While the brigade was forming the TA's AA units had been mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis, with units manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October.[5] In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command. In June, as the international situation worsened, a partial mobilisation of the TA was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun and searchlight positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations.[6]
Order of Battle 1939–40
90 cm 'Projector Anti-Aircraft', displayed at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth
By the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, 41 AA Bde had the following units under command:[7][8][9][10]
Although based in London, the brigade's war station was in East Anglia, and its units deployed across the region on the outbreak of the Second World War. The first months of the war were quiet, but on the night of 7/8 June 1940, 32nd AA Battalion was the first searchlight unit to bring down an enemy aircraft, the crew of a Heinkel He 115 coastal reconnaissance aircraft being dazzled by a detachment at Rendelsham and crashing nearby.[11][20]
By the summer of 1940, all TA searchlight regiments had been transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA), and AA regiments had been redesignated Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiments being formed. At this stage of the war 40 AA Bde operated as a 'light' AA brigade composed of S/L and LAA units, but in July a section of 286 HAA Bty from 91 HAA Rgt in the Humber Gun Zone was sent to the brigade to man two semi-mobile 3-inch guns to defend RAF Horsham St Faith under 29th LAA Rgt.[21] As more LAA units became available, they were distributed to defend Vulnerable Points (VPs) such as airfields, which were attacked during the Battle of Britain. AA 'Z' Regiments were also formed, equipped with Z Battery rocket projectiles.[22][23]
The S/L layouts had been based on a spacing of 3,500 yards (3,200m), but due to equipment shortages this had been extended to 6,000 yards (5,500m). As the German Luftwaffe switched to night raids against London and other cities (The Blitz), the S/L layout was changed in November to clusters of three lights to improve illumination, but this meant that the clusters had to be spaced 10,400 yards (9,500m) apart. The cluster system was an attempt to improve the chances of picking up enemy bombers and keeping them illuminated for engagement by AA guns or RAF Night fighters. Eventually, one light in each cluster was to be equipped with searchlight control (SLC or 'Elsie') radar and act as 'master light', but the radar equipment was still in short supply. The number of raiders shot down steadily increased until mid-May 1941, when the Luftwaffe scaled down its attacks.[22][24][25][26]
Order of Battle 1940–41
41 AA Brigade had the following organisation during this period:[27][28][29][30][31]
Loading a mobile multiple 4-inch Z projector 18 June 1941.
78th (1st East Anglian) HAA Regiment (part) – returned from 40 AA Bde Summer 1941
In the summer of 1941, AA Command began to receive purpose-built SLC radar in sufficient numbers to allow some S/Ls to be 'declustered' into single-light sites. These were redeployed into 'Indicator Belts' of radar-controlled S/L clusters covering approaches to the RAF's night-fighter sectors, repeated by similar belts covering AA Command's Gun Defence Areas (GDAs). Inside each belt was a 20-mile deep 'Killer Belt' of single S/Ls spaced at 6,000 yards (5,500m) intervals in a 'Killer Belt' cooperating with night-fighters patrolling defined 'boxes'. The pattern was designed to ensure that raids penetrating deeply towards the Midlands GDAs would cross more than one belt, and the GDAs had more S/Ls at close spacing. The number of LAA units to protect VPs was growing, albeit slowly.[22][39][40]
At this stage of the war, experienced units were being posted away to train for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for the invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) and the need to transfer LAA units to counter the Luftwaffe's hit-and-run attacks against South Coast towns that began in March 1942. However, newly-formed units continued to join AA Command, the HAA and support units increasingly becoming 'Mixed' units, indicating that women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) were fully integrated into them.[22][40][41]
Order of Battle 1941–42
During this period the brigade's composition was as follows (temporary attachments omitted):[42][43][44]
41 AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Subsection – part of 1 Company, 2 AA Division Mixed Signal Unit, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS)
Later war
The AA divisions were disbanded in September 1942 and replaced by a system of AA Groups corresponding to the Groups of RAF Fighter Command. 41 AA Brigade came under 5 AA Group based at Nottingham and affiliated to No. 12 Group RAF.[22][47][48]
Order of Battle 1942–43
In this period the brigade's composition was as follows (temporary attachments omitted):[44][49][50]
41 AA Brigade Mixed Signal Office Section – part of 1 Company, 5 AA Group Mixed Signal Unit, RCS
Operation Diver
By August 1943 the brigade only had two units under command (72nd and 82nd S/L Rgts), and this remained the case into 1944. By this stage of the war AA Command was being forced to make manpower cuts, releasing men to 21st Army Group for Operation Overlord, the planned Allied invasion of Normandy, and a number of S/L btys were disbanded: 72nd and 82nd S/L Rgts each lost one.[50][52][53] 5 AA Group was now acting as a reserve: some units and formations left to join Overlord after D-Day in June, and when the long-awaited attacks on London by V-1 flying bombs ('Divers') began shortly afterwards), AA Command put into action its planned countermeasures (Operation Diver). This involved moving units and formations south from 5 AA Group, and 41 AA Bde was given additional responsibilities for some of the units left in place.[22][53][54][55]
Order of Battle Summer 1944
V-1 flying bomb being readied for launch.
