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

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.