The 2nd Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's

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 ...

formed just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Deploying to France with the British Expeditionary Force and

RAF Advanced Air Striking Force The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of No. 1 Group RAF, 1 Group RAF Bomber Command, which took part in the Battle of France during the Second World War. Before hostilities began, it had been agreed between the ...

in 1940, it found itself caught up in ground fighting during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

, including actions at

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, and Hondeghem. After the evacuation from Dunkirk it served in home defence in

Anti-Aircraft 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 ...

until 1944, when it deployed to Europe again, seeing action in the defence of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

and the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

, then the river crossings as

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

advanced into Germany at the end of the war. It was disbanded in 1948.

Origin

During the 1930s the growing threat of air attack led to the rapid expansion 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 ...

's anti-aircraft (AA) units. At that time AA searchlights (S/Ls) were operated by the

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). The 2nd AA Battalion, RE, was formed in 1937 with two companies designated A and B. By 1938 it had been decided that the S/L responsibility should be transferred to the

(RA). On 24 May 1938 the 2nd AA Bn was disbanded and replaced by 2nd Searchlight Regiment, RA with A and B batteries.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 107.Frederick, pp. 858–63. It was formed at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and the first commanding officer (CO) was

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

T.R. Anderson, MC, who had seen active service on the Western Front and in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Farndale, p. 19.IWM WMR Ref 26603.
/ref>Spink catalogue entry for auction of Anderson's medals and memorabilia.
/ref>

World War II

Mobilisation

The regiment was stationed at Portsmouth in Southern Command on the outbreak of war. It sailed for France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on 1 January 1940 and was initially deployed in the

Airaines Airaines () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated north west of Amiens, about south of Abbeville, at the junction of the D901 and D936 roads. Hamlets and neighbourhoo ...

area with Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at

Fruges Fruges (; vls, Frusje) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Situated some 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D928 road, set in a valley not far from the hist ...

. It was reported that the weather was so cold that 'the vehicles had to be kept running all night to prevent them from freezing up'. The_British_Army_in_France_1940_F4186

During February, A and B S/L Btys were joined by two newly formed ones, 6 and 475, though during the coming campaign the four were designated 5, 6, 7 and 8, even if this change did not officially take effect until July. The establishment of a S/L battery at this time was four

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

s each of six 'projectors', giving a total of 24 per battery. Each S/L site was also equipped with

Light machine gun A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the sam ...

s (LMGs, usually Lewis guns) for local defence.Routledge, pp. 121–2. The regiment came under 5th S/L Brigade when that was formed in February, with 5 S/L Bty detached to

. 8 S/L Battery (as well as 9 S/L Bty of 3rd (Ulster) S/L Rgt) was supporting two batteries of 2nd Heavy AA Rgt in the

Gun Defence Area (GDA) On 14 April the regiment was ordered to send 7 S/L Bty to

Rheims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

to join 12th AA Brigade supporting the

(AASF).

Battle of France

When the

Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germ ...

ended with the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, 2nd AA Rgt was scattered across Northern France: some troops were from their battery HQ (BHQ) and even further from RHQ. They took part in defending against the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

's'' initial attacks while the BEF advanced into Belgium in accordance with

Plan D A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. F ...

, but the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

broke through the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

to the east, forcing the BEF to withdraw again. As

Army Group A Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsible ...

cut the BEF's lines of communication into France and drove it back towards the coast at

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Battle of Arras. Meanwhile, the S/L units at airfields were given additional LMGs to defend against low-flying daylight attacks.Routledge, p. 117. Two Troops of 8 S/L Bty had been defending Conteville and Crécy airfields with 210 AA By of 73rd AA Rgt under 2nd AA Bde when the German forces took nearby Péronne. On 20 May they were ordered to move south-west to

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

to come under 3rd AA Bde. However,

2nd Panzer Division The 2nd Panzer Division ( en, 2nd Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Heer, during World War II. Created as one of the original three German tank divisions in 1935, it was stationed in Austria after the Anschluss an ...

was already in

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

blocking the way, and they had to fight a rearguard action with enemy ground troops to get to the coast and make it back to Dunkirk.

