257:
478:
334:
526:
falling. With the guns blind, the LAA guns fired 6283 rounds in concentrations without apparent effect, although the HAA guns claimed some success with predicted fire. An ammunition ship blew up and many other vessels were sunk or damaged; the port was devastated. A Board of
Enquiry was held after the raid on Bari and the AA defences and procedures were strengthened in line with its recommendations. A follow-up raid on 13/14 December caused no serious damage and the AA fire shot down some of the attackers.
41:
65:
82:
525:
radar, while communications were also out of order. No night fighters were ordered up until too late, no smokescreen was ignited, and there was no blackout. The result was a disaster: 20 aircraft attacked the port, which was working under floodlights, and the AA fire only began as the bombs started
534:
By the beginning of 1944, the Allied air forces had achieved air supremacy over Italy, but
British ground forces were suffering an acute manpower shortage. In June the Chiefs of Staff decided that the number of AA regiments in Italy must be reduced and their fit personnel converted to other roles,
357:
IX Corps launched an attack against the mountain passes at
Fondouk on 8 April, and its AA guns were heavily engaged against both air and ground targets. Moving and deploying AA guns in the rough country with underpowered gun tractors was difficult but necessary as units in the forward areas were
448:
had six LAA regiments ashore but only enough transport for a quarter of that number, and it was only by ruthlessly stripping vehicles from batteries in the rear areas that the brigade was able to move others forward. 117th LAA Regiment was sent to defend the airfields at
358:
subjected to regular dive-bombing and ground attacks. Ammunition expenditure by the LAA batteries was high, and supply was sometimes erratic. With greater experience of 'snap' actions against fast low-flying aircraft, Bofors gun units increasingly abandoned using the
276:
with
Regimental Headquarters (RHQ), 383, 384 and 385 LAA Batteries. The unit was allowed to retain its rifle regiment customs and traditions including the RUR cap badge. While under training, still in North East England (it was visited by an official photographer at
542:
notes that some care was taken to post AA gunners to infantry battalions from their home areas. In the case of 117th, originally Royal Ulster Rifles, they were not drafted to Irish units, but in deference to their Rifles heritage to
217:, as part of the rapid expansion of the Army with wartime conscripts. In its first three weeks it inducted and equipped 767 men direct from civilian life. It was converted into a normal infantry battalion on 9 October that year as
402:
was expecting 107th LAA Rgt, not 117th. When 107th also landed a few days later it became clear that a mistake had been made. Only after several weeks did it emerge that 117th LAA Rgt should have been assigned to
341:
The Torch landings began on 8 November 1942, and First Army's units and formations were progressively fed into the fighting. IX Corps had still not embarked by 18 February, but 117th LAA Rgt finally landed at
1193:
1183:
420:(Operation Husky). It joined 7th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade covering the airfields and low-level approaches to the harbours, with RHQ, 383 and 384 LAA Btys deployed at the fleet anchorage at
1188:
229:
in
England on 9 March 1941. The Support Group with artillery and a lorried infantry battalion was intended to act as the 'pivot' of an armoured division. 11th Armoured Division's commander,
346:
on 5 March 1943, the date that the Corps Troops were considered to be complete. After the remainder of its equipment arrived three weeks later it moved 500 miles (800 km) eastwards to
236:, was a noted armour pioneer and he trained the division hard and imaginatively. But 8th RUR did not stay with 11th Sp Gp for long, transferring on 8 May to a static home defence role with
407:: unable to find 117th LAA Rgt in North Africa, XXX Corps had taken another regiment (from Malta) as its corps LAA unit. The confusion meant that the men's mail was delayed for 11 weeks.
727:
Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United
Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional units), 22 October 1941, with amendments, TNA files WO 212/6 and WO 33/1883.
745:
Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United
Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 14 August 1942, with amendments, TNA files WO 212/7 and WO 33/1927.
374:
air forces had achieved virtual air superiority over the battlefield. IX Corps played a leading role in the operations, which ended in the surrender of all remaining
594:
rather than 8th RUR that became 117th LAA Rgt; although this error is not repeated in the rest of the book it has been mistakenly followed by some reference works.
260:
Bofors anti-aircraft gun of 117th LAA (Light Anti-Aircraft) Regiment at
Billingham, County Durham, 21 January 1942; note the RUR badge on the side of the helmet.
763:
Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United
Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 18 February 1943, TNA files WO 212/9 and WO 33/1987.
754:
Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United
Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 22 November 1942, TNA files WO 212/8 and WO 33/1962.
