6th Anti-Aircraft Division (United Kingdom)

6th Anti-Aircraft Division

Formation sign of the 6th Anti-Aircraft division.[1]
Active 1939–1942
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Anti-Aircraft Division
Role Air Defence
Part of Anti-Aircraft Command (1939–40)
1 AA Corps (1940–42)
Garrison/HQ Uxbridge, later Chelmsford
Engagements Battle of Britain
The Blitz

The 6th Anti-Aircraft Division (6 AA Division) was an air defence formation created within Anti-Aircraft Command of Britain's Territorial Army just before World War II. It defended the Thames Estuary and the approaches to London during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.

Origin

6 AA Division was formed during 1939 to take responsibility for the air defence of the Thames Estuary, Essex and North Kent, with its HQ at Uxbridge, Middlesex. The existing 27 (Home Counties), 28 (Thames & Medway), 29 (East Anglian) and 37 AA Brigades were transferred to this new formation, together with the new formations and units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) being raised as part of the expansion of the TA after the Munich Crisis.[2]

The divisional HQ was provided by duplicating 1 AA Division's headquarter elements at RAF Uxbridge, including 1st AA Divisional Signals.[3] Major-General Frederick Hyland was promoted from command of 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade to General Officer Commanding of the new division on 30 May 1939. He continued in command throughout its existence.[2][4][5][6][7]

The divisional badge was a red arrow piercing a black and white target on a black square.[8]

Mobilisation

Order of Battle

The division's composition on the outbreak of war in 1939 was as follows:[2][9][10][11]

27 (Home Counties) AA Bde at Lingfield, Surrey

28 (Thames & Medway) AA Bde at Kitchener Barracks, Chatham, Kent

29 (East Anglian) AA Bde at South Kensington, London– came under operational command 7 September 1939[12]

37 AA Bde at Edmonton, London

56th Light AA Bde at Uxbridge

At this point the division had a strength of 138 HAA guns (4.5-inch, 3.7-inch or 3-inch), while in the LAA role there were 23 3-inch, 35 2-pounder 'pom-pom' and 40 mm Bofors guns, and 270 light machine guns (LMGs), together with 479 searchlights.[10][13]

During 1940, the RE's AA Bns were transferred to the RA as Searchlight regiments, while the AA regiments were designated Heavy AA (HAA) to distinguish them from the Light AA (LAA) regiments that were being formed.[14]

The area covered by 6 AA Division coincided with the RAF Sectors of Debden, North Weald, Hornchurch, Biggin Hill, and Kenley, being the major part of 11 Group of RAF Fighter Command. The coastal boundary ran from Lowestoft in the north to Worthing in the south, while the internal boundary was that of Metropolitan London.[13]

Dispositions

On the outbreak of war the division's HAA guns were contained in four main 'gun defended areas' (GDAs) at Harwich (6 guns), Thames & Medway North (59 guns emplaced along the north bank of the Thames Estuary), Thames & Medway South (74 guns emplaced along the south bank of the Thames Estuary and defending Chatham and Rochester), and Dover (including Folkestone) (6 guns). The four GDAs were controlled by 'gun operations rooms' (GORs) at Felixstowe, Vange, Chatham and Dover respectively. Each GOR was linked directly to No. 11 Group Operations Room at Uxbridge.[13][15]

Forty-five 'vulnerable points' (VPs) in the divisional area were defended by LAA guns: these included Air Ministry Experimental Stations, fighter aerodromes, dockyards, oil depots, magazines, and factories. The armament ranged from Bofors 40 mm, 3-inch 20 cwt, and 20 mm Hispano cannon to LMGs. Searchlights were deployed in single-light stations at approximately 6000 yard spacing, with 3500 yard spacing along the coast and in the GDAs. Each searchlight site was equipped with AA LMGs.[13]