Boulogne

When planning the defence of Dunkirk as a possible evacuation port, the BEF's commanders decided that Boulogne and

should still be held as supply points for further fighting or possible exit points for a final withdrawal. Their AA defences were therefore strengthened. At Boulogne there were a battery of HAA guns, two LAA troops with LMGs, and 5 S/L Bty manning S/Ls and LMGs. Two battalions from 20th Guards Brigade arrived by sea on 22 May and took on the perimeter defence, joined by detachments from 5 S/L Bty. The

Battle of Boulogne The Battle of Boulogne in 1940 was the defence of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer by French, British and Belgian troops in the Battle of France during the Second World War. The battle was fought at the same time as the Siege of Calais, just befo ...

began with an attack by 40–50 aircraft on the harbour, which was engaged by all the AA sites who achieved a number of hits. This was followed by an attack by 2nd Panzer Division against several points on the perimeter, which drove the Guards and S/L detachments back by stages into the town. Meanwhile, non-combat troops and wounded were being evacuated and demolitions were carried out. On the evening of 23 May 20 Guards Bde was ordered to evacuate and the remaining troops, including the AA survivors, closed in to form a tight perimeter. On 25 May the French troops manning the old fortifications gave up and German infantry penetrated to the quayside, overrunning the last strongpoints. Only a party of 5 S/L Bty got out, making its way along the beaches to Calais. Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-L05174,_Calais,_kriegsgefangene_britische_Soldaten

Calais

The story was repeated in the Siege of Calais. 1st S/L Regiment was stationed there, and the 1st Bn

Queen Victoria's Rifles The 9th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles) was a Territorial Army infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantr ...

(QVR), the lead unit of 30th Infantry Brigade, arrived by sea on 22 May, just before advanced German troops began probing the defences. The town was bombed by ''Luftwaffe'' raiders that night but ground attack was now the biggest danger, and the S/L men had to man the perimeter as infantry. They were joined on 23 May by two officers and 230 other ranks from 2nd S/L Rgt. By 24 May the town was completely cut off and the first serious attacks came in against points on the perimeter. The S/L men put up a stout fight, engaging ''Panzer'' troops with LMGs and

Boys anti-tank rifle The Boys anti-tank rifle (officially Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys, and sometimes incorrectly spelled "Boyes"), is a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It was often nicknamed the "elephant gun" by its users due to its si ...

s (A/T rifles), but the perimeter was breached and 30th Bde's infantry and the S/L gunners were involved in close-quarter fighting and forced back to the citadel and the harbour. Many wounded and 'non-fighting' personnel were evacuated on the ''City of Canterbury'' and the ''Kohistan'' and a

Flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' (fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class ...

Destroyers In navy, naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, fleet, convoy or Carrier battle group, battle group and defend them against powerful short range attack ...

. The AA Defence Commander allowed about 200 AA troops to leave, but ordered the remainder to stay and fight. Hundreds of 'non-fighting' men were left at the port and later in the dunes hoping for evacuation. The garrison held out in the citadel and port until 16.00 on 26 May. Most of the survivors became

Prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

(PoWs), although during the final stages and during the night of 26/27 May some of the defenders escaped or were picked up by boats. The three-day defence of Calais, holding up

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the " blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in t ...

's ''XIX Panzerkorps'', had provided some respite for the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

(Operation Dynamo), which was now under way.

Hondeghem

Among the units covering the BEF's retreat to Dunkirk was F Trp of K Bty,

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link ...

(RHA), equipped with four World War I-vintage 18-pounder guns and reinforced by 80 men from 2nd S/L Rgt. They held the village of Hondeghem during six hours of bitter street fighting beginning at 07.30 on 27 May. Although the two outer guns were quickly overwhelmed the other two in the village square were manhandled round corners to engage tanks and infantry at close range while the other RHA and S/L gunners fought with rifles, LMGs and a few A/T rifles. The other troop of K Bty brought down accurate shellfire from a nearby hill until three of its four guns were hit. About 15.30 ammunition began to run out, though the gunners with rifles kept the Germans' heads down until at 14.15 the survivors broke out to St Sylvestre, miles away. The Germans were already in this village, but the assorted gunners, together with some drivers of the

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 ...

, charged them, driving them off, and then got away in whatever vehicles were still running.

