The 10th Anti-Aircraft Division (10th AA Division) 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 early years of 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 opposi ...

. It defended

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

and Northern Lincolnshire 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 ...

and the

Baedeker Blitz The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of aerial attacks in April and May 1942 by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on English cities during the Second World War. The name derives from Baedeker, a series of German tourist guide books, inclu ...

but only had a short career.

Mobilisation

The 10th Anti-Aircraft Division was one of five new divisions created on 1 November 1940 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 ...

to control the expanding anti-aircraft (AA) defences of the United Kingdom. The division was formed by taking the two southern brigade areas (31st and 39th) from the existing 7th AA Division in North East England, together with a newly formed brigade (62nd brigade), and giving it responsibility for the air defence of East and West Yorkshire and the Humber Estuary.Frederick, p. 1047.Pile's despatch.
/ref>
/ref> The divisional headquarters (HQ) was 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 ...

and the first General Officer Commanding (GOC), appointed on 14 November 1940, was Major-General Langley Browning, who had been Commander, Royal Artillery, at 4th Infantry Division. The 10th AA Division formed part of II AA Corps.Farndale, Annex J.Browning at Generals of WWII.
/ref>

The Blitz

The division's fighting units, organised into three AA Brigades, consisted of Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) and Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) gun regiments and Searchlight (S/L) regiments 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 ...

. The HAA guns were concentrated in the Gun Defence Areas (GDAs) at Hull,

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 popula ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a 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 historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

. The LAA units were distributed to defend Vulnerable Points (VPs) such as factories and airfields, while the S/L detachments were disposed in clusters of three, spaced apart. At the time the 10th AA Division was created, the industrial towns of the UK were under regular attack by night, to which the limited AA defences replied as best they could. West Yorkshire, despite its important industrial facilities, steelworks, aircraft and ordnance factories, was at a considerable distance from 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 bases and was less often raided than coastal targets and

The Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the In ...

. Nevertheless, in the 10th AA Division's area, Sheffield was badly bombed on 12 and 15 December 1940 (the

Sheffield Blitz The Sheffield Blitz is the name given to the worst nights of German ''Luftwaffe'' bombing in Sheffield, England, during the Second World War. It took place over the nights of 12 December and 15 December 1940. In 1940, Sheffield was a city o ...

), Leeds on 14 March 1941 (the

Leeds Blitz The Leeds Blitz comprised nine air raids on the city of Leeds by the Nazi German ''Luftwaffe''. The heaviest raid took place on the night of 14/15 March 1941, affecting the city centre, Beeston, Bramley and Armley. The city was subjected to ...

), Hull on 18 March (the

Hull Blitz The Hull Blitz was the bombing campaign that targeted the English port city of Kingston upon Hull by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during the Second World War. Large-scale attacks took place on several nights throughout March 1941, resulting in over ...

) and on 7 and 8 May, when Sheffield was also hit again. The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H11954

There were still too few AA guns for the tasks set them, and in March 1941 AA Command was obliged to shift some HAA guns from Sheffield to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, which was under much heavier attack. The position on LAA gun sites was worse: only small numbers of

Bofors 40 mm gun 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 ...

s were available at the start of the Blitz, and most LAA detachments had to make do 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 sa ...

s (LMGs).

Order of Battle 1940–41

The division's composition during the Blitz was as follows:10 AA Division 1940 at RA 39–45.
/ref>Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/79. * 31st (North Midland) AA Brigade – ''HQ York: responsible for West Yorkshire'' ** 87th HAA RgtLitchfield, p. 54. – ''joined by May 1941'' ** 38th LAA Rgt (part) – ''to the 2nd AA Division by May 1941'' ** 71st LAA Rgt ** 43rd (Duke of Wellington's) S/L Rgt ** 49th (West Yorkshire Regiment) S/L Rgt ** 54th (Durham Light Infantry) S/L Rgt * 39th AA Brigade – ''HQ

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 ...

: responsible for airfields and the Humber Estuary'' ** 62nd (Northumbrian) HAA RgtLitchfield, p. 250. ** 91st HAA RgtLitchfield, p. 266. ** 39th LAA Rgt ** 40th (Sherwood Foresters) S/L Rgt ** 46th (

Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...