The composition of the brigade during the period was as follows:[53]
By October 1944, the brigade's HQ establishment was 10 officers, 9 male other ranks and 25 members of the ATS, together with a small number of attached drivers, cooks and mess orderlies (male and female). In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 1 officer, 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.[56]
Diver Fringe
Static 3.7-inch gun on a Pile Platform, October 1944.
The first phase of V-1 attacks ended in September 1944 after 21st Army Group overran the launching sites in Northern France. In October, AA Command began planning to counter the expected attacks by air-launched V-1s coming in across the North Sea against targets on the East Coast and the Midlands. 41 AA Brigade was one of the formations deployed by 5 AA Group for this 'Diver Fringe' belt of defences. The brigade was reduced to a single regiment (172nd (M) HAA Rgt), but was tasked with reconnoitring and establishing 10 new AA gun sites from Donna Nook to Wainfleet along the Lincolnshire coast. Each site was to be equipped with six static 3.7-inch Mark IIC guns, with powered mountings, Predictor No 10 (the all-electric Bell Labs AAA Computer) and Radar No 3 Mark V (the SCR-584 radar set). The guns were emplaced on temporary 'Pile platforms' named after the Commander-in-Chief of AA Command, Gen Sir Frederick 'Tim' Pile. They were operated by 'Mixed' batteries, in which a high proportion of the personnel were women from the ATS. These batteries and their guns had to be scraped together from other parts of the country, together with huts to be re-erected for winter accommodation.[22][53][55][57][58][59]
There was a pause in the V-1 offensive in December 1944, and 41 AA Bde was reduced to two AA Area Mixed regiments, composed of Z rocket batteries manned by the ATS and Home Guard. The Home Guard was stood down that month, and the brigade was left with almost nothing to command. However, on 24 December the Luftwaffe began launching the missiles across the Lincolnshire coast aimed at Manchester, and the Diver Fringe was activated with HAA and LAA batteries moving into 41 AA Bde's area. The brigade operated against air-launched V-1s until January, after which the Diver Fringe belt was also involved with Operation Trigger, engaging enemy intruder night-fighters.[53][60]
146, 183, 209 (M) Z Btys – btys stood down December 1944
17 AA Area Mixed Rgt – joined November; stood down December 1944
170, 206, 207, 225 (M) Z Btys
War's end
As the war in Europe drew to its end in early 1945, demobilisation of AA Command proceeded rapidly as manpower was diverted to other roles. By February 1945, 41 AA Bde was reduced to commanding one of its former units (144th (M) HAA Rgt), together with one (9th (Londonderry) HAA Rgt) returned from the Italian Front. After VE day, the brigade became responsible for a number of AA regiments in the Birmingham area awaiting demobilisation or engaged in agricultural work (147th (Glasgow) LAA Rgt), together with two 'Area AA Maintenance HQs'.[53][61][62][63][64]
Postwar
When the TA was reformed on 1 January 1947, the brigade's Regular Army units reformed 13 AA Bde at Coventry, while the TA portion was renumbered as 67 AA Bde,[lower-alpha 1] with its HQ at Shepherd's Bush and constituting part of 1 AA Group. It had the following units under command:[1][65][66]
The brigade was placed in 'suspended animation' on 31 October 1955, shortly after the abolition of AA Command, and formally disbanded on 31 December 1957.[1][65]
Footnotes
↑ The TA AA brigades were now numbered 51 and upwards, rather than 26 and upwards as in the 1930s; the wartime 67th AA Bde was disbanded in 1945.