Evacuations

Meanwhile, Lt-Col Anderson with RHQ, 8 S/L Bty and odd details of other batteries of 2nd S/L Rgt had fallen back from Arras to St Omer, where by 24 May they were deployed to defend the canal. Once relieved, this remnant withdrew through Herzeele and was concentrated at Les Moëres where it rested for the first time in five days, while Anderson went into Dunkirk to try to find news of his lost batteries. On 29/30 May this part of the regiment was evacuated from Dunkirk to

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. Even after the Dunkirk evacuation ended, a number of fighting formations and a large number of rear echelon units were still in France south of the

River Somme The Somme ( , , ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geological ...

, and fresh British forces were being landed at France's western ports. The AASF's remaining bombers flew back to the UK, while its fighters moved to

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

to cover this new troop concentration. 12th AA Brigade set off though

Vendôme Vendôme (, ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest Communes of France, commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019). It is one of the ...

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

and

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

to Nantes, where its remaining HAA batteries and 7 S/L Bty (without searchlights), occupied positions on either side of the

River Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

. But the situation in France was now beyond remedy, and the British government decided to evacuate its remaining troops from the Atlantic ports between 15 and 17 June (

Operation Aerial Operation Aerial was the evacuation of Allied forces and civilians from ports in western France from 15 to 25 June 1940 during the Second World War. The evacuation followed the Allied military collapse in the Battle of France against Nazi Germ ...

).Ellis, Chapter XXI.
/ref> 8th AA div

Home Defence

On their return to England the BEF's AA units were rapidly reinforced and re-equipped to take their places in

. From July 1940 the rebuilt 2nd S/L Rgt was stationed at

Cranborne Cranborne is a village in East Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 779, remaining unchanged from 2001. The appropriate electoral ward is called 'Crane'. This ward includes Wimborne St. Giles in the west and sout ...

in East

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

under the command of 64th AA Bde. This brigade's role was to provide S/L and Light AA (LAA) cover to

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) airfields in

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...

under 8th AA Division. The regiment was now organised with 4, 5, 6 and 475 S/L Btys; 4 Bty had transferred from the reformed 1st S/L Rgt in exchange for 7 Bty. The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H35912

The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H35912

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 ...

was fought over Southern England in the summer of 1940, followed by the night-bombing

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

of 1940–41. During this campaign AA Command adopted a S/L layout of clusters of three lights to improve illumination, but this meant that the clusters had to be spaced apart. The cluster system was an attempt to improve the chances of picking up enemy bombers and keeping them illuminated for engagement by AA guns or

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 i ...

s. Eventually, one light in each cluster was to be equipped with

Searchlight Control radar Searchlight Control, SLC for short but nicknamed "Elsie", was a British Army VHF-band radar system that provided aiming guidance to an attached searchlight. By combining a searchlight with a radar, the radar did not have to be particularly accur ...

(SLC or 'Elsie') and act as 'master light', but the radar equipment was still in short supply.Pile's despatch.
/ref> 64th AA Brigade's batteries were deployed in three-light clusters at RAF airfields, and as the Blitz was ending had begun to receive GL Mark I E/F gun-laying radar equipped with elevation-finding equipment. By the autumn of 1941 the brigade began to receive its first purpose-built SLC radar (AA Radar No 2) in sufficient numbers to allow the sites to be 'declustered' into single-light sites spaced at intervals in a 'Killer Belt' cooperating with RAF night fighters. 2nd S/L Regiment supplied a

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

of experienced officers and men to 230th S/L Training Rgt at

Blandford Camp Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and it ...

where it provided the basis for a new 554 S/L Bty formed on 13 February 1941. This battery later joined 82nd S/L Rgt. In June 1941 Lt-Col Anderson was promoted to

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

and took command of 32nd (Midland) AA Bde. 2nd S/L Regiment remained with 64th AA Bde, fulfilling its role with the RAF's airfields, for the whole middle part of the war.Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84. By 1943, with the lower threat of attack by the weakened ''Luftwaffe'', AA Command was forced to release manpower for the planned invasion of Normandy (

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

). Many Home Defence S/L regiments were disbanded or converted to other roles. 84th S/L Rgt was one that was run down altogether, with RHQ and three batteries disbanding in September–October. The remaining battery, 518 S/L Bty, was transferred to 2nd S/L Rgt on 16 September.Frederick, p. 874. The pressure on AA Command to release manpower continued, and in February the S/L regiments were reduced again: 2nd S/L Rgt saw both 475 and 518 S/L Btys disbanded, D Trp of 475 completing by 3 March, the remainder by 24 March.