494:
410:
However, with its large establishment of 54 Bofors guns for a mobile LAA unit, the regiment was a useful addition to Malta's air defences just when the
297:
241:
222:
1038:
715:
552:
544:
444:
on 8 August. There were serious problems with the loading of the ships, and some units including 117th LAA Rgt landed without their transport.
1070:
982:
736:
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.
248:
in the D&NR County Division, but in December the division was disbanded and most of its infantry battalions converted to other roles.
567:
1149:
1134:
1111:
1092:
1054:
1031:
1016:
1001:
571:
226:
498:
445:
432:
raids were made in July, too high for LAA guns, but these were driven off by the heavy AA (HAA) guns and little damage was done.
127:
123:
256:
269:
195:
149:
522:
245:
237:
230:
300:(REME) for its mobile role. By November IX Corps had ceased to be a district headquarters and was now a field formation in
386:
After the fall of Tunis IX Corps HQ was disbanded and 117th LAA Rgt was 'forgotten', deployed at a coastal location near
1178:
458:
367:
714:
Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, with amendments,
301:
635:
513:
mounted a series of low-intensity raids on Bari during November, then on the night of 2/3 December it carried out a
477:
404:
362:
in favour of the simple 'Stiffkey Stick' deflection sight. By the time First Army prepared for the final attack on
556:
417:
293:
191:
144:
119:
333:
322:
17:
535:
particularly infantry. 117th LAA Regiment was one of those selected, and it was disbanded on 15 June 1944.
518:
371:
591:
286:
517:
aimed at knocking out the vital port. The raiders approached from the north dropping large amounts of '
454:
994:
History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941
213:
175:
1123:
History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East
1100:
History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East
1081:
History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East
1043:
History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East
359:
840:
40:
465:), 117th LAA Rgt was deployed under 73rd AA Bde to protect the embarkation port and ferries at
1145:
1130:
1107:
1088:
1066:
1050:
1027:
1012:
997:
978:
462:
183:
139:
811:
570:
were redesignated as 117th LAA/Searchlight Rgt when the rest of the regiment reformed in the
547:. This had recently been formed from three experienced battalions (2nd, 7th and 10th) of the
514:
421:
199:
1085:
The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and the Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944
425:
1118:
989:
305:
265:
179:
81:
416:
was paying attention to the ships gathering in the island's harbours for the forthcoming
70:
1172:
548:
399:
282:
187:
233:
171:
167:
85:
225:
as the infantry component of 11th Support Group when that formation was formed in
202:) before being broken up in 1944 and the gunners converted back into infantrymen.
1129:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1966/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004,
1106:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004,
1087:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004,
1049:, London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004,
555:. The brigade fought through the battles of 1944–45 in Italy, culminating in the
506:
375:
354:, where the batteries deployed to guard bridges, Corps HQ and the corps troops.
268:(RA) to begin retraining as a light anti-aircraft (LAA) regiment equipped with
440:
Operation Husky was launched on 9/10 July and 117th LAA Regiment embarked for
308:. As its mobile corps LAA unit, 117th LAA Rgt had the following organisation:
278:
975:
Hobart's 79th Armoured Division at War: Invention, Innovation and Inspiration
412:
105:
296:' district from 1 April. In October it was joined by workshop units of the
502:
109:
560:
486:
466:
450:
351:
343:
996:, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996,
390:. The commanding officer (CO) was then told to embark the regiment at
636:'How 8 RUR became a Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment' at Royal-Irish.com.
441:
387:
347:
289:, but left in February before it had been assigned to an AA brigade.
790:
Playfair & Molony, Vol IV, pp. 379–82, 432, 446, 450, 453, 459.
590:
One normally reliable source incorrectly states that it was 8th Bn
476:
395:
363:
332:
255:
1104:
Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I: 1st April to 4th June 1944
501:
arrived on 2 October to take over defence of the ports of Bari,
490:
391:
1162:
799:
Routledge, pp. 182–7; Table XXXI, p. 189; Table XXXII, p. 190.
457:
on the way. By mid-September, after the capture of Sicily and
1047:
Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I|: June to October 1944
822:
Rollo, pp 285–7; Map 26; Annex A, p. 326; Annex E, p. 390.
292:
The regiment joined the field force and was assigned to
424:
in the north of the island and 385 LAA Bty detached to
1163:
Royal-Irish.com: The Irish Soldier in the British Army
574:. However the new 117th was disbanded a month later.
1194:
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944
1184:
Light anti-aircraft regiments of the Royal Artillery
1065:. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press.
