IRA Terror on Britain's Streets 1939-1940: The Wartime Bombing Campaign and Hitler Connection
It is little known today that, in January 1939, the IRA launched a bombing campaign, codenamed The S - or Sabotage - Plan on mainland England. With cynical self-justification, they announced that it was not their intention to harm human life but in just over a year, more than 300 explosive devices resulted in 10 deaths, 96 injuries and widespread devastation. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and many other towns and cities were targeted.

On 25 August 1939, detectives in London defused three devices set to detonate that afternoon at 2.30 and arrested four terrorists. At the same time an identical bomb exploded in Coventry city center killing five civilians and injuring 50, the highest body count of the campaign.

Numerous arrests were made nationwide but ill-trained personnel and additional national security resulting from the threat of Nazi invasion caused the campaign to falter and fade away in early 1940. The author, a former detective, is well qualified to write this book, having spent 18 months in Northern Ireland combatting terrorism, for which he was commended by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Imbert, for displaying ‘courage, dedication and detective ability’.
1138541181
IRA Terror on Britain's Streets 1939-1940: The Wartime Bombing Campaign and Hitler Connection
It is little known today that, in January 1939, the IRA launched a bombing campaign, codenamed The S - or Sabotage - Plan on mainland England. With cynical self-justification, they announced that it was not their intention to harm human life but in just over a year, more than 300 explosive devices resulted in 10 deaths, 96 injuries and widespread devastation. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and many other towns and cities were targeted.

On 25 August 1939, detectives in London defused three devices set to detonate that afternoon at 2.30 and arrested four terrorists. At the same time an identical bomb exploded in Coventry city center killing five civilians and injuring 50, the highest body count of the campaign.

Numerous arrests were made nationwide but ill-trained personnel and additional national security resulting from the threat of Nazi invasion caused the campaign to falter and fade away in early 1940. The author, a former detective, is well qualified to write this book, having spent 18 months in Northern Ireland combatting terrorism, for which he was commended by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Imbert, for displaying ‘courage, dedication and detective ability’.
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IRA Terror on Britain's Streets 1939-1940: The Wartime Bombing Campaign and Hitler Connection

IRA Terror on Britain's Streets 1939-1940: The Wartime Bombing Campaign and Hitler Connection

by Dick Kirby
IRA Terror on Britain's Streets 1939-1940: The Wartime Bombing Campaign and Hitler Connection

IRA Terror on Britain's Streets 1939-1940: The Wartime Bombing Campaign and Hitler Connection

by Dick Kirby

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Overview

It is little known today that, in January 1939, the IRA launched a bombing campaign, codenamed The S - or Sabotage - Plan on mainland England. With cynical self-justification, they announced that it was not their intention to harm human life but in just over a year, more than 300 explosive devices resulted in 10 deaths, 96 injuries and widespread devastation. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and many other towns and cities were targeted.

On 25 August 1939, detectives in London defused three devices set to detonate that afternoon at 2.30 and arrested four terrorists. At the same time an identical bomb exploded in Coventry city center killing five civilians and injuring 50, the highest body count of the campaign.

Numerous arrests were made nationwide but ill-trained personnel and additional national security resulting from the threat of Nazi invasion caused the campaign to falter and fade away in early 1940. The author, a former detective, is well qualified to write this book, having spent 18 months in Northern Ireland combatting terrorism, for which he was commended by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Imbert, for displaying ‘courage, dedication and detective ability’.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781526786432
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 10/04/2022
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 831,013
File size: 28 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dick Kirby was born in the East End of London and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1967. Half of his twenty-six years’ service was spent with Scotland Yard’s Serious Crime Squad and the Flying Squad. Kirby contributes to newspapers and magazines on a regular basis, as well as appearing on television and radio. The Guv’nors, The Sweeney, Scotland Yard’s Ghost Squad, Brave Line Death on the Beat, Scourge of Soho, Crime and Corruption at The Yard and London Gangs at War are all published under the Wharncliffe True Crime imprint and he has further other published works to his credit. On retirement he lives near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Kirby can be visited at his website: www.dickkirby.com.

Table of Contents

About the Author ix

Acknowledgements xi

Foreword xiii

Prologue xv

Introduction xxi

Chapter 1 The 'S' Plan 1

Chapter 2 Arrests 7

Chapter 3 Court Appearances 13

Chapter 4 The First of the London Trials 17

Chapter 5 The Remainder of the London Trials 23

Chapter 6 Charges in Wales and Manchester 29

Chapter 7 Arrests in Birmingham, Scotland and Liverpool 37

Chapter 8 The Panic Spreads 45

Chapter 9 The Attack on Hammersmith Bridge 51

Chapter 10 An Overheard Conversation 55

Chapter 11 More Bombings - and More Arrests 59

Chapter 12 Cherchez la Femme! 69

Chapter 13 Another Own Goal - and More Arrests 77

Chapter 14 Lavatories, Hotels and Cinemas 81

Chapter 15 Railway Stations and More Arrests 85

Chapter 16 Murder, Arrests and New Legislation 91

Chapter 17 A Password - and a Nunnery 97

Chapter 18 A Dreadful Conspiracy 103

Chapter 19 Broadgate 109

Chapter 20 The Hunt for the Murderers 113

Chapter 21 Arrests for the Broadgate Bombing 121

Chapter 22 Dirty Work at Dartmoor - and War 129

Chapter 23 111 Feelings in Coventry 133

Chapter 24 The Broadgate Trial 137

Chapter 25 The Defence for Barnes 143

Chapter 26 The Defence for Richards 149

Chapter 27 The Defence - the Hewitts and O'Hara 155

Chapter 28 The Summings-up and the Verdicts 165

Chapter 29 The Appeals 171

Chapter 30 The Aftermath - Explosions and Arrests 175

Chapter 31 Terror in Oxford Street 179

Chapter 32 Arrests - and the End of the Campaign 183

Chapter 33 The Nazi Connection 187

Chapter 34 What Happened Next? 193

Epilogue 199

Bibliography 201

Index 203

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