Overlord training

In the planning for 'Overlord', No. 85 Group RAF was to be responsible for night fighter cover of the beachhead and bases in Normandy after

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

, and was keen to have searchlight assistance in the same way as

Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

had in the UK. Two AA brigade HQs experienced in commanding searchlights were to be withdrawn from AA Command to join

's GHQ AA Troops for this purpose. A detailed plan was drawn up for a belt of S/L positions deployed from

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Cherbourg peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

. This required nine S/L batteries of 24 lights, spaced at intervals, six rows deep. Each battery area was to have an orbit beacon, around which up to four fighters would be positioned at varying heights. These would be allocated by fighter controllers, and the S/Ls would assist by illuminating targets and indicating raid approaches, while area boundaries would be marked by vertical S/Ls. 2nd S/L Regiment was one of six S/L regiments specially trained for this work, transferring from 64th to 50th S/L Bde for the operation. In practice, most of this plan was never implemented, liaison with the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

units around Cherbourg having proved problematical once they were on the ground. 50th S/L Bde therefore remained in AA Command, waiting to cross to Normandy until long after D-Day.

North West Europe

Scheldt

2nd S/L regiment left Cranborne in August 1944 to prepare to join 21st Army Group. It finally arrived in the

North West Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northw ...

theatre when it joined 76th AA Bde at

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

on 17 November, with its batteries ready for action by 20 November. Its primary task was to line the north bank of the

Scheldt Estuary The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

to cooperate with LAA guns against aircraft dropping

Parachute mine A parachute mine is a naval mine dropped from an aircraft by parachute. They were mostly used in the Second World War by the Luftwaffe and initially by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command. Frequently, they were dropped on land targets. Hist ...

s into the waterway and blocking the port, for which 6 S/L Bty was detached to 5th (Royal Marine) AA Bde in the port itself. It also provided four S/Ls for

Walcheren Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...

, which had recently been captured by

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army (french: 1reArmée canadienne) was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 ...

Operation Infatuate Operation Infatuate was the code name given to an Anglo-Canadian operation in November 1944 during the Second World War to open the port of Antwerp to shipping and relieve logistical constraints. The operation was part of the wider Battle of the ...

. There was little air activity over the Scheldt to begin with (though Antwerp city was being bombarded by

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

s, some of which were engaged by 76 AA Bde), but the ''Luftwaffe'' became active during the German Ardennes Offensive (the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

) in December, culminating in Operation ''Bodenplatte'' against Allied airfields on 1 January 1945. A night raid on

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

and the Scheldt on the night of 26/27 December, for instance, returned over Antwerp, where 6 S/L Bty succeeded in illuminating some

Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...

s and

Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed ''Schwalbe'' (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ''Sturmvogel'' (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the Germa ...

s; one crashed and the Walcheren S/Ls were awarded the 'kill'. In early January, 2nd S/L Rgt deployed pairs of 90 mm S/Ls to support

Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

LAA guns operating in a coast artillery (CA) role at

Wemeldinge Wemeldinge is the oldest village in the Zuid-Beveland area of the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Kapelle, about 4 km northwest of Yerseke. It is located within the Eastern Scheldt national park. History T ...

and Westkapelle to counter ''Biber'' miniature submarines attempting to enter the Scheldt estuary.76 AA Bde War Diary Jan–Jun 1945, TNA file WO 171/4889. In late 1 January S/L Rgt arrived to take over 2nd S/L Rgt's commitments and the regiment completed its move out of 76th AA Bde's area on 25 January. In 21 February Army Group began

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allies of World War II, Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the World War II, Second ...

to clear the Reichswald up to the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

. For this, 6 S/L Bty operated under 74th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom), 74th AA Bde supporting II Canadian Corps. From now on, the regiment's batteries tended to be deployed singly according to operational needs. During the campaign from Normandy to the Rhine, culminating in 'Veritable', the S/L units of 21st Army Group had developed the technique of 'artificial moonlight' to assist the ground troops. Now, in preparation for the assault crossing of the Rhine (Operation Plunder), some of these were being converted into Moonlight Batteries, Royal Artillery. On 28 February 344 Independent S/L Bty was split into 344th Moonlight Battery, Royal Artillery, 344 and 581st Moonlight Battery, Royal Artillery, 581 Moonlight Btys, and 2nd S/L Rgt was among the units that provided the additional personnel for this expansion.

