The 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division (2nd AA Division) was an

Air Defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

from 1935 to 1942. It controlled anti-aircraft gun and searchlight units of the Territorial Army (TA) defending the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...

and

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

during

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

Origin

In December 1935 the TA's 46th (North Midland) Division (which also acted as HQ for the North Midland Area of Northern Command) was disbanded and its headquarters was converted into 2nd Anti-Aircraft (AA) Division to control the increasing number of AA units being created. At first it administered all AA units in Great Britain outside London and the

Home Counties The home counties are the counties of England that surround London. The counties are not precisely defined but Buckinghamshire and Surrey are usually included in definitions and Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent are also often inc ...

, which were covered by 1st Anti-Aircraft Division. The new division was first organised at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, but shortly afterwards took over 46 Division's HQ at

Normanton, Derby Normanton is an inner city suburb and ward of the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England, situated approximately south of the city centre. Neighbouring suburbs include Littleover, Pear Tree, Rose Hill and Sunny Hill. The original village of Norman ...

.''Monthly Army List'' 1936–39.

Order of battle

By the end of 1936 the division had the following order of battle, though many of the units were in an early stage of formation or conversion:Routledge, p. 59. General Officer Commanding: Major-General James HarrisonFarndale, Annex J, p. 299. * 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Group organised 1 November 1936 in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

** 62nd (North and East Riding) Anti-Aircraft Brigade,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(RA) – ''AA guns'' ** 63rd (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA – ''AA guns'' ** 64th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA – ''AA guns'' ** 37th (Tyne) Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Tyne Electrical Engineers),

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

(RE) – ''searchlights'' ** 47th (The Durham Light Infantry) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – ''searchlights'' * 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group organised 1 November 1936 in

Retford Retford (), also known as East Retford, is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England, and one of the oldest English market towns having been granted its first charter in 1105. It lies on the River Idle and the Chesterfie ...

** 66th (Leeds Rifles) (The West Yorkshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA (TA) – ''AA guns'' ** 67th (The York and Lancaster Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA (TA) – ''AA guns'' ** 43rd (The Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' ** 46th (The Lincolnshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' * 32nd (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group organised 1 November 1936 at Normanton ** 69th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA (TA) – ''AA guns'' ** 40th (The Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' ** 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' ** 44th (The Leicestershire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' ** 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' * 33rd (Western) Anti-Aircraft Group organised at

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

** 65th (The Manchester Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA (TA) – ''AA guns'' ** 38th (The King's Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' ** 39th (The Lancashire Fusiliers) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' ** 41st (5th North Staffordshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''searchlights'' The 40th, 41st, 42nd, 44th and 46th AA battalions had previously been TA infantry battalions in 46th Division. In 1938 the

replaced the traditional unit designation 'Brigade' by 'Regiment', which allowed the AA Groups to take the more usual formation title of Brigades.

Mobilisation

The TA's AA units were

mobilised Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

on 23 September 1938 during the

Munich Crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

. Because the organisation of the 2nd AA Division and its component units was not yet complete, it was only partially mobilised. The emergency mobilisation lasted nearly three weeks before the TA units were released on 14 October. The experience led to improvements in equipment scales, and a rapid expansion of AA defences brought many new AA gun and searchlight units into existence. In November 1938, the 32nd and 33rd AA Brigades transferred to the newly formed 4th Anti-Aircraft Division. In June 1939, the 30th and 31st AA Brigades joined the 7th Anti-Aircraft Division.Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July 1939, to 15th April 1945" ''London Gazette'' 16 October 1947
/ref> They were replaced in the 2nd AA Division by new brigades created in September 1938: the 39th at

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

and the 40th and 41st in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The 39th AA Brigade was also intended to transfer to the 7th AA Division just before the outbreak of war, but in practice this did not occur.39 AA Bde War Diary 1939–41, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/2272. In April 1939,

AA Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

was formed to control all the AA gun and searchlight defences of the United Kingdom. Major-General Harrison was transferred to command RA Training Establishments and was replaced as the General officer commanding (GOC) of the 2nd AA Division on 30 May 1939 by Maj-Gen Claude Grove-White.Grove-White at British Military History.
/ref> The deterioration in international relations during 1939 led to a partial mobilisation in June, and 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.

