User blog:SPARTAN 119/IRA vs Zapatista Army

The IRA, the paramilitary group intent on unifying Ireland and removing British influence through force

VS

The Zapatista Army, the Mexican socialist militia who see themselves as finishing the work of the Mexican Revolutionaries

WHO IS DEADLIEST?!

=Combatants=

IRA
The IRA, or the Provisional Irish Republican Army, is an Irish paramilitary group who had goals of reuniting Ireland and to remove United Kingdom influence. The group separated from the Irish Republican Army because of the two factions' conflicting agendas. The PIRA desired to unite Northern Ireland with the Irish Free State by violent means. The army is comprised of volunteers trained in the use of firearms and explosives. In order to execute their agenda, soldiers used bombing attacks to terrify their British occupiers. These bombings include the Manchester and Docklands bombings. Recently, in 2005 the IRA Army Council decided to use peaceful political means to accomplish their agenda instead of using violence, bringing an end to the armed campaign.

Zapatista Army
The Zapatista Army is a socialist movement among native Mexican farmers in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. The Zapatistas see them as ideological heirs to Emiliano Zapata, a reformer and commander in the Mexican Revolution. The rebels first "declared war" on the Mexican government in 1994 on the day of the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Zapatistas oppose NAFTA, and other actions of the Mexican government that harm the indigenous farmers of Mexico. On January 1st, 1994, the Zapatistas attacked from the jungles of the state of Chiapas, and seized towns in the region, liberated prisoners from jails, and attacked police and military outposts. The Zapatista rebels were quickly defeated by the Mexican military, however, within twelve days. The Zapatistas, however, still exist, mostly as a political movement for the autonomy, but not complete independence of Chiapas and the economic right of indigenous peoples to the profits from natural resources on their land. =Weapons=

Browning Hi-Power (IRA)
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun designed by John Moses Browning and first produced by FN Herstal in 1935. The most innovative feature of the Hi-Power was that it was the first handgun with a double-stack magazine, allowing to hold 13 rounds in the magazine, as opposed to the 7 or 8 of other pistols of the era. The weapon had a range of 50 meters.

Beretta Model 92 (Zapatista)
The Beretta 92 is a series of 9x19 Parabellum firing pistols developed by the Italian company, Beretta. Based around older Beretta pistols, the 92 was first produced in 1975. The pistol has been modified to accompany larger rounds like the .40 S&W and fire in three round bursts, featured in the Beretta 93R. Dozens of countries have adopted the pistol and have been used by their police departments and armies. The M9 was specifically designed for the United States military and is popularly used because of its light weight, low recoil, accuracy, and fast rate of fire. The Beretta in this match will be a 9mm with a 15-round magazine. The weapon has a range of 50 meters.

119's Edge
The Zapatista's Beretta for its larger magazine.

Thompson (IRA)
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, too later for service in World War I as it was originally intended. As there were no restrictions on sale of automatic weapons at the time, Thompson put the weapon on the civilian market, where became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals. Indeed, the widespread use of the Thompson in crimes was one of the reasons for the first firearms laws, the National Firearms Act. The weapon later went on to be used in hands of U.S. and allied troops in the Second World War. The Thompson was also known informally as: the "Tommy Gun", "Trench Broom", "Trench Sweeper", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", "Chicago Style", "Chicago Organ Grinder", and "The Chopper". The weapon was a .45 caliber weapon with a range of about 50 meters and a rate of fire of 600-1500 rpm depending on model. The weapon could use a 20 or 30 round box magazine or a 50 round drum.

Sten (Zapatista)
The STEN (or Sten gun) was a family of British 9mm submachine guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They were notable for having a simple design and very low production cost making them effective insurgency weapons for resistance groups. The weapon fired at a rate of fire 500 rpm from a 32 round magazine at a range of up to 100 meters.

119's Edge
The Sten has a longer range, but the Thompson has a higher rate of fire and a larger magazine with its drum mag. The Thompson's superior grip and larger size should also make it more controllable. Edge: IRA.

AR-18 (IRA)
The AR-18 is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an improved alternative to the AR-15 design, which had just been selected by the U.S. military as the M16. While the AR-18 was never adopted as the standard service rifle of any nation, its production licence was sold to companies in Japan and England, and it is said to have influenced many later weapons such as the British SA80,[1] the Singaporean SAR-80 and SR-88, the Austrian Steyr AUG, and the Heckler and Koch G36. It gained some notoriety through its use by the Provisional IRA, which allegedly christened it the "Widowmaker". (From Wikipedia). The weapon had a rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute, and for the purposes of this match, a 30-round magazine.