Rhine

The build-up of troops and supplies for Operation Plunder required largescale AA defences, extending back to cover vital bridges and routes. 107th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom), 107th AA Brigade arrived on 18 March to protect the Kleve, Cleve, Gennep and Mook en Middelaar, Mook bridges behind II Canadian Corps, including 6 S/L Bty. One troop of 6 S/L Bty moved up to the Rhine, where the Canadians were to make a follow-up crossing. Meanwhile 5 S/L Bty was assigned in the AA role to 106th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom), 106th AA Bde with XXX Corps (United Kingdom), XXX Corps making the assault crossing at Rees, Germany, Rees. 'Plunder' was launched on the night of 23/24 March and made good progress, the RE quickly getting to work on bridge building. After dark on 24 March scattered Ju 88s began making divebombing attacks on the bridging sites, artillery areas and supply routes. The number of attacks was not large: 106th AA Bde reported 20-plus Ju 88s, some of which were illuminated by the S/Ls and engaged by the HAA and LAA guns with some successes. There were 30 or more raids the following night, against bridging and S/L sites, and the S/Ls were again effective in picking up attackers for the guns. The story was repeated on 26/27 March, 106th AA Bde's guns engaging attackers with the help of S/Ls and radar. By now the bridges over the Rhine were completed and in use, and as the fighting moved deeper into Germany the number of air attacks diminished, though 5 S/L Bty remained on duty on both sides of the Rees crossing.

Germany

While most of 2nd S/L Rgt remained with 74th AA Bde on guard duties behind First Canadian Army, 106th AA Brigade handed over its units (including 5 S/L Bty) to 100th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom), 100th AA Bde, which moved up to cover Second Army (United Kingdom), Second Army's crossing of the Weser on 9–11 April, followed by the crossing of the Elbe (Western Allied invasion of Germany#British 21st Army Group crosses the Elbe (29 April), Operation Enterprise) on 29 April, when the ''Luftwaffe'' put in its last effort to prevent the crossing. The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath followed on 4 May and all AA action was immediately suspended. The AA units were then turned to occupation duties, with 100th AA Bde responsible for Hamburg.

Postwar

On 1 April 1947, 2nd S/L Rgt was redesignated 84 Searchlight Regiment (taking the number of the wartime unit whose remaining battery had joined 2nd S/L Rgt when it was disbanded in 1943) and the batteries were redesignated 230, 231 and 239. The regiment formed part of 63rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom), 16 AA Bde in AA Command's 5th Anti-Aircraft Group(United Kingdom), 5 AA Group in North East England. However, the regiment and its batteries began to enter suspended animation on 16 September 1948 at Holt, Norfolk, completing the process by 7 October.Routledge, Table LXXIV, p. 441.

Memorial

In Cranborne Priory, St Mary and St Bartholomew Church in Cranborne, Dorset, there is a memorial board with the following text: 'TO RECORD WITH PRIDE AND GRATITUDE/ THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THIS CHURCH/ AND VILLAGE THIS TABLET IS PLACED HERE/ BY THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE SECOND/ SEARCHLIGHT REGIMENT, ROYAL ARTILLERY,/ WHICH SERVED IN AND AROUND CRANBORNE FROM JULY 1940 UNTIL AUGUST 1944 & IN PROUD MEMORY OF BRIGADIER THURGAR ROLLAND ANDERSON MC WHO RAISED THE REGIMENT ON 24TH MAY 1939 (''sic'') AND COMMANDED IT AT HOME AND OVERSEAS UNTIL JUNE 1941. HE DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE ON 7TH AUGUST 1943'

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj Lionel Ellis, L.F. Ellis
''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1954/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, 978-1-85457-056-6.
* Maj L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * 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, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * Maj-Gen B.P. Hughes, ''Honour titles of the Royal Artillery'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1975. * * Airey Neave, ''The Flames of Calais: A Soldier's Battle 1940'', London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1972/Barnsley: Leo Cooper, 2003, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, {{ISBN, 978-171790180-4.

External links

Historynet

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

Spink & Son
Searchlight regiments of the Royal Artillery Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations disestablished in 1947