27th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an Air Defence formation of the British Army in the Second World War that served in The Blitz and later converted to infantry.
28th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of the British Territorial Army created in 1925 to command anti-aircraft units in Kent and around the militarily important Medway Towns, which it defended during the Second World War. In 1940 the brigade was responsible for the defences on the south side of the Thames Estuary including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham and the Port of Dover. The brigade was heavily engaged throughout the Battle of Britain, in the summer of 1940, and The Blitz, from autumn 1940 to spring 1941, operating a total of 70 heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) guns controlled from a gun operations room (GOR) at Chatham. During 1942 many of the brigade's experienced units were transferred to active theatres overseas. Increasingly the brigade included women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS).
The 38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army formed just before the Second World War, which protected London and Southern England during the Blitz and later converted into an infantry formation for the liberation of Europe.
The 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army from 1936 until 1955, which defended Tyneside and Sunderland during the Second World War.
The 31st Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army from 1936 until 1948. During the Second World War it defended West Yorkshire and later participated in the North West Europe campaign.
The 32nd (Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in Britain's Territorial Army (TA) from 1936 to 1955, charged with defending the East Midlands of England.
The 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army (TA) formed shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Its initial role was to defend Royal Air Force (RAF) airfields in East Anglia. Later it commanded part of the searchlight belt protecting The Midlands. In 1944 the brigade was moved south to protect the embarkation ports for Operation Overlord and to defend against V-1 flying bombs in Operation Diver. It was briefly reformed in the postwar TA.
The 34th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army formed shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended the West Midlands of England during The Blitz.
The 33rd (Western) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army, formed shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended Merseyside and West Lancashire during The Blitz.
35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army (TA) formed shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended the important naval base of Portsmouth during The Blitz.
36th (Scottish) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army, created in the period of tension before the outbreak of the Second World War. It was responsible for defending eastern Scotland.
The 37th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed just before the outbreak of the Second World War. It was engaged in defending the Thames Estuary during the war, and continued to form part of Anti-Aircraft Command in the postwar era.
39th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) during the Second World War. It was responsible under Anti-Aircraft Command for protecting industry along the Humber Estuary and airfields in Lincolnshire during The Blitz. Later it defended the coast of East Anglia against Luftwaffe 'hit-and-run' attacks. It was later converted to a field force formation, covered the embarkation ports for Operation Overlord and defended London against V-1 flying bombs. It served in the campaign in North West Europe, defending Antwerp against V-1s and supervising the clean-up of the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
42nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). It was responsible for protecting the City of Glasgow and industry along the Firth of Clyde during the Second World War.
43rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). Formed in 1938, it was responsible for protecting Teesside in North East England during the early part of the Second World War, and later defended South East England from V-1 flying bombs. It was reformed postwar and survived under different titles until 1961.
50th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) during the Second World War. It defended the North Midlands of England during The Blitz and later helped to protect Brussels from V-1 flying bombs during the Campaign in North West Europe.
6th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of the British Army formed during the Second World War. It served in the disastrous Norwegian Campaign in 1940 and then defended East Anglia during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz. It was reorganised to take part in the invasion of Normandy, but instead was diverted to defending Southern England against V-1 flying bombs. It was briefly recreated in the postwar Regular Army.
44th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). Formed in 1938, it was responsible for protecting Manchester and later the Isle of Wight during the Second World War. It was reformed postwar under a new title, and continued until 1955.
The 5th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed as a searchlight brigade to protect the British Expeditionary Force's bases just before the Battle of France. After the Dunkirk evacuation it was reformed as a conventional anti-aircraft (AA) brigade and served through the rest of the war in Anti-Aircraft Command, defending various parts of the United Kingdom against bombing raids and V-1 flying bombs. It continued to serve in the Regular Army during the early postwar years.
45th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). Formed in 1938, it was responsible for protecting South Wales during the Second World War. It was reformed in the postwar TA under a new title, and continued until 1955.
Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN1-85753-080-2.
J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield,
Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN978-1-84342-474-1.
Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN0-9508205-2-0.
C. Digby Planck, The Shiny Seventh: History of the 7th (City of London) Battalion London Regiment, London: Old Comrades' Association, 1946/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, ISBN1-84342-366-9.
Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN1-85753-099-3.
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