gravity increases with increasing rank (Edmunds 15). Underground, open-pit, and auger mining are the three ways of extracting coal from the ground. Until recently, the room-and-pillar method was the most widely used. In this method, large â€Å"rooms† of coal were excavated and â€Å"pillars† were left in place to hold up the roof. This method is not very efficient, as only 50-60% of the coal can be recovered, the rest is left in the pillars and is effectively lost (Edmunds 16). The longwall method has been increasingly used by larger companies.

My Native Town

My native town is Mandalay it’s also well-known as a culture city of Myanmar. Mandalay is Upper Myanmar's main commercial, educational, health centre and considered the centre of Burmese culture. Mandalay is Located in the central dry zone of Myanmar and on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River. Its also surrounded by Sagaing Hill, Shan Yoma Hill, Kyut Sae Hill and Mandalay Hill. My native town is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Myanmar. King Mindon founded Mandalay and the royal palace, Mya Nan San Kyaw as a new capital at the foot of Mandalay Hill in 1857. When it was founded in 1857, the royal city was officially named Yadanabon which means â€Å"The City of Gems†. King Mindon also founded the Kuthodaw Pagoda, the Thudhamma Zayats and the library for the Buddhist scriptures. I'm always proud the glory of Mya Nan San Kyaw Palace and Mandalay Kyone. That's a trademark of my native town. Mandalay is famous with the places such as Maha Muni Pagoda, Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, Kuthodaw Pagoda, Shwenandaw Monastery and Atumashi Monastery. Mandalay is Myanmar's cultural and religious centre of Buddhism, having numerous monasteries and more than 700 pagodas. That show my native town is very devout in Buddhist religious. Moreover, Mandalay is well-known in the world by The World's Biggest Book, located in Kuthodaw Pagoda and U Paing Bridge. Most of the famous authors and artists in Myanmar were emerged from Mandalay and they served our traditional culture not to disappear and created new cultural tradition to our generations. Therefore, no matter how much the globalization wave is influenced in Mandalay, Mandalay always has a sense of our Myanmar people's culture and overwhelmed the religious beliefs.

The Civil Rights Movement Essay - 969 Words

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution form what is known as the Bill of Rights. In essence it is a summary of the basic rights held by all U.S. citizens. However, Negro citizens during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950-70’s felt this document and its mandate that guaranteed the civil rights and civil liberties of all people; were interpreted differently for people of color. The freedoms outlined in the Constitution were not enforced the same by the government of the United States for the black race as it did for the white race. â€Å"You all treat us so bad,† just like we are animals.† Those are the words voiced by Mrs. Rosa Parks, a Negro seamstress. Whose refusal to move to the back of the bus and give her seat to a†¦show more content†¦In other marches, K-9 units were used to terrorize prospective marchers and police used power water hose to disperse marchers. The force of the water was so powerful that it rolled people down the streets. Massive murders and lynching were not investigated, but considered a necessary item to deter the Negroes and their Movement. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Groups such as the Black Panthers were villanized by our government. Unlike the SLNC the Panthers wanted nothing to do with finding a nonviolent solution. Unlike the SLNC they felt you fight violence with violence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, headed by J. Edgar Hoover made it a priority to disband the Panthers. Yet the Johnson administration allowed the harassment of the Panthers; but, the Klu Klux were allowed to flourish, march in protest—proclaiming White Supremacy and all the while committing hate crimes against Negroes. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The injustice of the blatant defiance of the Constitution by the government and by Whites did not begin and end with the segregation of the educational system. It incorporated almost every facet of our society. 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