26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade (26 AA Bde) was an Air Defence 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 ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

. It defended London 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

German air raids by

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

airships and

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

bombers on London and other British cities during the

First World War 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 ...

had shown the need for strong anti-aircraft (AA) defences in any future war. When the Territorial Army (TA) was reformed in 1922 it included a number of dedicated AA units of the

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) and

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). Two formations were organised in London District to command these units, provisionally known as the 2nd and 3rd London Air Defence Brigades, but soon numbered 26th and 27th. Both were based at the

Duke of York's Headquarters The Duke of York's Headquarters is a building in Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England. In 1969 it was declared a listed building at Grade II*, due to its outstanding historic or architectural special interest. History ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, where the units of the 2nd AD Bde were accommodated in buildings used before the First World War by

King Edward's Horse King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1901, which saw service in the First World War. Early history The regiment was originally formed as part of the Imperial Yeomanry ...

and 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 ...

divisional train of the

47th (1/2nd London) Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

. Extra buildings erected for the units included gun drill sheds and a store for each battery. Meanwhile, 3rd AD Bde's units were based at Lytton Grove,

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, taking over pre-war buildings previously used by the

City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) The City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) was a yeomanry regiment of the British Territorial Army, formed in 1901 from veterans of the Second Boer War. In World War I it served dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign but reverted to the mounted r ...

. The brigades had the following composition:.Litchfield RA badge at DOYHQ

26th (London) Air Defence Brigade * 51st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade,

(TA) (heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) gun unit formed in 1922 at Chelsea) ** HQ at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 151st (London) AA Battery at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 152nd(London) AA Battery at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 153rd (London) AA Battery at Duke of York's Headquarters * 52nd (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA) (HAA unit formed in 1922 at

Acton, London Acton () is a town and area in west London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing. It is west of Charing Cross. At the 2011 census, its four wards, East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 62,480, a ...

) ** HQ at Artillery House, Acton ** 154th (London) AA Battery at Artillery House, Acton ** 155th (London) AA Battery at Artillery House, Acton ** 156th (Barking) AA Battery at Empress Hall, Ripple Lane,

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

* 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion (London Electrical Engineers),

(TA) (a searchlight unit) ** HQ at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 301st AA Company at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 303rd AA Company at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 321st AA Company at Duke of York's Headquarters ** 339th AA Company at Duke of York's Headquarters * 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Signal Company,

Royal 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 ...

27th (London) Air Defence Brigade * 53rd (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA) (HAA unit formed in 1922 at

), recruited mainly from men in banks and insurance companies in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

) ** HQ at

White City, London White City is a district of London, England, in the northern part of Shepherd's Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross. White City is home to Television Centre (previously th ...

** 157th (City of London) AA Battery at White City ** 158th (City of London) AA Battery at White City ** 159th (

Lloyd's Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...

) (City of London) AA Battery at White City * 54th (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA) (HAA unit formed in 1922 at Putney) ** HQ at Putney ** 160th (City of London) AA Battery at Putney ** 161st (City of London) AA Battery at Putney ** 162nd (City of London) AA Battery at Putney * 27th (London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion (London Electrical Engineers), RE (TA) (a searchlight unit) ** HQ at

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

** 304th AA Company at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

** 305th AA Company at Westminster ** 306th AA Company at Westminster ** 390th AA Company at Westminster * 27th (London) Anti-Aircraft Signal Company,

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 ...

1935 Reorganisation

As Britain's AA defences expanded during the 1930s, higher formations became necessary. 1st AA Division was formed in 1935 at

RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three years ...

to command the growing number of Territorial Army (TA) anti-aircraft gun and searchlight units covering 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 ...

. The 26th AD Bde was reorganised at Chelsea on 16 December 1935 as 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Group, commanding all the gun and searchlight units of the two former brigades, while the 27th was reformed as 27th (Home Counties) Anti-Aircraft Group at

RAF Kenley The former Royal Air Force Station Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley was an airfield station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the RAF in the Second World War. It played a significant role during the Battle of Britain ...

, to command new AA units in the South London suburbs.Frederick, pp. 1048–50. The AA Groups took the more usual formation title of Brigades on 1 January 1939 after the

replaced its traditional unit designation 'Brigade' by the modern 'Regiment'.Routledge, p. 60.

Mobilisation

Major-general_R_F_E_Whittaker,_Cb,_Obe,_Td,_Aa_Command,_1942_Art

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 ...