To deal with minelaying off East Anglia and Kent, 6 AA Division organised a flotilla of three small Paddle steamers, each equipped with one Bofors gun and two S/Ls. Their role was to patrol the channels off the coast to engage enemy minelaying aircraft and to report the position of mines to the Royal Navy or to detonate them if possible. The flotilla fought a number of actions that caused a drop in enemy Seaplane activity. Later the vessels were replaced by larger ones carrying a gun-laying (GL Mk. I radar) radar set, while other GL positions were set up on the coast to track minelayers. It was possible to plot where a mine fell from an aircraft and then direct minesweepers to the position.[16]

Phoney War

Although new units were joining, AA Command had to relinquish some of the more experienced ones to supplement the AA cover for the build-up of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. 79th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) AA Rgt was withdrawn in January and redeployed as a Base Defence unit for the BEF. A fortnight after the Dunkirk evacuation, the regiment was evacuated from St Nazaire.[17]

In the Spring of 1940, 6 AA Division reorganised its growing AA defences. As a result, 29 AA Bde, which had been purely a S/L formation, transferred its sites in Kent to 27 AA Bde, and took over responsibility for the HAA and LAA defence of RAF air and radar stations in Essex and for a new GDA around Harwich and the nearby harbours. 29 AA Bde also moved its HQ from Kensington to Boxted, Essex.[12]

The Phoney War ended with the German invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940. Home Forces became concerned about the threat from German paratroopers and AA Command's units were given anti-invasion roles. A plan to attach groups of riflemen from the infantry training centres to 6 AA Division's widely-spaced S/L sites foundered on the lack of men. Instead the S/L detachments were given the responsibility for attacking parachutists before they could organise, and spare men at company HQs were formed into mobile columns using requisitioned civilian transport to hunt them down. These arrangements were never tested in practice.[12]

In July the division was joined by 6 AA Bde, which had been created to command the AA units in the Norwegian Campaign.[18][19] After the evacuation of British forces from Norway it reformed in 2 AA Division as a light AA brigade in southern East Anglia, commanding widely-spaced S/L sites and LAA guns scattered at VPs, mainly RAF airfields. When the brigade transferred to 6 AA Division it brought with it two S/L regiments and a newly-formed LAA regiment, and was given control of 12th LAA Rgt from 56th LAA Bde. 56th Light AA Bde retained responsibility for S/L and LAA units south of the Thames Estuary.[20][21][22]

On 11 July 1940 (shortly before the Battle of Britain began), 6 AA Division's guns were deployed as follows[7][23][24]

At this point 6 AA Division possessed 21 GL radar sets, which increased to 35 by October.

Battle of Britain

3.7-inch guns of 75th HAA Regiment at Dover, 1940.

The Luftwaffe began its bombing offensive against the British mainland with small-scale raids on coastal targets, then in June began night raids against ports and industrial targets in the North and Midlands. This gave the AA units valuable experience, and 6 AA Division was encouraged when its batteries shot down three raiders at night over Essex. In July, the Luftwaffe switched back to heavy daylight raids against south coast ports and shipping: the guns at Dover were in action virtually every day. Lieutenant-Colonel N.V. Sadler of 75th HAA Rgt developed an effective system of HAA barrages over individual points in Dover Harbour and the shipping channels, underpinned by LAA fire. In one day the regiment shot down seven Junkers Ju 87 'Stukas' together with two Messerschmitt Bf 109s and a Dornier Do 215.[13][25]

Next the Luftwaffe began targeting Fighter Command's airfields in South-East England with mass raids, and AA Command responded by shifting guns into the area. On 18 August, seven raids appeared in 4 1⁄2 hours, and the guns of 28th and 37th AA Bdes, together with those of the neighbouring 1 and 5 AA Divisions, accounted for 23 aircraft of various types. Four days later a mass raid flew up the Thames Estuary to attack RAF Hornchurch and was engaged by 28th and 37th AA Bdes in 'Thames North' and 'Thames South'. Their guns broke up the formations, allowing the RAF's fighters to press home their attacks, and the guns used 'pointer' rounds to mark the approach of fresh waves of bombers.[13][25]

