Military Reaction Force

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The Military Reaction Force , Military Reconnaissance Force or Mobile Reconnaissance Force ( MRF ) was a unit of the British Army , which was in Belfast , Northern Ireland as an operational intelligence reconnaissance component of the British Intelligence Corps presumably until late 1972 and early 1973 in use. The unit was set up in the summer of 1971. MRF teams operated in civilian clothes and from civilian vehicles. They were armed with pistols and submachine guns. The task was to pursue, arrest or kill members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The MRF also had double agents in the paramilitary groups and front organizations to gather information. In October 1972, the Provisional IRA exposed and attacked two cover organizations of the MRF: a massage parlor and a laundromat.

The MRF killed and injured a number of unarmed Catholic civilians in drive-by shootings and is suspected of collaborating with illegal Protestant terrorists belonging to the Ulster Loyalists . It was replaced by the SRU (or 14 Intelligence Company ) and later the FRU . The targets of the MRF were exclusively Catholic illegals, not Protestant.

Origins and structures

The MRF was set up in the summer of 1971. Ideas, techniques and tactics are said to go back to the officer Sir Frank Kitson , who founded opposing gangs in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya . He had written two books on " Counter- Terrorism" (from a British perspective): Gangs & Counter Gangs (1960) and Low Intensity Operations (1971, German edition Before the war. Abwehr von Subversion und Aufruhr , Stuttgart, Seewald Verlag 1974. ISBN 3 -512-00328-1 ). Between 1970 and 1972, Kitson served in Northern Ireland as the 39th Infantry Brigade in command. It is believed that he founded the MRF.

The MRF was based in the Palace Barracks in the Belfast suburb of Holywood . Captain Arthur Watchus was the first in command of the MRF. In June 1972 he was replaced by Captain James 'Hamish' McGregor. The MRF was split into two sections, commanded by sergeants or sergeant-majors serving in the Special Air Service (SAS), Special Boat Service (SBS), the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment . The unit consisted of around 40 hand-picked soldiers from the British Army. Some women also belonged to the MRF.

From military circles, the information comes that nine were always in use, which were covered by nine while the others were resting.

Modus operandi

In March 1994, Deputy Secretary of Defense Jeremy Hanley responded to an inquiry from the parliamentary committee of inquiry: "The MRF was a small military unit that, from 1971 to 1973, carried out surveillance tasks in Northern Ireland in cases involving soldiers in uniform and with army vehicles too easily recognized was responsible ".

Many details about the modus operandi of the unit have been revealed by former members. A former member of the MRF, alias 'Simon Cursey', gave a series of interviews and published the book MRF Shadow Troop . A book about his time in unity. In November 2013, a documentary appeared in the BBC telecast Panorama on the MRF. It was based on information from seven former members, as well as a number of other sources.

The tasks of the MRF were divided into a defensive and an offensive part. The MRF drove down the streets in civilian vehicles looking for IRA members.

Former members testified that they shot people, whether underground or bystanders, without warning. This violated the British Army's Rules of Engagement. They also stated that they had a list of people to be killed on the spot, the aim being "to beat them (meaning the Catholics) at their own game". The Irish independence movement was to be terrorized with it.

According to Cursey, the unit had the backing of the British government, who saw the action as part of a deeper political game. His unit murdered 20 people: "We opened fire at any small group in hard areas […] armed or not - it didn't matter. We targeted specific groups that were always up to no good. These types were sympathizers and supporters, assisting the IRA movement. As far as we were concerned they were guilty by association and party to terrorist activities, leaving themselves wide open to the ultimate punishment from us ". (We opened fire on every small group in dangerous areas [...] armed or not - it didn't matter. We were targeting certain groups that weren't good. These guys were sympathizers and supporters of the IRA movement. As far as that Concerning us, they were guilty of terrorist activities by working and partaking with the IRA, so they received the ultimate punishment from us).