. The call-out of key parties by telephone and telegram went well, and they assembled at their drill halls within a few hours. Because the units possessed only a small scale of transport, elaborate plans had been made to requisition civilian vehicles, ranging from heavy lorries to buses and private cars. Equipment was drawn from mobilisation stores, and the detachments ferried out to their war stations. Despite some failures and problems, the emergency positions covering London were manned and most of the equipment was in place within 24 hours. The emergency mobilisation lasted nearly three weeks before the TA units were released on 14 October. Brigadier Robert Whittaker, a TA officer who had commanded 53rd (City of London) HAA Rgt, was appointed to command the brigade on 18 January 1939. During this period of tension the Territorial Army grew enormously, and existing TA infantry battalions continued to be converted to AA regiments. The number of divisions and brigades was expanded, and the whole AA defence of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

was taken over by

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 ...

on 1 April 1939. A new 38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade was formed on 28 September 1938 by duplicating 26 AA Brigade HQ at the Duke of York's Headquarters. The new brigade took responsibility for searchlight units in the London area, leaving 26 AA Bde as a Heavy AA formation. The further 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.Routledge, p. 65. 206 Brompton Road

Just before the outbreak of war, 26 AA Bde moved its headquarters to

Brompton Road Brompton Road is a street located in the southern part from Knightsbridge and in the eastern part from Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and partly the City of Westminster in London. It starts from Knightsbridge Und ...

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

, where a

Piccadilly line The Piccadilly line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the north to the west of London. It has two branches, which split at Acton Town, and serves 53 stations. The line serves Heathrow Airport, and some of its stations are n ...

underground railway station had been disused since 1934. 1st AA Division established a control centre at Brompton Road, where the tunnels, subways and lift-shafts were adapted to provide bomb-proof accommodation for a Central Operation Room reporting direct to HQ

No. 11 Group RAF No. 11 Group is a group in the Royal Air Force first formed in 1918. It had been formed and disbanded for various periods during the 20th century before disbanding in 1996 and reforming again in 2018. Its most famous service was in 1940 in the Ba ...

at Uxbridge, and four Gun Operations Rooms (GORs) subdividing the London Inner Artillery Zone (IAZ). An elaborate network of dedicated telephone lines was laid by the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

and

, linking the AA sites, including many isolated searchlight positions.Routledge, pp. 387–9.AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
/ref> (The building remained a TA centre after the war, later being known as the Signals Drill Hall. It was sold by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

in 2014.) It had been intended that 26th AA Brigade would control the whole London IAZ, but it proved too complex for one HQ, and in September 1939 it was divided among three: 26th, 48th and 49th AA Bdes. 26th AA Brigade still had the heaviest concentration of guns, with 34 sites disposed to north and east of London, mainly equipped with static 3.7 and 4.5-inch guns. Its sites were in the process of being increased from four to eight guns each.

Outbreak of war

When the UK declared war on 3 September 1939, 26 AA Bde had the following composition: * Brigade HQ: Brompton Road, Chelsea * 53rd (City of London) AA Regiment (went to France with the

Advanced Air Striking Force The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of 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 United Kingdom a ...

October 1939) ** HQ, 157th, 158th, 159th (Lloyd's) City of London AA Batteries as before * 86th (Honourable Artillery Company) AA Regiment (a new unit formed in 1939 by the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

of London) ** HQ, 273rd, 274th, 275th AA Batteries all at Armoury House,

Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London. The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn ...

* 88th AA Regiment (a new unit formed in 1939 as a duplicate of 53rd HAA Rgt) ** HQ, 281st, 282nd, 283rd AA Batteries all at White City * 26th AA Brigade Company,

During 1940 the AA Regiments of the RA were redesignated Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) regiments to distinguish them from the newer Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiments.

Battle of Britain

While 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 ...

'' attacked RAF airfields in south east England during 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 ...

, 26 AA Bde was hardly involved, but on 2 September 1940 a raid up the

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

reached the edge of the London IAZ and was engaged by guns of the brigade. Between 11 and 15 September, massed raids approached London, but running battles with RAF fighters broke up most of the raids before they reached the IAZ. 221 HAA Battery of 91st HAA Rgt under 39 AA Bde in 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 had been nominated as a reserve battery with mobile guns. As the

London 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 ...

got under way during September it arrived to reinforce 26 AA Bde (one gunner was killed by a bomb blast). In mid-October, half of 286/91 HAA Bty arrived in London to reinforce 221 Bty. 221 Battery moved from London to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

later in October.39 AA Bde War Diary 1939–41,TNA file WO 166/2272. Brigadier Whittaker was promoted to command 1st AA Division on 12 November 1940 was succeeded by Brigadier S.K. Thorburn.

