The Irish Army 1939-45

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The Irish Army 1939-45

The Irish Army - Part I

Army 1939 consisted of:
	6000 regulars
	6000 reservists
	16,000 volunteers
Outbreak of war on 2 September 1939 had 19,783 total men:
	7494 Regular
	5066 A and B Class Reservists
	7223 Volunteers
Regular Irish Army - British Estimate on 3 September 1939
	5 infantry battalions
	1 field battery artillery
	1 armoured car squadron
	1 field company engineers
	3 construction and maintenance companies engineers
	3 signal companies
	4 motor transport companies
	1 horsed squadron
	1 cyclist squadron
	1 light artillery battery
	1 anti-aircraft battery
	1 tank squadron
	21 armoured vehicles included:
		13 Rolls Royce Armoured Cars
		2 Swedish Landsverk L60 Light Tanks at the Cavalry School
July 1940 the army was 25,000 strong
May-June 1940 placed on war footing with:
	7 battalions
	an anti-aircraft brigade
	2 companies engineers
	12 rifle battalions were to be raised to bring strength to 40,000
	Local Security Force was to be raised from Gardai
1st Armoured Squadron, Irish Cavalry Corps was at The Curragh
October 1940 four more regular army brigades were to be raised in Eire
Armour consisted of:
	13 Rolls Royce Light Armoured Cars
	16 Medium Armoured Cars
	Some armoured vehicles based on Ford and Dodge chassis
1st Division was located in Cork
2nd Division faced north
4th Field Company, Irish Corps of Engineers existed
11th Infantry Battalion was at Gormanster, County Meath on maneuvers near Boyne in December 1940
By 1942 there were 250,000 men in the Irish Army:
	1st, 3rd Brigades - Cork
	2nd Brigade - Reserve
	5th, 6th Brigades - Carlow
	9th Battalion - Waterford
	two reserved brigades at Trim and Kells

The Irish Army - Part II

Outbreak of war 3 September 1939
	1st, 2nd Reinforced Brigades - organized and mobilized but each 30% understrength
	Five garrison battalions were mobilized but at strength of 270 to 540 below establishment
	None of the war establishment eight battalions had been organized. All were understrength and many
		provided for had not been organized.
	Regular cadre consisted of five regular infantry battalions and representatives of corps and service units:
		1st Battalion - Galway (An Chéad Cath) - Irish-speaking
		2nd, 5th Battalions - Dublin
		3rd (the Bloods) Battalion - Curragh
		4th Battalion - Cork
	10th (Uisneach) Infantry Battalion was mobilized

24 May 1940 - Local Security Force was initiated under wing of Gardai Síochána
2,249 Special Enlistments for one rifle battalion - 26th (Old IRA) and the engineering unit of Second Line
	 Volunteers
Two brigades broken up in 1940 and formed into all-arms strike forces for each of four commands:
New units formed in 1940 for strike forces:
	two armoured squadrons
	one Bren carrier squadron
	two cyclist squadrons
Thirteen rifles battalions needed to be raised for garrison duties
1st Anti-Aircraft Battery was in Dublin in 1939
	Other guns allotted to cadres in Cork and Limerick
	Became AA Brigade and AA Battalion in June 1940
Air-Defence of Dublin in 1940 had:
	Air Defence Command
	AA Battalion - 3 medium and 1 light AA Btys
	Searchlight Battalion - forming
After 1940 two divisions and three new brigades formed:
	First (Thunderbolt) Division - South
	Second (Spearhead) Division - North
Commands took over garrison, training, and LDF
Field Force took over brigades and divisions
To complete Bdes and Divs the following units were formed:
	2 divisional staffs
	3 brigade staffs
	3 motor squadrons, Cavalry Corps
	4 field companies, Corps of Engineers
	4 field companies, Signal Corps
	3 field companies, Supply and Transport Corps
	4 field artillery batteries, Artillery Corps
	1 12-pounder battery, Artillery Corps
	1 armoured squadron, Cavalry Corps
	6 cyclist squadrons, Cavalry Corps

