38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom)

38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Active 1938–1957
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Role Air Defence
Part of 1st AA Division
2 AA Group
Garrison/HQ Duke of York's Headquarters
Engagements The Blitz

The 38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade (38 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army formed just before World War II, which protected London during The Blitz and later converted into an infantry formation for the liberation of Europe.

Origins

The brigade headquarters was formed on 28 September 1938 by duplicating the 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea, London, as part of the expansion of Britain's Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences before World War II. The brigade was composed of searchlight units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) and formed part of 1st AA Division, which came under Anti-Aircraft Command the following year.[1][2]

Mobilisation

The deterioration in international relations during 1939 led to a partial mobilisation of the TA in June, after which a proportion of TA AA units manned their war stations under a rotation system known as 'Couverture'. Full mobilisation of AA Command came in August 1939, ahead of the declaration of war on 3 September 1939.[3] At this time the brigade had the following order of battle:[1][4][5]

Blitz

90 cm Projector Anti-Aircraft, displayed at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth

In August 1940, the Royal Engineers AA battalions were transferred to the Royal Artillery and were termed Searchlight Regiments. By now, the 27th (London Electrical Engineers) had been transferred to 47 AA Bde covering Southampton,[8] and had been exchanged with 35th (1st Surrey Rifles) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.[9][10][11][12][13][14] In October, 38 AA Bde was joined by the newly raised 79th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.[15][16][13][14]

During the Blitz of 1940–41, 38 Light AA Bde provided the searchlight component of 1 AA Division, directing the Heavy (HAA) and Light (LAA) anti-aircraft guns defending London.[16][17] 1st AA Division had established a control centre at the disused Brompton Road tube station, with an elaborate network of dedicated telephone lines linking the AA sites across the Inner Artillery Zone (IAZ), including many isolated searchlight positions.[18][19]The London IAZ extended from Cheshunt and Dagenham in the east to Bexley and Mitcham in the south and to Richmond and Northolt in the west, with three brigades of guns deployed. Superimposed across the IAZ were the 73 searchlight sites controlled by 38th AA Bde.[19]

In the absence of inland radar coverage, 1st AA Division's Chief Signals Officer, Lt-Col G.C. Wickens, devised a system of 14 fixed base-lines of sound locators to detect night raids approaching the IAZ. These were linked by automatic telephone equipment to the Brompton operations room, where the angular plots were resolved to indicate grid squares where the HAA guns in range could fire an unseen barrage. Detachments of 75th Searchlight Regiment from 38th AA Bde were trained to opeate te base lines. This 'Fixed Azimuth' system came into action in June 1940, in time for the opening of the night Blitz on London. It was later replaced as searchlight control (SLC) and gunlaying (GL) radar systems were introduced.[19]

75 (Middlesex) S/L Regt converted to the LAA role in Home Forces in February 1941 and was later sent to Middle East Command.[6][7][16][20] 35 (1st Surrey Rifle) S/L Regt also converted to LAA in Home Forces in March 1942,[9][11][16][21] while 79 S/L Regt disbanded in December 1944.[15][16]

In 1942 AA Command abolished its hierarchy of divisions and corps, and established a single tier of AA Groups;[22] 38 AA Bde was assigned to 2 AA Group covering South East England.[23]

Conversion

See main article 304th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

By the end of 1944, 21st Army Group was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry.[24] At the same time the German Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted. In January 1945 the War Office began to reorganise surplus AA and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.[25][26][27]

A number of AA Brigade HQs in 2 AA Group were also converted: on 22 January 1945, HQ 38 AA Bde was converted into 304th Infantry Brigade under Brigadier C.A.H. Chadwick with the following units under command:[23][28]

After infantry training, the brigade went to Norway in June 1945 to help oversee the surrender of the German occupying forces there.[1][23][28]

Postwar

When the TA was reformed in 1947, 38 AA Bde was renumbered 64 AA Brigade, with the following order of battle:[37][38]

When AA Command was disbanded in 1955 the brigade was placed into suspended animation, and formally disbanded at the end of 1957.[38]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 1 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
  2. ↑ Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376.
  3. ↑ Routledge, pp. 65–6.
  4. ↑ AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
  5. ↑ Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
  6. 1 2 75 SL Rgt at RA 39–45
  7. 1 2 Litchfield, p. 180.
  8. ↑ 27 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
  9. 1 2 35 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
  10. ↑ 5 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
  11. 1 2 3 Litchfield, p. 173.
  12. 1 2 1st Surrey Rifles at Regiments.org
  13. 1 2 Farndale, Annex D, p. 257.
  14. 1 2 Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.
  15. 1 2 79 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 1 AA Division 1940 at British Military History
  17. ↑ 1 AA Division at RA 39–45
  18. ↑ Routledge,p. 65.
  19. 1 2 3 Routledge, pp. 388–9.
  20. ↑ 75 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45
  21. ↑ 129 LAA at RA 39–45
  22. ↑ AA Command 1940 at British Military History
  23. 1 2 3 Joslen, p. 400.
  24. ↑ Ellis, pp. 141–2.
  25. ↑ Ellis, pp. 369, 380.
  26. ↑ Infantry Regiments RA at RA 39–45
  27. ↑ Routledge, p. 421.
  28. 1 2 304 Infantry Brigade at RA 39–45
  29. ↑ 630 Infantry Rgt at RA 39–45
  30. ↑ 28 SL Rgt at RA 39–45
  31. ↑ 637 Infantry Rgt at RA 39–45
  32. ↑ 50 SL Rgt at RA 39–45
  33. ↑ Northamptonshire Volunteers at Regiments.org
  34. ↑ 638 Infantry Rgt at RA 39–45
  35. ↑ 53 SL Rgt at RA 39–45
  36. ↑ BBC – WW2 People's War
  37. ↑ Territorial Army 1947 at Orbat.com
  38. 1 2 AA Bdes at British Army units 1945 on
  39. ↑ Litchfield, p. 163.
  40. ↑ 444–573 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on
  41. ↑ Litchfield, p. 166.
  42. 1 2 474–519 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on
  43. ↑ Litchfield, p. 168.
  44. ↑ Litchfield, p. 169.
  45. ↑ 520–563 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on
  46. ↑ 564–591 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on

References

External sources

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