194:
375:), but the missiles' small size, high speed and awkward height presented a severe problem for AA guns. After two weeks' experience AA Command carried out a major reorganisation, stripping many guns from the London IAZ and other parts of the UK and repositioning them along the South Coast to target V-1s coming in over the English Channel, where the gun-laying radar worked best and where a 'downed' V-1 would cause no damage. 137th (M) HAA Regiment remained in the London IAZ, though here the guns stayed largely silent, to the dismay of Londoners. The first 'Diver' offensive ended when the launching sites in Normandy were overrun by
403:
316:
335:), when the city was subjected to 14 raids between 21 January and 18 April. By now the night fighter defences and the London IAZ were well organised and the attackers suffered heavy losses for relatively small results. On 13 February, for example, only six out of 115 aircraft reached London, the rest being driven off. Five raids in the third week of February varying in strength from 100 to 140 aircraft were met by intense AA fire from the Thames Estuary in to the IAZ and fewer than half reached the city; 13 were shot down by AA Command, 15 by
465:
28:
52:
69:
257:
178:(ATS). The ATS was by law a non-combatant service, but it was decided that Defence Regulations permitted the employment of women in anti-aircraft (AA) roles other than actually firing the guns. They worked the radar and plotting instruments, range-finders and predictors, ran command posts and communications, and carried out many other duties. With the increasing automation of heavy AA (HAA) guns, including
439:
Observation Posts (OPs), about 20,000 yards (18,000 m) in front of the guns to give visual confirmation that the tracked target was a missile. The LW stations and OPs were operated by teams from the AA regiments. Radar-controlled searchlights were deployed to assist in identification and engagement of missiles at night. Unlike the anti-Diver guns firing over the
English Channel or North Sea, VT
434:), were required to deal effectively with V-1s, but 21st Army Group's mobile HAA units did not have experience with this equipment. 137th (M) HAA Regiment was the first Mixed unit sent from AA Command to reinforce the Brussels 'X' defences in January 1945. It deployed in bitter winter weather: it was so cold that the oil in the guns' hydraulic power systems froze. The Brussels 'X' defences under
348:
300:, and AA Command continued to expand its capabilities. 137th (M) HAA Regiment sent a cadre to 211th HAA Training Rgt at Oswestry where it formed 574 (M) HAA Bty on 30 June 1942. Then in September the regiment moved from North West England to the London Inner Artillery Zone (IAZ), where it came under the command of
438:
involved an outer line of
Wireless Observer Units sited 40 miles (64 km) to 50 miles (80 km) in front of the guns to give 8 minutes' warning, then Local Warning (LW) stations positioned half way, equipped with radar to begin plotting individual missiles. Finally there was an inner belt of
443:
could not be employed by the HAA batteries at
Brussels because of the risk of casualties to troops and civilians under the missiles' flightpath. The success rate of the Brussels X defences had been low at first, but after the arrival of Mk IIC guns and experienced crews from AA Command the results
190:, the question of who actually fired the gun became blurred as the war progressed. The ATS rank and file, if not always their officers, took to the new role with enthusiasm and 'Mixed' batteries and regiments with the ATS supplying two-thirds of their personnel quickly proved a success.
472:
While the male members of the regiment wore the Royal
Artillery's 'gun' cap badge, the women wore the ATS cap badge, but in addition they wore the RA's 'grenade' collar badge as a special badge above the left breast pocket of the tunic. Both sexes wore the white RA
448:
for the last few weeks.) The number of missiles launched at
Brussels dropped rapidly as 21st Army Group continued its advance, and in the last week the AA defences destroyed 97.5 per cent of those reaching the defence belt.