The peak intensity of the Battle of Britain came between 24 August and 15 September as the Luftwaffe put in its maximum effort to destroy Fighter Command. Mass raids aimed to saturate the defences. On 1 September over 200 aircraft attacked Maidstone, Biggin Hill, Kenley and Chatham. In joint action with the fighters, the guns of 1 and 6 AA Divisions broke up the attacks and shot down four aircraft, but the airfields at Kenley and Biggin Hill were badly hit. Next day a mass stream of Dornier Do 17s arrived over the Medway and flew up the Thames towards Hornchurch. They at once came under heavy fire from the 3.7 and 4.5 inch HAA guns of 28th and 37th AA Bdes on opposite sides of the river. Of about 100 bombers escorted by 190 fighters, 15 were shot down by AA fire. On 7 September over 300 aircraft approached the Thames Estuary, where the 15 HAA batteries of 28th and 37th AA Bdes split the formations up, although the Thameshaven oil wharves, Tilbury Docks, Woolwich and West Ham were badly hit. One of the lessons of the Battle of Britain was that day bombers needed to fly in tight formation for mutual protection against fighters, but in doing so they were vulnerable to AA fire. On 8 September a formation of 15 Dornier Do17s flew along the Thames at 15,000 feet. The opening salvo from a troop of four 3.7-inch guns of 28th AA Bde brought down the three leading aircraft and scattered the others in disorder, jettisoning their bombs as they escaped.[26] 6th AA Division's guns were again in prolonged action during the running battles of 15 September, when the Luftwaffe made its last and biggest attempt to gain air supremacy. AA fire accounted for eight of the 60–80 German aircraft brought down that day.[13][25][27]

The Blitz

Although there were severe night bombing raids against many industrial towns and cities of the UK during The Blitz, the main Luftwaffe effort was directed against London.[28] The metropolis was covered by the 'London Inner Artillery Zone' (IAZ) under 1st AA Division, adjoining which were the 'Thames North' and 'Thames South' belts controlled by 6th AA Division. The Thames estuary was not only a primary route for bombers approaching the IAZ, but was also flanked by important industrial towns. There were over 20 HAA sites planned for Thames North (37th AA Brigade ) from Dagenham to Thorpe Bay, of which only half were occupied in September 1940 with a mixture of 3.7-inch and 4.5-inch guns. There were also LAA guns at VPs such as Purfleet, Tilbury Docks, Thameshaven, Coryton Refinery, and RAF Hornchurch. Tactical control was under the GOR at Vange. 6 AA Division's HQ was moved to Chelmsford in Essex as the campaign progressed. 28th AA Brigade controlled Thames South with 25 planned HAA sites, of which 16 were occupied in September. It ran along the Kent coast from Dartford to Chatham where there was a strongly defended area around the naval dockyards and aircraft factories. VPs requiring LAA defence included Crayford, Northfleet, Rochester and the Isle of Grain on the estuary together with the nearby RAF airfields at Biggin Hill and West Malling. The Thames South GOR was at Chatham. Because of the large LAA commitments, 6 AA Division placed these under 56th LAA Bde. The searchlights of Thames North and Thames South had dual roles in assisting AA guns or night-fighters. The S/L layouts had been based on a spacing of 3500 yards, but due to equipment shortages this had been extended to 6000 yards by September 1940. In November this was changed to clusters of three lights to improve illumination, but this meant that the clusters had to be spaced 10,400 yards apart.[29]

Order of Battle

During the London Blitz of Autumn 1940 to Spring 1941, the division was assigned to 1 AA Corps and was constituted as follows:[8][30][20][21]