Second World War

Order of Battle 1939–40

On the outbreak of war the 2nd AA Division had the following order of battle: * GOC: Major-General M.F. Grove-White * HQ:

RAF Hucknall Hucknall, formerly Hucknall Torkard, is a market town in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies 7 miles north of Nottingham, 7 miles south-east of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 9 miles from Mansfield and 10 miles south of Sutton-in ...

* 32nd (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

** 68th (North Midland) AA Regt RA ** 42nd (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) AA Battalion RE (''as above'') ** 44th (Leicestershire Regiment) AA Battalion RE (''as above'') ** 50th (Northamptonshire Regiment) AA Bn RE ** 32nd AA Brigade Company,

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

(RASC) * 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade organised 29 September 1938 at South Ealing, London' ** 33rd (St Pancras) AA Bn RE ** 36th (Middlesex) AA Bn RE ** 58th (Middlesex) AA Bn RE ** 9th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (60th Searchlight Regiment) ** 10th (3rd City of London) Battalion. Royal Fusiliers (69th Searchlight Regiment) ** 40th AA Brigade Company, RASC * 41st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade organised 29 September 1938 in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

** 78th (1st East Anglian) AA Regt RA ** 32nd (7th City of London) AA Bn RE ** 1/6th Battalion Essex Regiment (64th Searchlight Regiment) ** 2/6th Battalion Essex Regiment (65th Searchlight Regiment) ** 41st AA Brigade Company, RASC * 50th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade organised 24 August 1939 at Hucknall ** 26th LAA Regt RA – ''mobile reserve'' * 2nd AA Divisional Signals,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

(RCS), at Hucknall * 2nd AA Divisional

(RASC) at Carter's Green,

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

** 904th, 929th Companies ** 932nd Company (joined July 1941)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. * 2nd AA Divisional Company,

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

(RAMC), at Hucknall * 2nd AA Divisional Workshop Company,

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...

(RAOC), at Hucknall In addition, the 39th AA Brigade remained with the 2nd AA Division with the following composition: 39th Anti-Aircraft Brigade at

RAF Digby Royal Air Force Digby otherwise known as RAF Digby is a Royal Air Force station located near Scopwick and south east of Lincoln, in Lincolnshire, England. The station is home to the tri-service Joint Service Signals Organisation, part of the J ...

* 62nd (Northumbrian) AA Regt * 67th (

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment ...

) AA Regt * 91st AA Regt * 40th (Sherwood Foresters) AA Bn * 46th (Lincolnshire Regiment) AA Bn * 39th AA Brigade Company, RASC

Phoney War

When these units went to their war stations, the division had 97 heavy AA (HAA) guns ( 3-inch and 3.7-inch)ready for action, distributed as follows: * Hull: 28 (plus 2 out of action) *

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

: 24 (plus 6 out of action) *

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

: 20 (plus 3 out of action) * Derby: 6 *

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

: 6 (plus 2 out of action) The division also had 6 3-inch and 12 40mm

Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Located in ...

light AA (LAA) guns, as well as 88 light machine guns (LMGs). On 23 September 1939, responsibility for the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...

Gun Zone (including 30 HAA guns manned by the 62nd (Northumbrian) and 91st AA Rgts) was transferred from the 39th AA Brigade to the 31st AA Brigade in the 7th AA Division. This responsibility reverted to the 39th AA Brigade and the 2nd AA Division in May 1940.

Battle of Britain

By 11 July 1940, at the start of the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, the division's strength had risen to 231 guns of all types (HAA and LAA excluding LMGs): * Leighton Buzzard: 4 * Nottingham: 16 * Derby: 40 *

: 38 * Mobile battery: 8 * Airfields: 20 (mainly LAA) * Vital points: 82 (mainly LAA) In August 1940, all RE AA battalions became Searchlight regiments of the RA, and AA regiments became HAA regiments to distinguish them from the new LAA regiments being formed. In July 1940, at the height of invasion fears, a mobile column called 'Macduff' was formed by the 50th AA Brigade, consisting of one HAA battery and one S/L Company to operate directly under the command of the 2nd AA Division, available to combat enemy paratroopers.

