Suppose the IRA did not call in bomb warnings but rather waged it's bombing campaign in mainland Britain with the express purpose of causing civilian casualties.
Suppose the IRA did not call in bomb warnings but rather waged it's bombing campaign in mainland Britain with the express purpose of causing civilian casualties.
The SAS gets a free hand to hunt them in NI, the Republic comes under pressure to suppress those in the Republic, I'd guess that American support for the IRA is reduced...
SAS or other special forces would operate on both sides of the border, some would eventually be arrested in the Republic,
Have to correct you there - no one was killed in the Manchester bombing
SAS operators were arrested in the Republic on at least one occasion IOTL
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagstaff_hill_incident
I did have the 1996 Manchester bombing particularly in mind, and that doesn't really count, as the IRA had called in a warning, but imagine if it hadn't and the bomb had gone off without any warnING and thus without the area being evacuated?
Then you have the Enniskillen bomb with even more casualties and even more backlash against the 'RA in GB, NI and the Free State.
The Free State? More than a few decades out of date there!
The Free State? More than a few decades out of date there!
At least you can't get it mixed it up with anything else.
Then you have the Enniskillen bomb with even more casualties and even more backlash against the 'RA in GB, NI and the Free State.
Funny how the Dublin/Monaghan bombings which had even more didn't do much against the Loyalist groups?