566:On 1 April 1947 the remaining wartime personnel of
337:
Bofors gun and crew in action near Tunis, May 1943.
174:. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the
164:
117th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
133:
115:
101:
91:
76:
58:
50:
31:
1189:Military units and formations established in 1942
932:Routledge, pp. 278, 282, 291, Table XLIV, p. 293.
264:On 1 January 1942 8th RUR was transferred to the
210:The unit was originally formed on 28 May 1940 as
166:, (117th LAA Rgt) was an air defence unit of the
318:383, 384 and 385 LAA Workshop Sub-Sections, REME
244:. By the end of the year the battalion was with
1026:, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984,
1011:, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984,
701:
699:
697:
615:
613:
611:
1063:Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945
1024:Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978
1009:Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978
812:'8 RUR mistaken in Malta' at Royal-Irish.com.
18:50th (Holding) Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles
8:
1127:The Destruction of the Axis forces in Africa
551:to act as the lorried infantry component of
807:
805:
39:
509:, and a complex of inland airfields. The
485:On 29 September 117th LAA Rgt crossed to
481:Allied ships burn after the raid on Bari.
304:about to land in North Africa as part of
298:Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
246:224th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)
238:215th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)
831:Routledge, p. 173–4; Table XXIX, p. 175.
781:Playfair & Molony Vol IV, p. 359fn.
674:
672:
670:
631:
629:
627:
625:
607:
583:
242:Durham and North Riding County Division
869:Routledge, p. 264; Table XLII, p. 267.
34:117th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
28:
178:(RUR) in 1940, it transferred to the
7:
45:Cap badge of the Royal Ulster Rifles
977:, Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2011,
274:117th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
252:117th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
206:8th Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles
32:8th Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles
25:
923:Molony, Vol VI, Pt I, pp. 448–50.
716:The National Archives (TNA), Kew
285:, on 22 January) it was part of
80:
63:
941:Jackson, Vol VI, Pt II, p. 372.
841:Sicily 1943 at Royal-Irish.com.
523:Ground-controlled interception
461:'s landing in mainland Italy (
272:guns. The unit was designated
234:Percy ('Pat' or 'Hobo') Hobart
1:
1142:The Guns and Gunners of Malta
489:in Italy and went by road to
398:. On arrival it emerged that
378:troops in Tunisia on 13 May.
368:Operations Vulcan and Strike
1210:
1144:, Valetta: Mondial, 1999,
1121:& Brig C.J.C. Molony,
896:Routledge, pp. 274–5, 281.
664:Joslen, pp. 110, 378, 387.
54:28 May 1940 – 15 June 1944
914:Molony, Vol V, pp. 421–3.
905:Molony, Vol V, pp. 561–2.
557:Battle of the Argenta Gap
418:Allied invasion of Sicily
315:383, 384 and 385 LAA Btys
198:(including the notorious
145:Allied invasion of Sicily
38:
959:Frederick, pp. 821, 963.
887:Routledge, pp. 174, 265.
493:where it briefly joined
323:Royal Army Service Corps
212:50th Holding Battalion,
1061:Joslen, H. F. (2003) .
563:at the end of the war.
482:
338:
261:
223:11th Armoured Division
182:in 1942. It served in
592:Royal Welch Fusiliers
559:and the advance into
553:6th Armoured Division
545:61st Infantry Brigade
480:
455:Messerschmitt Bf 109s
336:
287:Anti-Aircraft Command
259:
1098:Brig C.J.C. Molony,
521:' that confused the
453:, being attacked by
1179:Royal Ulster Rifles
1079:Brig C.J.C. Molony,
655:Joslen pp. 27, 221.
214:Royal Ulster Rifles
176:Royal Ulster Rifles
1022:J.B.M. Frederick,
1007:J.B.M. Frederick,
860:Routledge, p. 263.
705:Frederick, p. 838.
691:Frederick, p. 805.
646:Doherty, pp. 33–4.
619:Frederick, p. 263.
483:
428:in the south. Two
360:Kerrison Predictor
339:
262:
219:8th Battalion, RUR
1072:978-1-84342-474-1
983:978-1-84884-398-1
973:Richard Doherty,
718:, file WO 212/80.