) S/L RgtLitchfield, p. 143. – ''to the 7th AA Division by May 1941'' ** 84th S/L Rgt The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H8271

* 62nd AA Brigade – ''responsible for

and

'' ** 75th (Home Counties) (Cinque Ports) HAA Rgt ** 96th HAA RgtLitchfield, p. 267. ** 117th HAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed in December 1940'' ** 59th LAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed in October 1940'' * 2nd AA 'Z' Regiment – ''new divisional unit equipped with

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 ...

rocket launchers, formed in September 1940''Farndale, Annex M. * 10th AA Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) – ''formed at York November 1940'' * 10th AA Divisional Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) ** 914th Company – ''to the 9th AA Division May 1941'' ** 926th and 930th Companies * 10th AA Divisional Company, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) * 10th 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)

Mid-War

Even when the main Blitz ended in May 1941, Hull was an easy target for inexperienced ''Luftwaffe'' crews and was frequently bombed and

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. Histo ...

s dropped in the Humber Estuary. A special S/L 'Dazzle Barrage' installed at Hull foiled at least one attack, in August 1941.Collier, Chapter 19.
/ref> The other gaps in AA defences were filled as more equipment and units became available. Searchlights, now assisted by Searchlight Control (SLC) radar, were reorganised, with a 'Killer Belt' surrounding the Hull GDA to cooperate closely with RAF

Night fighters 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 ...

. The HAA and support units increasingly became 'Mixed', indicating 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 fully integrated into them. In the Spring of 1942 a new phase in the air campaign began with the so-called

mainly directed against undefended British cities. In the 10th AA Division's area, York was accurately hit on 28 April, Hull on 19 May and 31 July, and

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...

on 29 May. The severity of the raid on Hull on 19 May was lessened when many bombs were aimed at a fire started by incendiary bombs landing on an AA site outside the city.Collier, Chapter 20.
/ref> Redeployment of resources became necessary to counter the Baedeker raids, mostly to southern England, but also the establishment of a GDA at York. A series of ''Luftwaffe'' 'hit and run' raids against towns on the South Coast also led to the withdrawal of many LAA guns. At the same time, experienced units were posted away to train for service overseas (sometimes being lent back to AA Command while awaiting embarkation). This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated with the preparations for the invasion of North Africa ( Operation Torch) in late 1942. The 65th AA Brigade HQ joined in June 1942 and several regiments were transferred to it from the 39th AA Brigade.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/81. The 62nd AA Brigade HQ left in August 1942 and took part in Operation Torch, landing in North Africa in December.Routledge, pp. 177, 180.

Order of Battle 1941–42

During this period the division was composed as follows (temporary attachments omitted): * 31st AA Brigade ** 12th HAA Rgt – ''from

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 ...

(WO) Reserve August 1942 ** 87th HAA Rgt – ''left AA Command June 1941; later to Eighth Army'' ** 128th HAA Rgt – ''from the 62nd AA Brigade August 1942 ** 71st LAA Rgt – ''to the 65th AA Brigade June 1942 ** 114th LAA Rgt – ''from the 4th AA Division June 1942'' ** 30th (Surrey) S/L Rgt – ''from the 5th AA Division October 1941; to the 11th AA Division January 1942'' ** 43rd S/L Rgt – ''as above'' ** 49th S/L Rgt – ''as above'' ** 54th S/L Rgt – ''as above'' * 39th AA Brigade Fort_Paull_Gun

** 62nd HAA Rgt – ''to WO Control for Operation Torch February–March 1942''Routledge, Table XXX, p. 188.Joslen, p. 465.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 14 August 1942, TNA file WO 212/7 and WO 33/1927. ** 91st HAA Rgt – ''left AA Command May 1942; later to Middle East Forces (MEF)''Routledge, Table XXIV, p. 162. ** 113th HAA Rgt – ''from the 2nd AA Division March 1942; to the 65th AA Brigade May 1942''113 HAA Rgt War Diary 1942, TNA file WO 166/7481. ** 152nd (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''from the 62nd AA Brigade August 1942'' ** 29th LAA Rgt – '' from the 4th AA Division February–March 1942; to the 65th AA Brigade May 1942 ** 39th LAA Rgt – ''to the 4th AA Division by July 1941'' ** 78th LAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed June 1941; left AA Command and arrived in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

