WesWorld

I've been fiddling around extensively with some ideas for the Irish Army, and so I'd like to post them here for comment. This is still deep in the brainstorming stage, and so I'd definitely like to have some comments and any useful suggestions.

[SIZE=3]Equipment[/SIZE]
Most of the equipment used in OTL is probably used in the Irish Army as historical.

Rifle: British Enfield .303
Pistol: Webley .455 revolver
Machine-guns: Vickers .303, Lewis .303, Vickers .50
SMG: Perhaps some MP18s and Thompsons, but no regular use of SMGs.
AT Rifle: Boys Antitank Rifle (?)
Mortar: Probably British 2" Medium Mortar (WWI vintage)
Field Guns: Ordnance QF 18 pounder
Howitzers: QF 4.5 inch Howitzer
AA: QF 3.7 inch AA gun
Armored vehicles: Lanchester 6x4 Armoured Car
Tanks: None presently

Questions on equipment: do I need a lighter artillery piece available? I have the 2-inch (50.8mm) mortar, the 3.3in (84mm) field gun, and the 4.5in (114.3mm) howitzer; is this a sufficient range for the present?

[SIZE=3]Strength: [/SIZE]
- Half (Peacetime) Strength: 21,568 soldiers
- Fully Mobilized: 32,968 soldiers

Half Strength is maintained through the use of reservists and volunteers. A regiment, composed of four battalions, retains the medical and battalion HQ units (70 men) in two of the four battalions, leaving 570 men per battalion as reserves or volunteers, to be filled during wartime.

At half strength, there are seven soldiers per thousand people in the Irish population (historical OTL population is 2,965,894 people). At full mobilization, there are eleven soldiers per thousand people. Per my research, this seems to be roughly average for a Western military and is probably sustainable indefinitely.

Total Units:
- General Headquarters (GHQ)
- 10 Regiments Infantry [1]
- 1 Armored Car Squadron
- 1 Horsed Squadron [2]
- 1 Tank Squadron [3]
- 2 Cyclist Squadrons
- 4 AA Batteries

[1]I should note that my few sources indicated Ireland, in OTL, had 11 infantry regiments in 1934; but then, the British estimated in 1939 that the Irish had "5 infantry battalions". Something sounded screwy, so I'm just fiddling up my own system.
[2]The Horsed Squadron generally provides members for the Mounted Escort (aka the "Blue Hussars") who serve as the presidential escort.
[3]To be added in 1937 or 1938... maybe.

[SIZE=3]Unit formations of the Infantry: [/SIZE]
- Section: Nine soldiers and an NCO (usually a sergeant). Usually has a light machine gun and a corpsman included.
- Platoon: Three sections (10 men) and a heavy weapons section (three men with HMG or mortar); platoon commander is 1st or 2nd lieutenant with a platoon sergeant. Total, 35 men. Cavalry/horsed platoons are called troops.
- Company: Three platoons (35 men), medical section (10 men) and a company headquarters (10 men, including captain). Total, 125 men. Artillery companies are called batteries; cavalry/cyclist companies are called squadrons. Companies are identified by letters (A, B, C)
- Battalion: Three regular companies (125 men), a battalion headquarters (35 men), an artillery platoon (35 men), medical platoon (35 men), a transport/supply company (125 men), and an AT Rifle platoon (35 men). Total strength, 640 men. Commanded by a major or lieutenant colonel. Battalions are identified by numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd...)
- Regiment: Four regular battalions (640 men), a regimental HQ (35 men), communications platoon (35 men), an engineering company (125 men), a regimental artillery battery (125 men), field hospital company (125 men), and scout platoon (35 men). Total strength: 3,040 men. Regiments have unique names (Regiment of Dublin Infantry, etc). Regiments are the primary operational units of the Irish Army, and are commanded by a full colonel or occasionally by a brigadier general.
- Division: Three regiments (3,040 men / 9,120 men), a HQ company (125 men), communications company (125 men), a field hospital company (125 men). Total strength, 9,495 men.
- Brigade: Two regiments (3,040 men / 6,080 men), a HQ company (125 men), communications company (125 men), a field hospital company (125 men). Commanded by a brigadier general. Total strength, 6,455 men.

[SIZE=3]Unit formation of the Armoured Car Squadron [/SIZE]
- Section: Two Lanchester 6x4 armoured cars (8 men), lead car commanded by a sergeant, second car commanded by a corporal.
- Troop: Four sections (eight Lanchester 6x4 armoured cars; 32 men), and command car (4 men) commanded by a lieutenant and platoon sergeant. Strength: 9 cars, 36 men.
- Squadron: Three troops (9 cars, 36 men) and command car commanded by captain; vehicle maintenance troop with eight trucks and 36 men. Total strength, 148 men, 28 armoured cars, 8 trucks.

[SIZE=3]Unit formation of the Horse [/SIZE]
- Section: Same as infantry, addition of ten horses.
- Troop: Three sections (10 men + 10 horses); troop commander is 1st or 2nd lieutenant with a platoon sergeant. Total, 32 men, 32 horses.
- Squadron: Four troops (32 men + 32 horse); medical section (10 men + 2 field ambulances), veterinarian section (10 men + 2 trucks); MG section (3 HMG/mortar, 9 men, 6 mules), supply section (10 men, 10 mules), and HQ section (10 men, 10 horses). Total, 177 men, 138 horses, 16 mules. Extra horses likely.