Cursey described two incidents where MRF members went into pubs and murdered IRA members. An anonymous ex-member of the MRF told the Panorama program : "We were not there to act like an army unit, we were there to act like a terror group" (We weren't there to look like soldiers, but like terrorists behavior). Another soldier said: "We operated initially with them thinking that we were the UVF " (we operated initially so that they had to think we belonged to the Ulster Volunteer Force.) Another soldier said: "We wanted to cause confusion" (we wanted to create confusion). People who had defensive barricades would have been murdered because they could have been armed. In 1978, a former member said the task was to achieve repression through fear, terror and violence. The unit preferred weapons that the IRA also used. Members of the Irish independence movement argued that the MRF had two main goals: the IRA should be forced into armed conflict with the loyalists, and the civilians should lose confidence in the IRA's ability to protect them.

The MRF surveillance measures included the use of bogus companies and disguises. Former members claim they also disguised themselves as street sweepers, garbage collectors and even homeless people.

The MRF was known to have used double agents whom they referred to as "Freds". These were members of the Republican or loyalist paramilitaries who had been "recruited" by the British Military Intelligence. The Freds would continue to work within the paramilitary groups and provide information to the MRF.

According to Cursey, the MRF also abducted and interrogated people. She used shock treatments to force prisoners to provide information. For example, at the beginning of the interrogation, they immediately broke the abductee's arm and threatened to break the other one as well. Cursey said those who were tortured were then let out on the street to be arrested and tortured again later.

Attacks on civilians

In 1972, MRF teams were involved in a series of drive-by shoots in the Catholic and Irish nationalist areas of Belfast, some of which were attributed to the Loyalists. At least fifteen civilians were murdered. MRF members have confirmed the unit's involvement in most of these attacks. There are also allegations that the unit helped loyalist Protestant terrorists carry out attacks.

Bombing of McGurk's Bar

On December 4, 1971, fighters from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) set off a time bomb outside McGurk's Bar in Belfast. The pub was frequented by Irish patriots and nationalists. The blast killed 15 civilians and injured 17 others. It was the worst attack during the conflict. In the book Killing For Britain (2009), written by former UVF member 'John Black', the author claimed that the MRF provided logistical assistance. Two days before the attack, members of the independence movement had fled Crumlin Road Prison. Because of that, there were roadblocks everywhere. Local residents later claimed that the British removed some roadblocks shortly before the attack, which made it easier for the attackers to travel to and escape.

Stop on Whiterock Road

On April 15, 1972, brothers Gerry and John Conway, both Catholic civilians, were discovered by members of the MRF while walking on Whiterock Road. A car pulled up in front of St. Thomas's School and the inmates shot them both with pistols. The brothers ran away but were wounded by gunfire. Witnesses saw soldiers in uniforms walk up and talk to the gunmen. Then the cars drove away. The injured were taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. The army later falsely claimed that the men opened fire on an army patrol. In 1978 an early MRF member admitted to being implicated in the attack. He confirmed the testimony of passers-by and said the two had been mistaken for IRA members.

Andersonstown attack

On May 12, 1972, the British government announced that there would be no disciplinary action against the soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday . That night, MRF teams shot dead seven Catholic civilians in the Andersons area. An MRF team in a civilian vehicle approached a Catholic Ex-Servicemen's Association (CESA) checkpoint at the entrance to Riverdale Park South. CESA was an unarmed vigilante organization that was formed to protect Catholic areas. The car stopped and then turned back. One of the MRF men opened fire with a submachine gun from inside the car. The Catholic civilian Patrick McVeigh was killed and four others injured. The injured were all local, and McVeigh was shot in the back. The army told journalists that armed men drove by in a car and fired at civilians at random. She and called it a "seemingly unmotivated crime". The car had come from and returned to a Protestant area. This spoke for an authorship of the loyalists. An investigation into the attack was conducted in December 1972. It was admitted that the car occupants were soldiers belonging to an undercover unit such as the MRF. The soldiers did not have to participate in the investigation but made statements. They untruthfully claimed that they were shot at by the six gunmen and fired back. However, eyewitnesses said none of the CESA members were armed, which was supported by forensic investigations. The MRF members who were involved have never been prosecuted. Former MRF member 'Simon Cursey' claimed that the unit opened fire on the men because some of them were IRA members who were on their list. However, there is no evidence that any of these men were IRA members. An MRF member said in 1978 that the Army's intentions were to make it look like a loyalist attack. Stirring the sectarian conflict would have taken the pressure off the army. Minutes before the attack, two more Catholic civilians were shot dead by an MRF team. The two young men — Aidan McAloon and Eugene Devlin — came home from the disco in a taxi and were dropped off on Slievegallion Drive. The MRF team untruthfully told the Royal Military Police that the two men shot with a rifle. Testimony contradicted this, and forensic investigations revealed that neither McAloon nor Devlin had fired weapons.

