Operation Motorman
Operation Motorman was an operation carried out by British forces in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, which started at 4:00 31 July 1972 to retake the no-go areas (i.e., areas controlled by the IRA) established in Belfast and Londonderry in the aftermath of internment the previous year.
To the disappointment of many (not least the British), the Provisional IRA did not attempt to hold their ground, as they lacked the necessary armaments and used guerilla tactics. The British employed an overwhelming force of 21,000 troops (roughly 4% of the whole British army). By the end of the day there were no more no-go areas in Northern Ireland but the British Army were still cautious in areas such as West Belfast (which they nicknamed the Wild West), the Bogside and the New Lodge. In Derry the gable end of a demolished house still bares the legend "YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FREE DERRY" as a testament to those times.
It was during Operation Motorman that 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty was shot dead by the British Army, Daniel's two cousins were also shot and wounded.
Derry human rights group the Pat Finucane Centre did a reconstruction of the scene of the scene and found information given to the coroner was in error. The police map shows Daniel was shot 70ft away from where he actually was shot.