The Blitz

By late 1940, the 2nd AA Division formed part of II AA Corps. Grove-White had been promoted on 11 November to command the new corps and at first it shared the 2nd AA Division's HQ at RAF Hucknall. The 2nd AA Division then moved to

Kimberley, Nottinghamshire Kimberley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England, lying 6 miles northwest of Nottingham along the A610. The town grew as a centre for coal mining, brewing and hosiery manufacturing. Together with the n ...

, and then on 27 January 1941 to

Milton Hall Milton Hall near Peterborough, is the largest private house in Cambridgeshire, England.This Milton Hall should not be confused with the other Milton Hall just to the north of Cambridge in the village of Milton. The Milton Hall near Cambridge is ...

, near

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. The brigades were the same, but by February 1941 their locations and composition had changed: * GOC: Major-General F.L.M. Crossman, DSO, MC (transferred from 1 AA Division) * 32nd AA Brigade covering the East Midlands ** 78th HAA Rgt (part) ** 113th HAA Rgt (part) formed November 1940 ** 27th LAA Rgt ** 38th LAA Rgt (part) ** 64th LAA Rgt (part) ** 41st S/L Rgt ** 44th S/L Rgt ** 58th S/L Rgt * 40th AA Brigade covering airfields ** 78th HAA Rgt (part) ** 30th LAA Rgt ** 36th S/L Rgt ** 64th S/L Rgt ** 72nd (Middlesex) S/L Rgt *41st AA Brigade covering

** 78th HAA Rgt (part) ** 29th LAA Rgt ** 60th S/L Rgt ** 65th S/L Rgt ** 69th S/L Rgt ** 121st AA

Z Battery A Z Battery was a short range anti-aircraft weapon system, launching diameter rockets from ground-based single and multiple launchers, for the air defence of Great Britain in the Second World War. The rocket motors were later adapted with a ...

formed by May 1941, equipped with

rocket projectiles * 50th AA Brigade covering Derby & Nottingham ** 67th HAA Rgt ** 113th HAA Rgt (part) ** 28th LAA Rgt ** 38th LAA Rgt (part) ** 64th LAA Rgt (part) ** 42nd S/L Rgt ** 38th S/L Rgt (part) ** 50th S/L Rgt * 2nd AA Divisional Signals In the Spring of 1941, The 50th LAA Brigade was split up, keeping the S/L regiments while a new 66th AA Brigade took the HAA guns and rockets: * 50th AA Brigade ** 28th LAA Rgt ** 4nd2 S/L Rgt ** 50th S/L Rgt * 66th AA Brigade ** 67th HAA Rgt ** 113th HAA Rgt ** 38th LAA Rgt ** 64th LAA Rgt ** 15th AA 'Z' Rgt

Mid-war

The division's order of battle thus contained a large number of S/L units. AA Command redeployed its S/L units during the summer of 1941 into 'Indicator Belts' of radar-controlled S/L clusters covering approaches to the RAF's

Night-fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used ...