193:
422:, these cities became targets for V-1s launched from within Germany, and anti-Diver or 'X' defences had to be established. AA Command's experience had shown that the power-operated, remotely controlled static
775:
765:
309:
770:
742:
The
Hertfordshire Yeomanry Regiments, Royal Artillery, Part 2: The Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment 1938–1945 and the Searchlight Battery 1937–1945; Part 3: The Post-war Units 1947–2002
244:
785:
445:
780:
308:
and was joined by 574 (M) HAA Bty. On 9 November 590 (M) HAA Bty also joined, having been formed at
Oswestry from a 1st AA Division cadre and briefly served with
371:. V-1s (known to Londoners as 'Doodlebugs') presented AA Command's biggest challenge since the Blitz. Defences had been planned against this new form of attack (
305:
273:
363:, codenamed 'Divers', which began to be launched against London from Northern France soon after the Allies launched their invasion of Normandy (
561:
390:
574 and 590 (M) HAA Batteries were disbanded on 16 October 1944, but the regiment was briefly joined from 7 to 30 November by 455 HAA Bty from
280:
in exchange for 487 (M) HAA Bty, which joined 137th HAA Rgt on 1 February (487 was another
Oswestry-trained battery, with its cadre drawn from
170:, tasked with defending the UK against air attack, was suffering a manpower shortage. In April its commander-in-chief, Lieutenant-General Sir
265:
323:
A few sporadic attacks were made on London during 1943, by conventional bombers at night on 17 January, 3 March and 16 April, by daylight
582:
Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United
Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/82.
391:
281:
277:
237:
226:
301:
573:
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.
159:
749:
735:
711:
435:
402:
315:
718:
Gen Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945"
175:
135:
560:
Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, with amendments,
352:
426:, which had power traverse and automatic fuze-setting, accompanied by the most sophisticated Radar No 3 Mark V (the
591:
602:
613:
633:
510:
243:
481 (M) HAA Bty, formed on 18 September 1941 at 210th HAA Training Rgt, Oswestry, from a cadre supplied by
444:
improved considerably, with best results in February and March 1945. (101 AA Bde handed over command to
171:
167:
98:
233:
187:
696:
History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom
693:
456:(8 May 1945) and 137th (Mixed) HAA Regiment and its three batteries was disbanded on 25 October.
423:
364:
464:
745:
731:
707:
431:
406:
Private Kay Elms, ATS, of 481 Bty, 137 (M) HAA Rgt, wearing the white lanyard (and carrying a
717:
496:
360:
222:
376:
372:
336:
210:
147:
127:
102:
68:
27:
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324:
183:
139:
57:
759:
427:
205:, south-west London, in August 1941, and complete regiments soon followed, including
202:
131:
72:
653:
Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/85.
384:
332:
297:
179:
142:
against aerial attack until it deployed to Belgium in January 1945 to defend
380:
292:
287:
269:
256:
728:
History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55
217:
476 (M) HAA Battery, formed on 4 September 1941 at 211th HAA Training Rgt,
158:
415:
407:
218:
143:
232:
477 (M) HAA Bty, formed on 11 September 1941 at 205th HAA Training Rgt,
744:, Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Trust/Hart Books, 2003,
474:
419:
347:
319:
A static Mk IIC 3.7-inch gun on a Pile platform during Operation Diver.
213:, on 10 November 1941. It was then joined by the following batteries:
201:
The first of these new batteries took over an operational gun site in
453:
401:
368:
346:
314:
255:
192:
157:
134:. It was one of the first 'Mixed' regiments in which women of the
197:
An ATS member of a mixed 3.7-inch HAA gun battery, December 1942.
379:. A second campaign of air-launched missiles coming in from the
331:
began a new bombing campaign against London in early 1944 (the
387:, but again 137th (M) HAA Rgt was unaffected by the moves.
138:
were integrated into the unit's personnel. It defended the
174:, proposed to overcome this by utilising the women of the
327:
on 12 March, and by night again on 7 and 20 October. The
264:
At the end of the year the new regiment was assigned to
730:, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994,
290:
had ended in May 1941, but there were still occasional
186:
and ammunition loading under remote control from the
776:
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
766:
Heavy anti-aircraft regiments of the Royal Artillery
276:. On 5 January 1942, 477 (M) HAA Bty transferred to
351:A V-1 and launching ramp section on display at the
108:
94:
86:
78:
63:
45:
37:
20:
771:Military units and formations established in 1941
225:of experienced officers and gunners supplied by
706:, Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984,
383:led to a second redeployment by AA Command to
162:Cap Badge of the Auxiliary Territorial Service
704:Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978
506:
504:
8:
547:
545:
543:
541:
539:
430:set) and No 10 Predictor (the all-electric
339:night-fighters, and one 'kill' was shared.
209:, whose regimental headquarters formed at
207:137th (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
124:137th (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
26:
786:Military units and formations in Cheshire
644:Routledge, pp. 407–18, Table LXX, p. 423.
