Handbook For Volunteers Of The Irish Republican Army: Notes On Guerrilla Warfare

by Irish Republican Army

The original instruction manual for the active arm of the IRA, Handbook for Volunteers of the Irish Republican Army covers such topics as building up resistance centers, organizing and arming a guerrilla force, employing tactics of deception and attack, destroying enemy communications and gaining support of the populace.

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction, History, Politics, War, Military Fiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1996

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the way the writers stress the need for adaptability. It makes sense even on an evolutionary standpoint - if someone is unable to change their plans to accommodate their environment and unexpected events therein, then they're not likely to survive. I especially like this statement: "Organisation will vary according to the conditions. Above all it must not be rigid." This was a flaw that I perceived in Mao Tse Tung's "On Guerilla Warfare". Mao insisted on extensive, even excessive hierarchical organisation of the proposed guerrilla groups, and in the middle of a political revolt that type of rigidity could be dangerous.

This handbook contains some strategy and information about direct action techniques, all of which seems important. It's a short enough work (about forty pages) that it can be read in less than an hour, and I'd say it's definitely worth reading. It's available in PDF form in a few different places on the internet.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very straight forward and brief. Some interesting approaches were presented, it is up to the reader to translate those irl.

An interesting time capsule!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I grow up I want to be an IRA member

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This - the so-called "Green Book" - is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. To wit, it's a rare glimpse into the psychology of an IRA volunteer.

A number of versions of the Green Book have been published as I'm aware. Each is expurgated to a greater or lesser degree. What's unique in this release is that it includes citations where the book was updated in the mid 1970s to deal with exigencies of the time relative to the Border Campaign period two decades earlier.

To return to the value of the book itself. No serious student of Irish history, indeed, of military history can proclaim any understanding of military insurgencies throughout time without trying to understand the psychology of the insurgent. To my mind, this is the most accessible primary source available to people living in the English-speaking world.

[Josh Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know nothing, I see nothing. This was read for educational purposes only. Rule #303

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work, 'A Handbook for Volunteers of the Irish Republican Army, issued by General Headquarters, 1956', is a desirable read for those living today. Content includes twelves sections concerning: Our Tradition; What Is Guerrilla Warfare; Guerrilla Strategy; Tactics of Guerrillas; Organization and Arms; With the People; Guerrilla Bases; Guerrilla Attack; Enemy Tactics; Guerrilla Defense; General Techniques and Battle Notes.

Guerrilla warfare must exhaust the enemy by constant harassment; must attack constantly and from all directions; must stage successful retreats, must return to the attack, and must avoid encounters with the enemy that are not of his own making; also, tactics need to be changed constantly. One must drain the enemy's manpower and resources; lead the resistance of the people to enemy occupation; break down the enemy's administration; and remember that the main task is to keep the enemy off balance.

- Quotes from this work:

"The guerrilla is always on the offensive."

"Good intelligence breeds good morale. And for the guerrilla morale is everything. It is this morale that gives the guerrilla his determination and his daring."

"A small nation fighting for freedom can only hope to defeat an oppressor or occupying power by means of guerrilla warfare... In regular warfare the tactical objective is to destroy the enemy in battle by concentrating superior numbers at a decisive time and place. The guerrilla strikes not one large blow but many little ones; he hits suddenly, gnaws at the enemy's strength, achieves surprise, disengages himself, withdraws, disperses and hits again."

"Move at night, change direction frequently, avoid inhabited localities and towns, go over heavily guarded territory in twos and threes, stay clear of roads. Check an assembly point and stopping points along the way. Guard front and flanks."

- Other works that may be of interest to you:

The IRA: A Documentary History 1916-2005 by Brian Hanley

Towards Ireland Free: The West Cork Brigade in the War of Independence 1917-1921 by Liam Deasy

[John Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, compact information.
Where Che's book is part practical manual & part ideological guide, this book is a compact practical field primer to the specific practices of the IRA.
Offers a nice window into the conditions and mindset of Irish anti-imperialists.

[Klf Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh-Er Why Yes this was given to me during my researching years!