The Blitz

By late 1940, at the height of

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 ...

, 26 AA Bde was still serving in 1 AA Division covering London, but had the following composition:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, TNA file WO 212/79. * Commander: Brigadier S.K. Thorburn (12 November 1940 – 19 February 1943) * 4th HAA Regiment (a Regular unit returned from

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.West Africa Command West Africa Command was a Command of the British Army. Conflicting information indicates that the command was either based at Achimota College in Accra or in Nigeria. It was disbanded in 1956. History After the First World War, military forces in ...

and the Malta garrison) ** 5, 6, 18 HAA Batteries * 52nd (London) HAA Regiment (left Summer 1941 for 9th AA Division; went to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

May 1942) ** 154, 155, 271 HAA Batteries ** 313 HAA Battery (left for West Africa with 4th HAA Rgt) * 86th (HAC) HAA Regiment (to 49th AA Bde in 1st AA Division late 1941)) ** 273, 274 HAA Batteries ** 275 HAA Battery (left September 1941 to join 118th HAA Rgt in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

) ** 383 Bty joined February 1941 ** 446 Bty joined September 1941 * 88th HAA Rgt (rejoined from 9th AA Division by May 1941, left in June 1941 for Middle East Forces) ** 281, 282, 283 Btys * 119th HAA Regiment (a new unit formed in December 1940) * 62nd LAA Regiment (a new unit formed in October 1940) ** 185, 214 Btys ** 186 Bty (attached to 49th AA Bde until June 1941, thereafter left regiment) ** 235 Bty (joined Summer 1941) Mobile Z battery 1941 IWM H 10791

Manning AA positions during the Blitz was dangerous and arduous work. A

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 ...

fell on one HAA position of 26 AA Bde in central London, killing three men and wounding 15, yet the position remained in action. The Blitz effectively ended in May 1941, but the organisation of AA Command continued to evolve. From September 1940, rocket projectors ( Z Batteries) were introduced, equipped with rocket projectiles, and during 1941 increasing numbers of 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) took over roles in AA Command. Where they were integrated into units these were designated 'Mixed' ('M'). During 1941–42 the following further changes to 26th AA Bde's order of battle took place: Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, TNA file WO 212/80.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, TNA file WO 212/81. * 84th (Middlesex, London Transport) HAA Rgt (joined from 49th AA Bde Summer 1941; left Winter 1941 for 6th AA Division) ** 260, 262, 263 Btys * 105th HAA Regiment (joined from 48th AA Bde in 1st AA Division Summer 1941; returned Autumn 1941) ** 326, 330, 333, 350, 435 (M) Btys * 120th HAA Regiment (formed January 1941; joined Summer 1941) ** 248 (Welwyn), 381, 384, 386 Btys * 132nd (M) HAA Regiment (formed September 1941) ** 435 (from 105th HAA Rgt), 450, 457, 469 (M) Btys * 62nd LAA Regiment (left June 1942 for 9th AA Division) * 6th AA Z Regiment (formed September 1940;Farndale, Annex M. joined Autumn 1941) ** 128, 148, 171, 173 Btys

Mid-war period

On 1 October 1942 a new organisation came into force in AA Command: corps and divisions were abolished, and brigades came under the command of new regional groups. 26th AA Brigade was subordinated to 1 AA Group covering the London IAZ. At this time its order of battle was as follows:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, TNA file WO 212/82. * 101st HAA Regiment (joined from 3rd AA Division September 1942; left December 1942 to WO Control, later sent to

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

) ** 226, 297, 379 Btys * 120th HAA Regiment (left Spring 1943) ** 248, 381, 384 Btys * 132nd (M) HAA Regiment ** 435, 450, 457, 469 Btys * 137th (M) HAA Regiment (joined from 4th AA Division September 1942) ** 476, 481, 487, 574 Btys ** 590 Bty joined early 1943) * 156th (M) HAA Regiment (formed April 1942; joined May 1942) ** 529 Bty (left June 1942) ** 530, 532, 533, 535 Btys * 6th AA Z Regiment (left November 1942) ** 128, 148, 171, 173 Btys There were only minor changes in the brigade's composition in 1943–44. 111th HAA Regiment (347, 355, 356 and 389 Btys) joined early in 1943, but left in May 1943 to go to GHQ Reserve, later

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 ...

