#OnThisDay 1921 The IRA attacked a four truck convoy of Auxiliaries in the Rathcoole Ambush, Cork. Captain Dan Vaughan placed six mines on the road and covered in dust. He spaced them out at roughly the same distance the Crossley Tender trucks would travel in. The IRA had been waiting for the convoy all day, allowing it to pass through the ambush site only to attack them on their return journey. The Auxiliaries had been using the same road for several days to collect supplies in Milltown and not changing their routes as they should have been.
When the Auxies returned at 19:30, only three of the mines detonated but disabled three of the four trucks. A firefight ensued between the IRA and the 29 occupants of the vehicles. The Cork men managed to kill two Auxies & injure many more. This can be seen in the compensation claims made. Over £10,000 was paid out. £4,500 to the two families of the deceased and over £6,000 more in other claims to those wounded in the fight.
Despite inflicting this damage, the IRA soon had to withdraw due to a dwindling supply of ammunition.
The Irish at War 