463:Operation Baytown
321:117 LAA Platoon,
157:
156:
140:Tunisian campaign
16:(Redirected from
1201:
1157:External sources
1076:
960:
957:
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948:
942:
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572:Territorial Army
540:Official History
227:Northern Command
200:Air raid on Bari
150:Italian campaign
84:
69:
67:
66:
43:
29:
21:
1209:
1208:
1204:
1203:
1202:
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1199:
1198:
1169:
1168:
1167:
1159:
1119:I.S.O. Playfair
1073:
1060:
1039:William Jackson
990:Martin Farndale
969:
964:
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958:
954:
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936:
931:
927:
922:
918:
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909:
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895:
891:
886:
882:
878:Joslen, p. 467.
877:
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855:
851:Joslen, p. 486.
850:
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839:
835:
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826:
821:
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803:
798:
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789:
785:
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772:Joslen, p. 465.
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753:
749:
744:
740:
735:
731:
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713:
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704:
695:
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686:
680:Years of Defeat
677:
668:
663:
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654:
650:
645:
641:
634:
623:
618:
609:
604:
599:
598:
589:
585:
580:
532:
475:
446:73rd AA Brigade
438:
384:
331:
306:Operation Torch
266:Royal Artillery
254:
208:
180:Royal Artillery
160:
128:62nd AA Brigade
126:
124:73rd AA Brigade
122:
108:
96:
64:
62:
46:
33:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1207:
1205:
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1191:
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1166:
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1158:
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1154:
1153:
1138:
1115:
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1077:
1071:
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1035:
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968:
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952:
950:Joslen, p. 297
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582:
581:
579:
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531:
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515:large air raid
495:2nd AA Brigade
474:
471:
437:
434:
383:
380:
330:
327:
326:
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71:United Kingdom
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24:
14:
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1150:99909-68-84-5
1147:
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1140:Denis Rollo,
1139:
1136:
1135:1-845740-68-8
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1128:
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1120:
1116:
1113:
1112:1-845740-70-X
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1093:1-845740-69-6
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1056:
1055:1-845740-71-8
1052:
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1032:1-85117-009-X
1029:
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1018:
1017:1-85117-007-3
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1002:1-85753-080-2
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550:
549:Rifle Brigade
546:
541:
536:
529:
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524:
520:
516:
512:
508:
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500:
496:
492:
488:
479:
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431:
427:
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422:St Paul's Bay
419:
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408:
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400:Malta Command
397:
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328:
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283:County Durham
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231:Major-General
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159:Military unit
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865:
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741:
732:
723:
710:
687:
679:
660:
651:
642:
586:
568:13th LAA Rgt
565:
539:
537:
533:
510:
484:
439:
429:
411:
409:
385:
356:
340:
291:
273:
270:Bofors 40 mm
263:
221:. It joined
218:
211:
209:
172:World War II
168:British Army
163:
161:
116:Part of
86:British Army
26:
530:Disbandment
507:Manfredonia
499:62nd AA Bde
459:Eighth Army
134:Engagements
97:Air defence
1173:Categories
1125:, Vol IV:
1102:, Vol VI:
1045:, Vol VI:
967:References
682:, Annex M.
678:Farndale,
426:Birżebbuġa
302:First Army
279:Billingham
1083:, Vol V:
578:Footnotes
511:Luftwaffe
430:Luftwaffe
413:Luftwaffe
405:XXX Corps
106:Battalion
1117:Maj-Gen
1037:Gen Sir
988:Gen Sir
503:Barletta
294:IX Corps
120:IX Corps
110:Regiment
95:Infantry
561:Austria
487:Taranto
467:Milazzo
451:Lentini
352:Tunisia
344:Algiers
329:Tunisia
240:in the
184:Tunisia
170:during
59:Country
1148:
1133:
1110:
1091:
1069:
1053:
1030:
1015:
1000:
981:
519:Window
442:Sicily
436:Sicily
388:Sousse
372:Allied
370:) the
348:Le Kef
192:Sicily
77:Branch
68:
51:Active
602:Notes
473:Italy
396:Malta
382:Malta
364:Tunis
196:Italy
188:Malta
1146:ISBN
1131:ISBN
1108:ISBN
1089:ISBN
1067:ISBN
1051:ISBN
1028:ISBN
1013:ISBN
998:ISBN
979:ISBN
538:The
505:and
491:Bari
394:for
392:Sfax
376:Axis
194:and
162:The
102:Size
92:Role
350:in
312:RHQ
1175::
1041:,
992:,
804:^
696:^
669:^
624:^
610:^
497:.
469:.
281:,
190:,
186:,
1152:.
1137:.
1114:.
1095:.
1075:.
1057:.
1034:.
1019:.
1004:.
985:.
366:(
20:)
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