by August 1942'' ** 121st (Leicestershire Regiment) LAA Rgt – ''from the 62nd AA Brigade May 1942'' ** 40th S/L Rgt – ''as above'' ** 46th S/L Rgt – ''to the 3rd AA Division by May 1942'' ** 84th S/L Rgt – ''as above'' ** 2nd AA 'Z' Rgt – ''to the 65th AA Brigade May 1942'' * 62nd AA Brigade – ''to WO Control for Operation Torch August 1942''Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 22 November 1942, TNA file WO 212/8 and WO 33/1962. ** 66th (Leeds Rifles) HAA Rgt – ''from Orkney and Shetland Defences (OSDEF) June 1941; left AA Command and arrived in India by May 1942'' ** 75th HAA Rgt – ''to the 6th AA Division Summer 1941'' ** 96th HAA Rgt – ''left AA Command by May 1942, later to MEF'' ** 117th HAA Rgt – ''to the 4th AA Division by December 1941'' ** 128th HAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed August, joined by December 1941; to the 31st AA Brigade August 1942 ** 139th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed September 1941, joined January 1942; to the 65th AA Brigade August 1942'' ** 152nd (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed March 1942, to the 39th AA Brigade August 1942'' ** 59th LAA Rgt – ''left AA Command and arrived in India by April 1942'' ** 121st (Leicestershire Regiment) LAA Rgt – ''converted from 44th S/L Rgt January 1942 to the 39th AA Brigade May 1942'' * 65th AA Brigade – ''from 5 AA Division June 1942'' ** 113th HAA Rgt – ''from the 39th AA Brigade May 1942; to mobile training August 1942'' ** 139th HAA Rgt – ''from the 62nd AA Brigade August 1942'' ** 151st (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''from the 4th AA Division July 1942'' ** 29th LAA Rgt – ''from the 39th AA Brigade May 1942; to WO Control for Operation Torch June 1942 ** 71st LAA Rgt – ''from the 31st AA Brigade August 1942 ** 2nd AA 'Z' Rgt – ''from the 39th AA Brigade May 1942'' The increased sophistication of communications for Gun Operations Rooms (GORs) and RAF Sectors was reflected in the growth in support units, which attained the following organisation by May 1942: * 10th AA Division Mixed Signal Unit HQ, RCS ** HQ No 1 Company *** 10th AA Division Mixed Signal Office Section *** 31st AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 107th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section (

RAF Church Fenton Royal Air Force Church Fenton or RAF Church Fenton was a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England and north west of Selby, North Yorkshire, near the village of Church Fenton. The station wa ...

) *** 311th AA GOR Mixed Signal Section (Leeds GDA) *** 24th AA Line Maintenance Section ** HQ No 2 Company *** 39th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 114th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section ( RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey) *** 312th AA GOR Mixed Signal Section (Sheffield GDA) *** 62nd AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 408th AA GOR Mixed Signal Section (Humber GDA) **** 24th AA Sub-GOR Mixed Signal Sub-Section **** 25th AA Sub-GOR Mixed Signal Sub-Section **** 26th AA Sub-GOR Mixed Signal Sub-Section **** 27th AA Sub-GOR Mixed Signal Sub-Section *** 65th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section *** 25th AA Line Maintenance Section *** 26th AA Line Maintenance Section * HQ 10th AA Div RASC ** 926th, 930th Companies ** 5th AA Tractor Battery – ''joined June 1942'' * 10th AA Div RAMC * 10th AA Div Workshop Company, RAOC * 10th AA Div Radio Maintenance Company, RAOC The RAOC companies became part of the new Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during 1942.

Disbandment

A reorganisation of AA Command in October 1942 saw the AA divisions disbanded and replaced by a smaller number of AA Groups more closely aligned with the groups of

RAF 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 Brita ...

. The 10th AA Division, which had been at

Sand Hutton Sand Hutton is a village and civil parish which forms the larger part of the Claxton and Sand Hutton grouped parish council, in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about north-east of York. History The village is mentioned in ...

, outside York, but was by now at

, merged with 2nd AA Division to form 5th AA Group based at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

and cooperating with No. 12 Group RAF.

General Officers Commanding

The following officers commanded 10th AA Division:Robert Palmer, 'AA Command History and Personnel' at British Military History.
/ref> * Major-General Langley Browning, from 14 November 1940 to 13 February 1942 * Major-General Erroll Tremlett, promoted 14 February 1942 from command of the 44th AA Brigade, until disbandmentTremlett at Generals of WWII.
/ref>

Notes

References

*

* Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnd ...

, ''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, . * * 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, .
Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945" ''London Gazette'' 18 December 1947.
* Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, .

External sources

Anti-Aircraft Command (1940) at British Military History

Generals of World War II

Royal Artillery 1939–1945
{{WW2AirDefenceUK Military units and formations established in 1940 10 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 Military units and formations in York