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Lets say the Paras instead of the few tentaive shots they fired in OTL, do an Amritsar, and continue firing until ammo is exhauted, tens of thousands of rounds (unlike the 260 odd in OTL), killing perhaps hundreds. As a result, there is greater much greater gravitation to the provos esp in the South, and the republic government unlike OTL is compelled to support them.

You have PIRA training camps and safe houses in the South, and the Republuc government turns a blind eye to them and army and Garda actually support them. The also get a lot of material support from the Soviet Union. The PIRA manages to undertake a far more roubust operation in the North, essentially chasing the British out of a lot of the province (in OTL, at the time of bloody Sunday, there were no go areas which were destroyed in an operation later that year, the Provos did not contest it for the most part, which in ATL they do). In response the British flood the place with troops, and in operations over the next few months remorselessly takeback many areas, areas which are contested by the PIRA, whic leads to casualties of the British side as well as tons of civilian casualtys as the British resort to using artillery and occassionally airpower to overcome resistance.

The PIRA camps in Ireland and the beginnings of a highly effective and bloody campaign in Britain itself, results in Britain breaking off relations with the republic, and launching both hot pursuits and putative raids inside the republic, as well as the occassional bombing sortie by RAF aircraft. This only exacerbates the problems, and a bombing at a party conference kills the PM (earlier than the Brighton bomb and no idea if the "milk snatcher" is the one), and coupled with an attack on the Royal Family, which leaves them unharmed, but kills and maims many of their staff, lead to a hardening of British public opinion. Riots against Irish occur in many British citys (some did occur OTL IIRC).

The final straw is when there is a bomb at the Ashes test at Lords, killing many spectators and wounding many more including some players.

The British now plan to embark on an operation to attack the PIRA camps inside Ireland. This is going to be like the Israel operation in lebanon in OTL.

Sometime in the early 80's, the British Army crosses the border inforce, while Royal Marine and PARA plan for an operation to capture Dublin..........


Realistic? How would such an invasion play out? Keeping in mind that this PIRA has far greater support from the USSR than the OTL ine did.


Also, how would the British treat the perhaps one million Irish in Britain, and how would this change the landscape politically?

How long would the British stay in the South?
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