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. 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.[1]

Small arms

Model Image Caliber Type Origin Details
Pistols
PA63 9×18mm Makarov Pistol  Hungary [2]
Browning Hi-Power 9×19mm Parabellum Pistol  Belgium [3]
CZ 75 9×19mm Parabellum Pistol  Czechoslovakia [4]
Walther P38 9×19mm Parabellum Pistol  Germany [5]
Webley Revolver .455 Webley Revolver  United Kingdom [6]
Walther PPK 9×17mm Short (.380 ACP) Pistol  Germany Stolen from an off-duty Royal Irish Regiment soldier's car in Dublin in 1994.[7]
Rifles
Lee–Enfield .303 British Bolt action rifle  United Kingdom Used in a sniper attack as late as 1989.[8]
M1 carbine .30 Carbine Semi-automatic Carbine  United States [9]
M1 Garand .30-06 Springfield Semi-automatic rifle  United States [10]
Ruger Mini-14 5.56×45mm NATO Semi-automatic rifle  United States [11]
SKS 7.62×39mm Semi-automatic rifle  Soviet Union [12]
AR-15 5.56×45mm NATO Semi-automatic rifle  United States [13]
FN FAL 7.62×51mm NATO Battle rifle  Belgium Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995.[14]
Springfield Armory M1A 7.62×51mm NATO Semi-automatic rifle  United States [15]
Gewehr 43 7.92×57mm Mauser Semi-automatic rifle Nazi GermanyNazi Germany [16]
Assault rifles
AK-47 7.62×39mm Assault rifle  Soviet Union [17]
AKM 7.62×39mm Assault rifle  Soviet Union [18]
AK-63 7.62×39mm Assault rifle  Hungary Intercepted as part of an arms shipment in 1995.[14]
M16 5.56×45mm NATO Assault rifle  United States
CAR-15 Commando 5.56×45mm NATO Assault rifle  United States Imported around 1985.[19]
Sig 540 5.56×45mm NATO Assault Rifle  Switzerland Reportedly taken from an INLA arms cache by the IRA in 1984.[20] Also reported in the possession of the INLA in Newry in 1986.[21] "Swiss-made automatic weapon" reportedly used in attack on UDR soldier in Armagh in 1987.[22]
RK 62 .223 Remington/5.56×45mm NATO Assault rifle  Finland Several used in INLA attacks in mid-1980s, including abortive assassination attempt targeting Ian Paisley.[23][24] A single example seen at INLA funeral in 2019. Possible civilian version with long barrel and different muzzle brake, chambered in .223/5.56.[25]
Submachine guns
M3 submachine gun .45 ACP Submachine Gun  United States [26]
Sterling submachine gun 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  United Kingdom [27]
Uzi 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Israel
Sanna 77 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Rhodesia [28]
Škorpion vz. 61 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Czechoslovakia [29]
MP5 9×19mm Parabellum Submachine Gun  Germany Stolen from a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) vehicle in May 2000.[30]

Explosives

Model Image Type Origin Details
IED Improvised explosive device  Ireland Often using Gelignite or a Soviet-made plastic explosive, possibly Semtex.
Molotov cocktail Incendiary device  Ireland
Various models of Chinese and Soviet-made hand grenades Hand Grenade  Soviet Union
 People's Republic of China		 [31]

References

  1. ^ Fortnight Magazine, Issue 195, p. 7-8. Fortnight Publications, 1983.
  2. ^ The Starry Plough – March/April 1999 Archived 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Page 10-11.
  3. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "INLA firing party using Webley at 1984 funeral". 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023.
  7. ^ Sunday Life 13 July 1997.
  8. ^ Sunday Life 12 November 1989.
  9. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ a b Oppenheimer, A. R. (30 June 2018). IRA: The Bombs and The Bullets. A History of Deadly Ingenuity. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-7165-2895-1.
  15. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "The Starry Plough, June 1982". Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "'Terrorist arsenal' find", Derry Journal, 25 September 1984.
  21. ^ Belfast Telegraph 8 September 1986.
  22. ^ Wharton, Ken (2016). Another Bloody Chapter in an Endless Civil War: Northern Ireland and the Troubles, 1984–87, Volume 1. Helion and Company. ISBN 9781912174270.
  23. ^ Irish Independent, 14 January 1985.
  24. ^ Belfast Telegraph, 21 May 1990.
  25. ^ ALLISON MORRIS (23 May 2019). "Gun used at INLA funeral featured in BBC Stacey Dooley documentary". Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  26. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Fitzmaurice, Maurice (11 June 2019). "Machine gun and cash seized during operation against INLA". BelfastLive. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  28. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ^ McDonald, Holland, Henry, Jack (30 June 2018). I.N.L.A - Deadly Divisions. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9781842234389.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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