Stop on Glen Road

On June 22, 1972, the Provisional IRA announced that it had agreed to a four-day armistice to negotiate with the British government. That day, MRF members shot three Catholic men on Glen Road from inside an unmarked car. A man in a nearby house was also injured in the gunfire. One of the men died, the others were injured. Shortly afterwards, the car was stopped by the RUC's MRF unit and they were arrested. In the car was a Thompson submachine gun "one of the IRA's preferred weapons for years." One of the members of the MRF - Clive Graham Williams - was charged with attempted murder. He told the court that two of the men were armed and shot a car at the MRF. He claimed he just shot back. Witnesses said that none of the men were armed and that it was an unprovoked attack. Forensic investigations revealed that none of the men had fired weapons. Main witnesses were not heard. Williams was acquitted on June 26, 1973. He later received the British Military Medal for Valor.

Stop at St. James's Crescent

On the night of September 27, 1972, the MRF killed the Catholic civilian Daniel Rooney and wounded his friend Brendan Brennan. They were shot dead from a passing car while they were standing on a street corner on St. James's Crescent in the Falls District. The British Army falsely claimed that the two opened fire. The IRA, family members and passers-by doubted this statement. In 1973 the case was investigated. The British forensic scientists disproved the Army's claim. The six soldiers involved in the incident stuck to their false statements and did not have to appear before the committee. Their statements were read anonymously. In 2013, the MRF member who used the name 'Simon Cursey' said only one of the men was armed.

The New Lodge Six

The MRF is alleged to have been involved in a fire attack on a group of young Catholic Belfast. On February 3, 1973, men shot from a car at a group of people standing outside a pub on Antrim Road. IRA members James Sloan and James McCann were killed and others injured. British killed four other people on the same day. All four shot dead were later referred to as the "New Lodge Six" . In June 1973 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association issued a guide for the population on what to do if an MRF or SAS were to be caught on fire. One should play dead until the danger is over.

Front companies

In the early 1970s, the MRF operated a number of front companies in Belfast. This included massage parlors and laundromats. The MRF had an office in College Square. The laundromats offered mobile service and drove through town collecting dirty laundry. The driver and passenger were both from Northern Ireland. Before washing, the laundry was examined for residues of powder or explosives. In addition, the sizes of the laundry items were compared with those from previous trips. Differences in size suggest that the apartment belonged to IRA members as a hideout. In September 1972, the IRA found that two of its members, Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee, were working as double agents for the MRF. During interrogation McKee testified about the front companies of the MRF. The leadership of the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade monitored the front companies, which McKee's testimony confirmed. The IRA took McKee and Wright to South Armagh where they were murdered as traitors. Their bodies never reappeared.