sectors, repeated by similar belts covering AA Command's Gun Defence Areas (GDAs). Inside each belt was a deep 'Killer Belt' of single S/Ls cooperating with night-fighters patrolling defined 'boxes'. The pattern was designed to ensure that raids penetrating deeply towards the Midlands GDAs would cross more than one belt, and the GDAs had more S/Ls at close spacing. The number of LAA units to protect Vital Points such as airfields was growing, albeit slowly. After December 1941 the division's order of battle was as follows: 32nd AA Brigade * 136th HAA Rgt (new regiment formed October 1941; left March–April 1942; returned June 1942)Farndale, Annex M. * 45th LAA Rgt (from the 41st AA Brigade August 1942; left September 1942) * 64th LAA Rgt (to the 41st AA Brigade by May 1942) * 120th LAA Rgt (converted from S/L; joined September 1942) * 134th LAA Rgt (new regiment joined February–March 1942; left May–June 1942) * 41st S/L Rgt * 44th S/L Rgt (to the 66th AA Brigade December 1941) * 58th S/L Rgt * 60th S/L Rgt (from the 41st AA Brigade January 1942; left and converted to 126th LAA February–March 1942) * 65th S/L Rgt 40th AA Brigade * 30th LAA Rgt (left December 1941) * 33rd LAA Rgt (left December 1941) * 96th LAA Rgt (new regiment joined December 1941; left by May 1942) * 138th LAA Rgt (new regiment joined June 1942) * 36th S/L Rgt * 64th S/L Rgt (to the 32nd AA Brigade, May–June 1942) 41st AA Brigade * 78th HAA Rgt (left April 1942) * 82nd HAA Rgt * 106th HAA Rgt (from 66th AA Brigade May 1942; left July 1942) * 128th HAA Rgt (joined July 1942; left August 1942) * 161st (Mixed) HAA Rgt (new regiment joined August 1942) * 64th LAA Rgt (from 32nd AA Brigade by May 1942; left June 1942) * 113th LAA Rgt (converted from S/L, joined March–April 1942) * 126th LAA Rgt (converted from 60th S/L Rgt, joined May 1942) * 60th S/L Rgt (to the 32nd AA Brigade January 1942) * 69th S/L Rgt * 72nd S/L Rgt 50th AA Brigade * 144th (Mixed) HAA Rgt (from 66th AA Brigade August 1942) * 20th LAA (joined August 1942) * 111th LAA (left July 1942) * 139th LAA (new regiment joined August 1942; left September 1942) * 42nnd S/L Rgt * 50th S/L Rgt (left May–June 1942) * 15th AA 'Z' Rgt (from the 66th AA Brigade August 1942) 66th AA Brigade * 106th HAA Rgt (to the 41st AA Brigade May 1942) * 113th HAA Rgt (left March 1942) * 144th (Mixed) HAA Rgt (new regiment joined by May 1942; to the 50th AA Brigade August 1942) * 38th LAA Rgt (left December 1941) * 45th LAA Rgt (joined by May 1942; to the 32nd AA Brigade August 1942) * 44th S/L Rgt (from the 32nd AA Brigade December 1941; left by May 1942) * 15th AA 'Z' Rgt (to the 50th AA Brigade August 1942) 'Mixed' indicates that women of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

(ATS) were integrated into the unit. The increased sophistication of Operations Rooms and communications was reflected in the growth in support units, which attained the following organisation by May 1942:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, TNA file WO 212/81. *2nd AA Division Mixed Signal Unit HQ, RCS ** HQ No 1 Company *** 2nd AA Division Mixed Signal Office Section *** 40th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 104th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section *** 41st AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 115th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section *** 331st AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section *** 333rd AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section *** 6th AA Line Maintenance Section ** HQ No 2 Company *** 32nd AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 105th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section *** 50th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 106th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section *** 407th AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section *** 22nd AA Sub-Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Sub-Section *** 24th AA Sub-Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Sub-Section *** 66th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 324th AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section *** 6th AA Line Maintenance Section * HQ 2nd AA Div RASC ** 904th, 929th, 932nd Companies * HQ 2nd AA Div RAMC * 2nd AA Div Workshop Company, RAOC * 2nd AA Div Radio Maintenance Company, RAOC The RAOC companies became part of the new

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

(REME) during 1942. The 66th AA Brigade HQ, with its signal section and transport company, left AA Command in August 1942 and came under

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

control ready to join First Army in the invasion of North Africa (

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

Disbandment

The 2nd AA Division, like the other AA Corps and Divisions, was disbanded and replaced on 1 October 1942 by a new AA Group structure. The Midlands and East Anglia were covered by the 5th AA Group, headquartered at Hucknall. The 2nd AA Divisional Signals was apparently converted into the new Group signal unit.

General Officer Commanding

The following officers commanded the 2nd AA Division: * Major-General James Harrison (1 September 1936 – 29 May 1939) * Major-General Maurice Grove-White (30 May 1939 – 10 November 1940) * Major-General Francis Crossman (12 November 1940 – 30 September 1942)Crossman at Generals of World War II.
/ref>

Notes

References

* * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994,

External links

Anti-Aircraft Command (1939) at British Military History

Generals of World War II

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

The Royal Artillery 1939–45
{{WW2AirDefenceUK Military units and formations established in 1935 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 2 Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II