, preparing for the 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 ...

).Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 13 March 1943, TNA file WO 212/83.Joslen, p. 463. By October 1944, the brigade's HQ establishment was 9 officers, 8 male other ranks and 23 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.

Operation Diver

The ''Luftwaffe'' began a new bombing campaign against London in early 1944 (the

Baby Blitz Operation Steinbock (german: Unternehmen Steinbock), sometimes called the Baby Blitz, was a strategic bombing campaign by the German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) during the Second World War. It targeted southern England and lasted from January to M ...

). By now the night fighter defences and the London IAZ were well organised and the attackers suffered heavy losses for relatively small results. More significant were the

V-1 flying bombs The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug and in Germany as ...

, codenamed 'Divers', which began to be launched against London from Northern France soon 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 ...

. V-1s (known to Londoners as 'Doodlebugs') presented AA Command's biggest challenge since the Blitz. Defences had been planned against this new form of attack (

Operation Diver Operation Diver was the British codename for countermeasures against the V-1 flying bomb campaign launched by the German in 1944 against London and other parts of Britain. Diver was the codename for the V-1, against which the defence consisted of ...

), but it presented a severe problem for AA guns, and after two weeks' experience AA Command carried out a major reorganisation, stripping guns from the London IAZ and other parts of the UK and repositioning them along the South Coast to target V-1s coming in over the English Channel, where a 'downed' V-1 would cause no damage. As the launching sites were overrun by 21st Army Group, the ''Luftwaffe'' switched to air-launching V-1s over the North Sea, so 1 AA Group had to redeploy again to the east of London. Once 21st Army Group had captured

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

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,

, these cities became targets for V-1s launched from within Germany, and anti-Diver defences had to be established. 132nd and 137th (M) HAA Regiments from 26th AA Bde were among the reinforcements sent to Brussels in January 1945 for this duty.

Postwar

After

VE-day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...

of AA units began promptly. 132nd and 137th (M) HAA regiments were disbanded in Europe (in May and October 1945 respectively) and did not return to 26th AA Bde. By November 1945 the brigade had the following composition: * 12th HAA Regiment ** 4, 18, 360 Btys * 153rd (M) HAA Regiment (dropped the (M) designation August 1945) ** 509, 513, 521 Btys * 156th (M) HAA ** 530, 532, 533 Btys * 162nd (M) HAA Regiment (dropped the (M) designation March 1946) ** 449, 480, 528 Btys All these regiments were disbanded in January 1947 except 12th HAA Rgt which was retained in the postwar Regular Army. Brigade HQ moved to Whetstone on 11 April 1946. When the TA was reformed on 1 January 1947, the brigade's Regular Army units reformed 6 AA Bde at

Grays, Essex Grays (or Grays Thurrock) is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England. The town which is both a former civil parish and one of Thurrock's traditional Church of England parishes is located on the north ...

, while the TA portion was renumbered as 52 (London) AA Brigade, based at

Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the ...

, Essex, in 1 AA Group. (The wartime 52 AA Bde in Scotland was renumbered as 78 AA Bde in the 1947 reorganisation.) 52 (London) Brigade had the following organisation:AA Brigades 30–66 at British Army units 1945 on
/ref> * 459 (The Essex Regiment) (Mixed) HAA Regiment * 482 (Mixed) HAA Regiment (Essex) * 599 (Mobile) HAA Regiment (Essex Regiment) * 609 (Mixed) HAA Regiment (Tottenham) * 512 (Finsbury Rifles) LAA Regiment * 568 (St Pancras) Searchlight Regiment However, the brigade was disbanded in September 1948.

Notes

References

* J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * Stephen Halliday, ''Underground to Everywhere: London's Underground Railway in the Life of the Capital'', Stroud: Sutton, 2001, . * * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Mike Osborne, ''20th Century Defences in Britain: The London Area'', Market Deeping: Concrete Publications, 2006, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, . * ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927.

External sources

British Army Units 1945 onwards (archive site)

British Military History

Patriot Files Orders of Battle

Royal Artillery 1939–1945

Orders of Battle
{{British anti-aircraft brigades of the Second World War Military units and formations established in 1922 Military units and formations disestablished in 1948 Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Chelsea, London Air defence brigades of the British Army Anti-Aircraft brigades of the British Army in World War II