[SIZE=3]Unit formation of the Cyclists [/SIZE]
Same as infantry
Note: OTL, the cyclist squadrons in the Irish Army were nicknamed "The Piddling Panzers". I totally intend to use this name here, too.

[SIZE=3]Unit formation of the Artillery / AA [/SIZE]
- Batteries composed of eight QF 4.5 inch (114.3mm) Howitzers or Ordnance QF 18-pounder field guns (6 crew); two truck sections (8 men + 8 trucks, total 16 men and 16 trucks), communications section (10 men), battery HQ (10 men), and field spotters (variable, at least 20 men). Total strength, eight guns, sixteen trucks, around 104 men.
- AA Batteries same as regular, but armed with QF 3.7 inch AA gun (same as Irish Naval Service 3.7" DP gun; 7 crew); no spotters. Total strength, eight guns, sixteen trucks, 92 men.

Questions now...

Where are my logistics people supposed to be attached? I tried to attach logistics units to the battalion level (with a transport/supply company), so with ten regiments and forty battalions, I should have forty companies of logistics people, right? Is this sufficient for an army which is never expected to operate outside Ireland proper?

What size should my GHQ be? I randomly gave the GHQ the same manpower of a standard company (125 men), expecting them to mostly be communications and clerks...

You will need logistics at Regiment level and for the entire army, a company per battalion seems a bit much

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
You will need logistics at Regiment level and for the entire army

Well, how much?

A platoon at Battalion level a company at Regiment level and a Quartermaster organization at GHQ

That sounds about right for most organizations.

You might want something in the way of light AA, whether that's Vickers 0.50" HMGs or something heavier, right now there's a bit of a hole there. Other than that, looks pretty good, I wouldn't expect the Irish to have much else in the way of artillery unless you wanted to add some 3" mortars or replace some of the 18 pounders with 13 pounders. Another possible weapon would be the 3.7" infantry gun.

Don't forget about the FCA!

Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil = roughly translates to Volunteer Reserve Force

Regularly refered to as the "Fools Carrying Arms" or the "Free Clothes Association"

Quoted

Originally posted by Commodore Green
Don't forget about the FCA!

Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil = roughly translates to Volunteer Reserve Force

Regularly refered to as the "Fools Carrying Arms" or the "Free Clothes Association"

Well, I knew about the Class A and Class B reservists, but I figured they'd be the ones filling out the battalions when the regiments move from half-strength to full strength.

So I'm switching the transport company to a platoon at the battalion level, attaching new transport companies at the regimental level, and adding in some light AA (probably Vickers .50s or 20mm guns).

What do I work on next? I figured I might add some more AA and AT units sometime before 1940 and perhaps acquire a few more LMGs or SMGs...?

If you add AT guns, you could have have them in independent AT companies assigned to divisions as needed as you are with artillery and heavy AA. Just a question will the brigades be independent?

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
Just a question will the brigades be independent?

The way I see it, yes, the brigades will be independent. To me, a brigade is just going to be a light division, and if I ever have to activate troops, I expect the brigades will be faster to gather than the divisions. Still, I envision most operations, organization, and maneuvers taking place on the regimental level; brigades and divisions would only come into play on major SHTF situations.

I think you could organize the Brigades as a basis for larger units in case of full blown mobilization. Like for example the British decide to move back in.

Well, I think there'd be that option, if necessary. The Brigades have the same support staff as the Divisions do, so really all you'd have to do is form two new regiments, probably by drawing officers from the existing regiments, then filling them out with more reserves and the volunteers.

((All you'd have to do is form new regiments, ha ha ha, that's rich. ))

And why would the British want to move back in? Even if they won, they'd just get themselves a bunch of really P**ed off Irishmen with guns. About as intelligent as Mexico wanting to reconquer Texas... sure, they'd get Texas, but they'd also get the Texans.

There's a line of thought that says that the Irish must have been the first to develope guerilla warfare.....well, the British gave us enough reason to practice and perfect it over the last 800 years!!!

More practice would just make them better!!!

Present company exempted, of course ;-)

As told to me a few years ago by a mate who was a senior NCO in the FCA, standing orders for the defense of Ireland from a invasion, is to put up a brief resistance at the landing ground (if possible), giving the politicals powers time to get to safety, the full-timers then to withdraw (his words were "to piss off") to the hills to carry out guerilla warfare from their, leaving the part-timers to fight a rear-guard action.

Quoted

Originally posted by Commodore Green
As told to me a few years ago by a mate who was a senior NCO in the FCA, standing orders for the defense of Ireland from a invasion, is to put up a brief resistance at the landing ground (if possible), giving the politicals powers time to get to safety, the full-timers then to withdraw (his words were "to piss off") to the hills to carry out guerilla warfare from their, leaving the part-timers to fight a rear-guard action.

Actually, I've heard that plan at various points before. Certainly would seem to me that the British, if they wanted to invade Ireland, would be able to do so with such overwhelming force that any real defense would be prohibitively destructive.

On the other hand you have the opening months of the Winter War, but I think that'd fall under "extenuating circumstances".