30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade explained

Unit Name:30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Dates:1 November 1936 – 1 March 1954
Country: United Kingdom
Branch: Territorial Army
Type:Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Role:Air Defence
Command Structure:2nd AA Division
7th AA Division
6 AA Group
5 AA Group
Garrison:Sunderland
Battles:The Blitz

The 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army from 1936 until 1955, which defended Tyneside and Sunderland during the Second World War.

Origins

The formation was raised as 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Group on 1 November 1936 at Sunderland forming part of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. Its initial order of battle was as follows:[1] [2]

In 1938 the RA replaced its traditional unit designation 'Brigade' by the modern 'Regiment', which allowed the 'AA Groups' to take the more usual formation title of 'Brigades'. Brig F.C. Chaytor, OBE, MC, was appointed brigade commander on 1 November 1938.[4] Anti-Aircraft Command was formed in April 1939 to control all the TA's AA units and formations. 30th AA Brigade transferred to the new 7th AA Division when that was formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in June 1939.[5] [6] As AA Command continued to expand, 62nd AA Regiment and 47th Searchlight Battalion moved to other brigades in 7 AA Division and were replaced by newly formed units.

Second World War

Mobilisation

On the outbreak of war 30th AA Brigade was mobilised to defend its home area of Tyneside and Sunderland, with the following order of battle:[7] [8]

Early in 1940, 37th (TEE) AA Bn left to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. It was one of the last units to be evacuated, from Saint-Nazaire two weeks after the main Dunkirk evacuation.[10]

In 1940, RA regiments equipped with 3-inch, 3.7-inch or 4.5-inch AA guns were designated Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiments, and RE AA battalions were transferred to the RA and designated Searchlight regiments.

The Blitz

Order of Battle 1940–41

During The Blitz, 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade comprised both HAA and LAA artillery while the searchlight units in the area were controlled by 57th Anti-Aircraft Brigade:[5] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Mid-war

As the war progressed, many experienced prewar AA units were deployed overseas and replaced in Home Forces by newer units, often 'mixed' units including personnel from the Auxiliary Territorial Service or members of the Home Guard. 37 LAA Regt went first to Palestine in April 1942 and then moved on to North Africa;[5] [19] [20] 63 HAA Regt went to Ceylon in May 1942;[5] [21] [22] 38 LAA Regt went to North Africa in August 1942 [15] [23] [24] and 64 HAA Regt to Tunisia in May 1943.[5] [25] [26] 68 LAA Regiment joined 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division in April 1943 and served with it during the Normandy Campaign.[16] [27]

Order of Battle 1941–42

During this period the brigade was composed as follows:[14] [28] [29]

Reorganisation

On 30 September 1942 the AA Divisions and Corps were dissolved and 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade came under a new 6 AA Group covering Scotland and North East England and aligned with No. 13 Group RAF.[5] [32] [33] [34]

Order of Battle 1942–44

Under the new command structure, 30 AA Bde had the following composition:[35] [36] [37]

Later war

In March 1944, 30 AA Bde HQ was transferred to 2 AA Group in South East England. Here it had just two units under its command:[37]

Order of Battle 1944–45

However, in April 1944 the brigade's reporting line changed again and it became part of 5 AA Group covering the East Coast and East Midlands. A number of its former units returned to its command, and over succeeding months it exchanged units with other brigades in 2 and 5 AA Groups.[38]

By October 1944, the brigade's HQ establishment was 9 officers, 8 male other ranks and 25 members of the ATS, together with a small number of attached drivers, cooks and mess orderlies (male and female). In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 1 officer, 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.[39]

War's end

By the end of 1944, 21st Army Group was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry, and AA Command was forced to disband several regiments and batteries, and release their personnel. At the same time the German Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious air attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted, so the War Office began to convert surplus AA regiments into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.[33] [40] [41] Being stationed in Eastern England, still threatened by V-1 flying bombs air-launched from the North Sea, 30 AA Brigade was less affected by these changes. Nevertheless, in January 1945, 128th LAA Rgt was converted into 628th Infantry Rgt, RA,[18] [42] and went to Europe, while 183rd (M) HAA Rgt was sent to Antwerp to defend that city against bombardment by V-1s.[43] [44] [45]

Order of Battle 1945

From mid-February 1945 until the end of the war, 30 AA Bde had the following composition:[38] [46]

Postwar

When the TA was reformed in 1947, 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade's Regular Army units reformed 8 AA Bde at Newcastle, while the TA portion was renumbered a 56th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, with its HQ at Washington, Co Durham, and the following order of battle:[1] [48] [49]

The brigade was part of 3rd Anti-Aircraft Group with its headquarters in Edinburgh.

