The Warrenpoint ambush was a propaganda victory for the IRA . It was the deadliest attack on the British Army during the Troubles and the Parachute Regiment 's biggest loss since World War II , with sixteen paratroopers killed . The 1st battalion of the Parachute Regiment was responsible for Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972 where 14 unarmed protesters were shot dead . The IRA made clear it was targeting British paratroopers because of Bloody Sunday . General Sir James Glover , Commander of British forces in Northern Ireland , said it was " arguably the most successful and certainly one of the best planned IRA attacks of the whole campaign "
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Warrenpoint ambush