41st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

41st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Active 29 September 1938–31 October 1955
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Role Air Defence
Part of 2nd AA Division
1st AA Group
Engagements Battle of Britain
The Blitz

The 41st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army, formed shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Its role was to defend East Anglia.

Origin

The brigade was formed on 29 September 1938 at Ebury Street, London, as part of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. By the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, it had the following units under command:[1][2][3][4]

World War II

Although based in London, the brigade's war station was in East Anglia, and its units deployed across the region on the outbreak of World War II. 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.[5][14]

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. During the intense period of activity of the Battle of Britain and subsequent Blitz, 41 AA Bde's organisation changed in other ways as well, giving it the following order of battle by November 1940:[15][16][17][18]

Postwar

On 1 January 1947, 41 AA Bde was redesignated 67 AA Bde in the reformed TA, with its HQ at Shepherd's Bush and constituting part of 1 AA Group. It had the following units under command:[26][27]

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.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ 2 AA Division 1939 at British Military History.
  2. ↑ AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.
  3. ↑ Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376.
  4. ↑ Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
  5. 1 2 Litchfield, p. 170.
  6. ↑ 32 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.
  7. ↑ Litchfield, p. 72.
  8. ↑ 64 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.
  9. ↑ Litchfield, p. 73.
  10. ↑ 65 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Litchfield, p. 185.
  12. ↑ Norfolk Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org
  13. ↑ 78 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45. Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ Planck, p. 228.
  15. ↑ 2 AA Division 1940 at British Military History.
  16. ↑ 2 AA Div at RA 39–45. Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.
  18. ↑ Farndale, Annex D, p. 258.
  19. ↑ Litchfield, p. 143.
  20. ↑ 29 LAA at RA 39–45.
  21. 1 2 Litchfield, p. 179.
  22. ↑ 60 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.
  23. ↑ 9th Middlesex at Regiments.org.
  24. ↑ Litchfield, p. 174.
  25. ↑ 69 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.
  26. 1 2 67–106 AA Bdes at British Army 1945 on.
  27. ↑ Litchfield, Appendix 5.
  28. 1 2 Litchfield, p. 164.
  29. ↑ Litchfield, p. 165.
  30. ↑ Litchfield, pp. 166–7.
  31. ↑ Litchfield, p. 109.

References

Online sources

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