654 LAA Regt was placed in suspended animation in May 1949, and 325 LAA Regt merged into another unit in January 1954. Then on 1 March 1954, 56th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade HQ was disbanded at Seaburn, Sunderland.[3] [48]

In 1955 AA Command was disbanded and the air defence of the UK was reorganised. A new 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was formed as a TA HQ from the Regular Army's 1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade, based at Edenbridge, Kent, with no connection with Northumbria. It included 258th (Sussex Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery and 265th, 431st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 458th (Kent) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA, 565th & 570th LAA Regiments.[53] It remained unchanged until several amalgamations and re-rolings in May 1961. The brigade disbanded on 1 May 1961.[1] [48]

References

External sources

Notes and References

  1. Frederick, pp. 1048–50.
  2. Web site: 2nd AA Division at British Military History . 2014-02-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194854/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/2-Anti-Aircraft-Division-1936-38-.pdf . 2015-09-23 . dead .
  3. Litchfield pp 54–7.
  4. Monthly Army List May 1939
  5. Web site: 7 AA Division 1940 at British Military History . 2014-02-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923221156/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/7-Anti-Aircraft-Division-1940-.pdf . 2015-09-23 . dead .
  6. Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376.
  7. http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=6697&page=1 AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
  8. Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
  9. Hewitson p. 150
  10. Routledge, pp. 116, 122–3, Table XVII, p. 125.
  11. Web site: 7 AA Div at RA 39–45.
  12. Routledge, Table LXV, p. 397.
  13. Farndale, Annex D, p. 260.
  14. Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/79.
  15. Web site: 10 AA Division 1940 at British Military History . 2014-02-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194837/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/10-Anti-Aircraft-Division-1940-.pdf . 2015-09-23 . dead .
  16. Web site: 68 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45..
  17. Farndale, Annex M, p. 337.
  18. Farndale, Annex M.
  19. Web site: 37 LAA at RA 39–45.
  20. Joslen, pp. 484–7.
  21. Web site: 63 HAA Regt at RA 39–45.
  22. Joslen, p. 520.
  23. Web site: 38 LAA at RA 39–4.
  24. Joslen, p. 484–5.
  25. Web site: 64 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45.
  26. Joslen, p. 465.
  27. Joslen, p. 93.
  28. 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.
  29. 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.
  30. Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional units), 2 April 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/515.
  31. Routledge, Table XXXII, p. 190.
  32. http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/Anti-Aircraft-Corps-History-Personnel.pdf Palmer, History.
  33. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38149/page/5973 Sir Frederick Pile's despatch.
  34. Routledge, p. 399.
  35. 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.
  36. Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 13 March 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/83.
  37. Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84.
  38. Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/85.
  39. AA Command Organisation Table, October–November 1944, TNA file WO 212/148.
  40. Routledge, p. 409.
  41. Ellis, pp. 141–2, 369, 380.
  42. https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/infantry-regiments-ra/628-infantry-regiment-rata 628 Inf Rgt RA at RA 39–45.
  43. Routledge, p. 338.
  44. Ellis, Appendix IV.
  45. joslen, p. 463.
  46. Order of Battle of AA Command, 15 November 1945, TNA file WO 212/86.
  47. 147 LAA Rgt War Diary 1945, TNA file WO 166/16794.
  48. http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-royal-artillery/aa-brigades-67-106.html AA Bdes 67–106 at British Army units 1945 on.
  49. http://www.orbat.com/site/history/library-new/1946-1990/britishempire/ta47.html Territorial Army 1947 at Orbat.com
  50. http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-royal-artillery/444-473-regiments.html 444–473 Regts at British Army units 1945 on.
  51. http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-royal-artillery/474-519-regiments.html 474–519 Regts at British Army units 1945 on.
  52. http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-royal-artillery/564-591-regiments.html 564–591 Regts at British Army units 1945 on.
  53. Web site: Anti-Aircraft Brigades 30-66. British Army units 1945 on. 28 January 2022.

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