520:
518:
468:Brass collar badge of the Royal Artillery
394:before it became an independent battery.
463:
486:
781:Mixed regiments of the Royal Artillery
492:
490:
410:) at camp in Belgium, 26 January 1944.
17:
698:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
662:Routledge, pp. 333–4, 338–41, Map 31.
126:was an air defence unit of Britain's
7:
266:33rd (Western) Anti-Aircraft Brigade
414:Once 21st Army Group had captured
260:Formation sign of 4th AA Division.
41:10 November 1941 – 25 October 1945
14:
562:The National Archives (TNA), Kew
166:By 1941, after two years of war
67:
50:
671:Routledge, Table LVII, p. 366.
21:137th (Mixed) HAA Regiment, RA
1:
176:Auxiliary Territorial Service
136:Auxiliary Territorial Service
229:, joined on 24 November 1941
551:Frederick, pp. 759–61, 786.
452:The war in Europe ended on
397:
353:Imperial War Museum Duxford
247:, joined on 8 December 1941
240:, joined on 1 December 1941
236:, from a cadre supplied by
802:
592:Collier, Appendix XXXVIII.
359:More significant were the
274:4th Anti-Aircraft Division
680:Sainsbury, Plate 9, p. 7.
32:Royal Artillery cap badge
25:
603:Collier, Appendix XXXIX.
533:Routledge, pp. 338, 407.
90:Regiment (3–5 batteries)
614:Collier, Appendix XLII.
524:Routledge, pp. 399–400.
477:on the right shoulder.
424:Mk IIC 3.7-inch HAA gun
398:Brussels 'X' deployment
296:raids on Liverpool and
114:Air defence of Brussels
634:Collier, Chapter XXIV.
624:Routledge, pp. 409–10.
511:Collier, Chapter XVII.
469:
432:Bell Labs AAA Computer
411:
356:
320:
261:
198:
163:
726:Brig N.W. Routledge,
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405:
350:
318:
259:
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168:Anti-Aircraft Command
161:
112:Air defence of the UK
99:Anti-Aircraft Command
740:Col J.D. Sainsbury,
172:Frederick 'Tim' Pile
702:J.B.M. Frederick,
470:
412:
365:Operation Overlord
357:
321:
302:26 (London) AA Bde
262:
199:
164:
564:, file WO 212/80.
392:129th (M) HAA Rgt
310:183rd (M) HAA Rgt
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722:18 December 1947
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497:Pile's despatch.
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361:V-1 flying bombs
148:V-1 flying bombs
71:
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54:
53:
30:
18:
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694:Basil Collier,
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441:Proximity fuzes
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377:21st Army Group
373:Operation Diver
345:
343:Operation Diver
337:Royal Air Force
325:Fighter-bombers
306:1st AA Division
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211:Newton, Chester
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128:Royal Artillery
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103:21st Army Group
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436:101 AA Brigade
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140:United Kingdom
130:formed during
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58:United Kingdom
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428:SCR-584 radar
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282:107th HAA Rgt
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278:142nd HAA Rgt
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258:
251:
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245:101st HAA Rgt
242:
239:
238:122nd HAA Rgt
235:
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227:115th HAA Rgt
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203:Richmond Park
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120:Military unit
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24:
19:
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328:
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263:
206:
200:
184:fuze-setting
165:
154:Organisation
132:World War II
123:
122:
95:Part of
73:British Army
15:
385:East Anglia
109:Engagements
82:Air defence
760:Categories
688:References
333:Baby Blitz
298:Manchester
272:, part of
252:Deployment
234:Arborfield
180:gun-laying
446:50 AA Bde
381:North Sea
329:Luftwaffe
293:Luftwaffe
288:The Blitz
270:Liverpool
221:, from a
188:predictor
460:Insignia
416:Brussels
408:Sten gun
219:Oswestry
146:against
144:Brussels
475:lanyard
420:Antwerp
46:Country
748:
734:
710:
454:VE Day
64:Branch
55:
38:Active
481:Notes
369:D-Day
367:) on
223:cadre
746:ISBN
732:ISBN
708:ISBN
418:and
87:Size
79:Role
304:in
284:).
268:in
762::
538:^
517:^
503:^
489:^
312:.
182:,
150:.
752:.
714:.
355:.
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