Colt Commando (Zapatista)
The CAR-15 Commando was not initially part of the CAR-15 Military Weapons System, but was added in 1966 in response to the US military's desire for a shorter M16 and the Model 607 SMG's inadequacies. Colt engineer Rob Roy designed a simpler two-position telescoping tubular aluminum buttstock to replace the complicated extending triangular version. The fragile and ad hoc triangular handguards were replaced by reinforced round handguards. Each half of the round handguard was identical, simplifying logistics by not requiring a top/bottom or left/right pair. The Model 609 Commando had a forward assist, while the Model 610 Commando did not. A Model 610B with a four-position selector was available, but not used by the U.S. military. All versions were equipped with the 4.25-inch long moderator. (From Wikipedia) The weapon had a rate of fire of 750-900 RPM firing the 5.56mm round from a 30-round magazine.

119's Edge
The Colt Commando has a faster rate of fire, however, the AR-18 had a longer barrel, meaning greater accuracy and range. Edge: IRA.

Bren (IRA)
The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry light machine gun (LMG) in World War II, it was also used in the Korean War and saw service throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including the 1982 Falklands War and the 1991 Gulf War. Although fitted with a bipod, it could also be mounted on a tripod or vehicle-mounted. The weapon will, for the purposes of this match, be a 7.62mm machine gun firing from a 30-round magazine. The weapon had a rate of fire of about 500 rounds per minute, with a range of 550 meters.

RPK (Zapatista)
The RPK (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, Russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова or "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun") is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created as part of a program designed to standardize the small arms inventory of the Red Army, where it replaced the 7.62x39mm RPD light machine gun. The RPK fires a 7.62mm Soviet round at 650 RPM from, for the purposes of this match, a 45-round magazine. The weapon has sight adjustments for up to 1000 meters, though LMGs are typically not deployed at more than half that range.

119's Edge
The Zapatista's RPK for its superior rate of fire and magazine capacity.

M1C (IRA)
The M1 Garand was the standard issue servie rifle of the United States Armed Forces from 1936 until 1957. It is an air-cooled, gas-powered .30-06 semi-automatic rifle, the first of its kind. Thousands of M1 Garands were issued to American Allied forces around the globe. It has since then been decommisioned in most areas, but continues to be a popular weapon for hunting. It was a signifigant combat innovation because of its ability to rapidly fire powerful catridges. The weapon was fed from an en-bloc clip of eight rounds. The M1C had a scope that boosted its range to 548 meters, but the scope was offset to allow clips to be loaded from above. This could make aiming a challenge and took a user that was used to the rifle.

G3 (Zapatista)
The Heckler and Koch G3 is a German-made battle rifle designed in the 1950s by Heckler and Koch in cooperation with CETME in Spain. The weapon has served in numerous military and paramilitary organizations in countless conflicts around the world. The weapon fires a 7.62mm round, making it a viable marksman rifle with a range of 500 meters when equipped with scope and bipod. The weapon will, for the purposes of this match, use a 20-round magazine. When set to fully automatic, the weapon has a rate of fire of 500-600 RPM.

119's Edge
The M1C has a slightly longer range, but I give it to the G3 for its larger magazine, scope aligned with the barrel for easier aiming, and versatility- it can be used as an automatic battle rifle at closer ranges. Edge: Zapatista.

M72 LAW (IRA)
The M72 LAW or Light Anti-Tank Weapon, is a 66mm American portable rocket launcher. The launcher is a disposable weapon, consisting of a launch tube pre-loaded with a single rocket, which is then disposed of after firing. The weapon has been in service since the 1960s, seeing action in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War. The weapon has an effective range of 200 meters, and a maximum range of 1000 meters. The standard LAW is equipped with a HEAT shaped charge warhead, though HE-fragmentation and anti-structure versions exist.

RPG-7 (Zapatista)
The RPG-7 is a Soviet-made 85mm anti-tank rocket launcher. The weapon was first delivered to the Soviet Army in 1961 and, like the AK-47 has since been widely exported during the Cold War era, and is still in the arsenal of many countries and paramilitary organization. The weapon is known for low cost, ease of use, durability and reliability. To some, it's the very symbol of guerrilla warfare. The weapon has a maximum range of 920 meters, but is only effective at up to 200 meters.

119's Edge
The RPG-7 takes this as it can be reloaded, and fires a larger warhead. Edge: Zapatista =X-Factors=

Explanations
The IRA takes logistics, having lasted longer than the Zapatistas, and thus, also have superior tactics and combat experience. The two groups are about even in terms of physical capabilities, however, the Zapatistas have an overall more modern and effective arsenal, with weapons such as the RPK, G3, and RPG, however, this cannot be considered too much of an advantage, as they lose out in SMGs and assault rifles.