Order of Battle for new formations:

	First Division: HQ Cork
		1st Brigade: HQ Clonmel
			10th, 13th, 21st Battalions
		3rd Brigade: HQ Cork
			4th, 19th, 31st Battalions

	Second Division: HQ John's Road, Dublin
		2nd Brigade: HQ Dublin
			2nd, 5th, 11th Battalions
				(C Company Gaelgóirí of the 11th Battalion gave up a large pool of officers)
		4th Brigade: HQ Mullingar
			6th, 8th, 20th Battalions
		6th Brigade: HQ Dublin
			7th, 18th, 22nd Battalions
				(22nd subsumed the Regiment of Pearse and also produced many officers)

		Each brigade had a Field Artillery Regiment (Seven new regiments including seven Anti-Tank Batteries
		were formed. Each brigade also had an engineer and signal company.

	Also there were two independent brigades and three garrison battalions:

		5th Brigade: HQ Curragh
			3rd, 16th, 25th Battalions

		8th Brigade: HQ Rineanna (Not fully formed)
			1st, 23rd Battalions
			Field Artillery Battery

		Garrison Battalions:
			14th Battalion: Dublin
			17th Battalion: Donegal
			24th Battalion: Curragh

Organization of the Irish Army on 30 July 1934:

	The Regiment of Rifle - All regular 1st-5th Battalions
	The Regiment of Oriel (Counties Louth, Meath, Monaghan)
	The Regiment of Leinster (Counties of Kidare, Westwicklow, Wexford, and Carlow)
	The Regiment of Dublin (County and Borough of Dublin and Eastwicklow)
	The Regiment of Ormond (Ossory in 1935)(Counties of Kilkenny, Waterford, and Tipperary)
	The Regiment of Thomond (Counties of Limerick and Clare)
	The Regiment of Connaught (Counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon)
	The Regiment of Breffni (Counties of Cavan, Longford, Leitum, and Sligo)
	The Regiment of Tírconnail (County of Donegal)
	The Regiment of Uisneach (Counties of Lett, Offaly, and Westmeath)
	The Regiment of Pearse (6 November 1935) - OTC

	Each regiment had a regular staff and two battalions of A & B Reservists and two battalions of First Line
	New Volunteer Force and two battalions of Second Line and a depot battalion of Third Line.

	Artillery Corps 	- Field Batteries numbered 5th to 28th
						- Light Batteries numbered 2nd to 7th

	Cavalry Corps		- Permanent Force (1 armoured, 1 cyclist, 1 horsed squadrons)
						- Added 4 armoured, 19 cyclist and 7 horsed squadrons

The Irish Army 1939-45 - Part III

	Ireland entered the 'Emergency' period with the following
		630 officers, 1412 NCOs and 5452 privates
		A & B Reserve - 194 officers, 544 NCOs, and 4328 privates
		Volunteers - 237 officers, 557 NCOs, and 6429 privates

	Maximum Strength never exceeded:
		Two divisions
		Two independent brigades
		Large scale manouvers in 1942 on the Blackwater - 38,787 all ranks

	Summer of 1940 - K.Lines, Curragh Camp
		5th Brigade (3rd, 16th, 25th Battalions)

	Cyclist Squadrons - Known as the "Piddling Panzers" - September 1939
		13 Rolls Royce Armoured Cars
		12 Swedish Medium Landsverk Armoured Cars
		4 Irish Armoured Cars on Leyland Terrier chassis

	Late 1940, there were enough armoured cars for three Armoured Squadrons.
	The British later supplied Bren Carriers and Beaverettes

	On 6 June 1940, 44,870 members of the Gárda enrolled and formed on 22 June 1940 as:
		A - Auxiliary to assist the army proper
		B - Auxiliary to assist the police for police duties

The Irish Cavalry Corps 1939-45

Armoured Car Corps was consituted in August 1922 with HQ at Dublin.

