WEAPONS

Here you'll find details of the weapons used by the group

M45 GUSTAV SMG

The Carl Gustav M45 SMG, or Swedish K, as it is generally known, entered service with the Swedish army in 1945. Since then, it has been adopted by several countries, including the USA and Ireland. It was capable of firing 600 rpm and was used extensively by the Irish throughout the Congo Crisis through till the late 80s generally being issued to Officers and NCOs.

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NO4 LEE ENFIELD

The Lee Enfield No4 is regarded as a classic by collectors and historians alike. Used by the Irish Army since the 1950s it saw action in the Congo for the first year of deployments, however after the massacre at Niemba in November 1960 it was shown to be inadequate compared to the weaponry being used by the opposition.

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MK3 SMLE

In use with the Irish army since its formation in the early 20s the trusty SMLE proved itself to be a excellent rifle for the army during the Civil War being used throughout The Emergency (WW2) until the N04 was issued in the 50s.

Lewis Gun

Much like the MK3 SMLE the British made Lewis gun saw extensive action with the Irish Army during the Civil war and continued being used through the 1940s despite the adoption of the Bren gun.

LEE ENFIELD NO4T

The No4T was a modified version of the Lee Enfield No4 rifle. These were issued to Irish snipers deployed with regular units during the Congo Crisis and proved quite effective in eliminating enemy snipers and heavy weapons crews.

GUSTAV M84 RECOILLESS RIFLE

Issued as part of their UN weapon allowance these weapons were often the only anti tank weapons Irish units had at their disposal (If they were lucky) while they could be used against enemy vehicles such as M8 greyhounds they could also be used on fixed positions to. They are still in Irish service today.

FN FAL

The FN FAL was formally adopted by the Irish Army in 1961 to replace the No4 Lee Enfield. It proved itself to be a excellent addition to the troops arsenal seeing service with the army well into the 80s these were the standard issue weapon of the Enlisted men.

BREN MKIII

In use with the Irish Army since the 1930s the Bren was reliable and deadly accurate sometimes outmatching rifles. It was the primary LMG for Irish UN troops in the Congo and was used for the entire conflict.

60MM M2 MORTAR

The standard light mortar for Irish units in the Congo, these proved to be a deadly tool in the hands of the well trained Irish mortar teams often being used to suppress enemy machine gun positions and for counter battery fire against enemy mortars.

ML 3-INCH MORTAR 81MM

As with a lot of Irish equipment this mortar shows the mix mash of kit used from different nations this being British made, while the its 60mm counter part could suppress a enemy mortar position with a chance of a direct hit these 81mm monsters could potentially obliterate them!

NO 9 Bayonet

The NO 9 Bayonet was issued to virtually every soldier and was generally carried at all times. It can be fixed to the No4 Rifles and modified M45 Gustavs.

NO36 Grenade

Issued as the standard hand grenade for Irish Soldiers, used into the 60s despite the fact they had been in service since WW2 were still effective.

Steyr AUG A1

Adopted by the Irish Defence Forces in 1989 to replace the aged FN FAL and Gustavs these futuristic bullpups saw their first proper deployment overseas with Irish troops as part of UNISOM II in 1993 and is still the current issue weapon for the Irish Defence Forces

KCB-77 Bayonet

Adopted alongside the AUG this handy bayonet can double up as a wire cutter.