6 AA Bde covering Essex airfields

28 AA Brigade covering South Thames, Chatham and Dover

29 AA Brigade covering Essex airfields and Harwich

37 AA Brigade covering North Thames

56 AA Brigade covering Kent airfields

In September 1940, 6 AA Division formed 6th Anti-Aircraft Z Regiment, Royal Artillery equipped with Z Battery rocket projectiles. [31][32]

Mid-War

The Blitz ended in May 1941, but occasional raids continued. Newly-formed AA units joined the division, the HAA units increasingly being 'mixed' ones into which women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service were integrated. At the same time, experienced units were posted away for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for Operation Torch and the need to transfer AA units from North West England to counter the Baedeker Blitz and the Luftwaffe's hit-and-run attacks against South Coast towns.[33]

29 AA Brigade was disbanded on 14 February 1942 and the bulk of its responsibilities taken over by 37 AA Bde, the remainder by 6 AA Bde. [34] A newly formed 71 AA Bde joined in June 1942.[35]

Order of Battle

During this period the division was composed as follows (temporary attachments omitted):[36][37][35]

By December 1941, 37 AA Bde only had 75th HAA Rgt under its command; it was then joined by:

By May 1942, 56 AA Bde only had 4th LAA and 73rd S/L under its command; it was then joined by:

The increased sophistication of Operations Rooms and communications was reflected in the growth in support units, which attained the following organisation by May 1942:[35]

The RAOC workshop companies became part of the new Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during 1942.

Disbandment

A reorganisation of AA Command in October 1942 saw the AA divisions disbanded and replaced by a number of AA Groups more closely aligned with the groups of Fighter Command. 6th AA Division became 2 AA Group cooperating with No. 11 Group RAF.[2][3][47]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Cole p. 55
  2. 1 2 3 4 6 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
  3. 1 2 Lord & Watson, p. 184.
  4. ↑ Robert Palmer, 'AA Command History and Personnel' at British Military History.
  5. ↑ Farndale, Annex J.
  6. ↑ Hyland at Generals of World War II.
  7. 1 2 Collier Appendix IX
  8. 1 2 6 AA Division 1940 at RA 1939–45 Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ AA Command on 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
  10. 1 2 Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376.
  11. ↑ Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
  12. 1 2 3 29 AA Brigade War Diary 1939–40, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 166/2250.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Collier Appendix XXIII
  14. ↑ Litchfield.
  15. ↑ Routledge, Table LIX p. 377.
  16. ↑ Routledge, p. 375.
  17. ↑ Sainsbury, pp. 51–71.
  18. ↑ Routledge, p. 109.
  19. ↑ Farndale, p. 27.
  20. 1 2 Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.
  21. 1 2 Farndale, Annex D, pp. 257–8.
  22. ↑ Planck, p. 230.
  23. ↑ Routledge, Table LXI, p. 379.
  24. ↑ Farndale, p. 106.
  25. 1 2 3 Routledge, pp. 383–6.
  26. ↑ Farndale, p. 107.
  27. ↑ Farndale, p. 110.
  28. ↑ Collier, Appendices XXX–XXXII.
  29. ↑ Routledge, pp. 388-9, 93.
  30. ↑ 6 AA Division 1940 at British Military History
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Farndale, Annex M.
  32. ↑ 6 AA 'Z' Rgt at RA 39–45.
  33. ↑ Routledge, pp. 399–404.
  34. ↑ 29 AA Brigade War Diary 1942, TNA file WO 166/7386.
  35. 1 2 3 Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/81.
  36. ↑ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/79.
  37. ↑ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/80.
  38. ↑ Joslen, p. 81.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional units), 2 April 1942, TNA file WO 212/515.
  40. 1 2 Joslen, p. 488.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Joslen, p. 465.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Routledge, Tables XXX–XXXII, pp. 188–90.
  43. 1 2 3 Joslen, pp. 484–5.
  44. ↑ Joslen, p. 523.
  45. ↑ Joslen, p. 558.
  46. 1 2 Joslen, p. 525.
  47. ↑ AA Command 1940 at British Military History

References

Online sources

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