	Nine armoured car companies were created with a varying number of cars.
	Corps HQ moved to The Curragh in 1924 and organization reduced to a HQ and four companies
		One Company at The Curragh
		One Company at Dublin
		One Company in Cork
		One Company in Athlone
	All companies moved to The Curragh in 1925.
	Vehicle strength after the move was:
		13 Rolls Royce Armoured Cars
		7 Peerless Armoured Cars
		64 Lancia Armoured Cars
	A Vickers Medium C Tank purchased in England in 1929
	Depot (recruit training unit) and a school were added in 1931
		Separate companies were joined into the 1st Armoured Squadron also in 1931
	1st Cyclist Squadron was added in 1933
	Name changed to the Cavalry Corps in 1933 at the same time as 1st Cyclist Squadron added.
	After 1933 reorganization the Cavalry Corps included the following:
		1st Armoured Car Squadron
		2nd Armoured Car Squadron (Cadre)
		1st Cyclist Squadron
		1st Horse Squadron
		2nd Horse Squadron
		School and Workshops
		Volunteer Force (a reserve)
			19 Cyclist Squadrons
			6 Horse Squadrons
			5 sub-depots
	Note - Horse Squadrons had all ranks mounted on bicycles
	Four Leyland Terrier chassis were purchased in 1933
		Turrets purchased from Landsverk of Sweden
		Engines replaced by Ford engines
	In 1936 eight Landsverk L180 Armoured Cars and two Landswerk L60A Light Tanks purchased.
	Four, six and eight-cylindered Ford Light Trucks with M-Gs purchased starting in 1939
		These vehicles were called 'Bug Chasers' and formed into motor squadrons as reconnaissance
			units, one for each infantry brigade
	1st Motor Squadron in 1939 included the following:
		Four Reconnaissance Troops
		Each troop had five cars and 15 motorcycles
		Later, an armoured troop with four Landsverk and Rolls Royce ACs temporarily detached from
			1st and 2nd Armoured Squadrons replaced one reconnaissance troop in this and subsequent
			squadrons
		Six more motor squadrons formed during WWII.
	Lancias had been withdrawn from service by WWII.
	2nd and 3rd Armoured Squadrons were formed in 1941.
		Armed with Leyland, Lansverk, Rolls Royce, Dodge and Ford Armoured Cars
	Carrier Squadron formed in WWII equipped with British Universal Carriers
	Four more Landsverk L180s were ordered from Sweden but fell into German hands
	4th Armoured Squadron formed in 1944
		Equipped with 40 of several Marks of British Beaverette Armoured Cars
		Personnel came from disbanded Carrier Squadron. 26 carriers turned over to infantry units.
	All units listed above were formed into 1st Armoured Regiment in 1942
		This was for large-scale maneuvers and not used after that.
	After the war the Cavalry Establishment reduced to:
		Headquarters
		School and Workshops
		one armoured car squadron
		one motor squadron

Summary of Irish Marks for Armoured Cars and other vehicles:

	Mark I	1920 Rolls Royce called Whippets - 13 obtained
	Mark II	1936 Landsverk L180 - 8 purchased
	Mark III	1933 Mark II type hull mounted on Leyland chassis
	Mark IV	1938 Ford 1.5 ton
	Mark V	1938 Fored 122-in. - 14 built
	Mark VI	1938 MkV with Vickers M-G on Landsverk turret
	Mark VII	1939 Dodge 30 hp with Landsverk turret
	Mark VIII	Mark VII with Vickers 50 cal M-G and .303 cal M-G
	Mark IX	British Beaverette of various marks - 40 purchased
	Peerless	1921, 7 from British - Armor used by other vechicles after 1934
	Lancia	1922, - 64 obtained - withdrawn from served by WWII
	Crossley Tender	1922, Open topped utility cars
	Ford	1934-39, Bug Chasers
	Landsverk L60A Tank	Two purchased from Sweden
	Vickers Medium D Tank	1929, one purchased from Britain
	Universal Carrier	26 purchased from England