IRA attacks in October 1972

On October 2, 1972, the IRA struck back and attacked the laundry company's vehicles and business. They opened fire in Twinbrook, West Belfast, killing a British soldier. The IRA later also attacked the massage parlor. The British Army only confirmed the one dead for that day, although the IRA claimed to have killed more. The MRF withdrew, exposed. The 14 Intelligence Company (aka "The Det") is one of its successor units.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Taylor, Peter. Brits: The War Against the IRA . Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001. Pages 128-130
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i "Exposed: The army black ops squad ordered to murder IRA's top 'players'" . Daily Mail . November 17, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  3. ^ A b Ed Moloney: A secret history of the IRA . WW Norton & Company, November 2003, ISBN 978-0-393-32502-7 , pp. 119- (accessed February 7, 2011).
  4. ↑ a b Ware, John. "Britain's Secret Terror Force" . Irish Republican News, November 23, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g "The 'murder and mayhem' squad: Shocking new revelations by former undercover soldier who carried out 'shoot first, ask questions later' attacks on IRA terrorists for the British Army" . The Mail on Sunday December 23, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f "Undercover soldiers 'killed unarmed civilians in Belfast'" . BBC News . November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ Moloney, Ed. Voices from the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland . 2010. Pages 118-119
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g Murray, Raymond. The SAS in Ireland . Mercier Press, 1990. Pages 44-45
  9. ^ Dillon, The Dirty War , pp. 55-56
  10. ↑ Martin Dillon. The dirty war . Random House, 1991.
  11. ↑ Daughter recalls bar bomb horror . In: BBC News (December 3, 2001) , December 3, 2001. Retrieved May 6, 2008. 
  12. ↑ Peter Taylor : Loyalists . Bloomsbury Publishing , 1999, ISBN 0-7475-4519-7 , p. 88.
  13. ↑ Police Ombudsman's report, p. 16
  14. ↑ The bombing of McGurk's Bar, Belfast, on December 4, 1971 ( Memento of the original from April 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Report from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . February 2011. p. 9 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.policeombudsman.org
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dillon, The Dirty War , pages 52-55
  16. ↑ Organizations: C . Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
  17. ↑ Chronology of the Conflict: June 1972 . Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
  18. ^ A b Fields, Rona M. Northern Ireland: Society Under Siege . Transaction Publishers, 1977. Pages 138-139
  19. ^ "Britain's secret force 'used IRA tactics' during the Troubles" . TheJournal.ie . November 14, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  20. ↑ a b c d e McKittrick, David . Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles . Random House, 2001. page 269
  21. ↑ The New Lodge Six ( Memento of the original from May 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Troops Out Movement . Retrieved November 19, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.troopsoutmovement.com
  22. ^ "New Lodge Six Inquiry" . Phoblacht . November 21, 2002. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  23. ^ Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1973 . Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  24. ^ Dillon, The Dirty War , p. 255
  25. ^ David Charters: The Development of British Counter-insurgency Intelligence . In: Journal of Conflict Studies . April 29, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  26. ^ Paul Bruce: The Nemesis File: The True Story of an Execution Squad . Blake Publishing, November 1, 1995, ISBN 1857821351 .
  27. ↑ a b Dillon, The Dirty War , p. 29
  28. ↑ Ricks Tom: Tom Ricks's Inbox . In: The Washington Post , October 5, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2011. 
  29. ^ Roger Faligot: Britain's military strategy in Ireland: the Kitson experiment . Zed Press, London 1983, ISBN 0-86232-047-X .
  30. ^ Tony Geraghty: The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence . JHU Press, Baltimore 1998, ISBN 0-8018-6456-9 , p. 90.
  31. ↑ Dillon, Martin . The Trigger Men , Mainstream Publishing, 2003, p. 66
  32. ^ Dillon, The Trigger Men , p. 67
  33. ^ Guardian
  34. ^ Taylor, pp. 135-136
  35. ^ Remembering the Past - The Four Square Laundry . In: An Phoblacht , September 30, 2004. Retrieved December 4, 2011. 
  36. ^ Ed Moloney: Voices from the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland . PublicAffairs, 2010, ISBN 1-58648-932-1 .
  37. ↑ Smith Michael: Secret watchers who keep an eye on the terrorists . In: The Telegraph , August 1, 2002. Retrieved December 4, 2011.