2nd Anti-Aircraft Division (United Kingdom)
The 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division was an Air Defence formation of the British Army from 1935 to 1942. It controlled anti-aircraft gun and searchlight units of the Territorial Army defending the East Midlands and East Anglia during The Blitz.
Origin
In December 1935 the TA's 46th Division was disbanded and its headquarters was converted into 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division to control the increasing number of AA units being created. At first it administered all AA units in Great Britain outside London and the Home Counties, which were covered by 1st Anti-Aircraft Division. The new division was first organised at York, but shortly afterwards took over 46 Division's HQ at Normanton, Derby.Order of battle
By the end of 1936 the division had the following order of battle, though many of the units were in an early stage of formation or conversion:General Officer Commanding: Major-General James Harrison
- 30th Anti-Aircraft Group organised 1 November 1936 in Sunderland
- * 62nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery – AA guns
- * 63rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA – AA guns
- * 64th Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA – AA guns
- * 37th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers – searchlights
- * 47th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- 31st Anti-Aircraft Group organised 1 November 1936 in Retford
- * 66th Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA – AA guns
- * 67th Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA – AA guns
- * 43rd Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- * 46th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- 32nd Anti-Aircraft Group organised 1 November 1936 at Normanton
- * 69th Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA – AA guns
- * 40th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- * 42nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- * 44th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- * 45th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- 33rd Anti-Aircraft Group organised at Chester
- * 65th Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA – AA guns
- * 38th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- * 39th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
- * 41st Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – searchlights
In 1938 the Royal Artillery replaced the traditional unit designation 'Brigade' by 'Regiment', which allowed the AA Groups to take the more usual formation title of Brigades.
Mobilisation
The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis. Because the organisation of the 2nd AA Division and its component units was not yet complete, it was only partially mobilised. The emergency mobilisation lasted nearly three weeks before the TA units were released on 14 October. The experience led to improvements in equipment scales, and a rapid expansion of AA defences brought many new AA gun and searchlight units into existence. In November 1938, the 32nd and 33rd AA Brigades transferred to the newly formed 4th Anti-Aircraft Division. In June 1939, the 30th and 31st AA Brigades joined the 7th Anti-Aircraft Division. They were replaced in the 2nd AA Division by new brigades created in September 1938: the 39th at Retford in Nottinghamshire and the 40th and 41st in London. The 39th AA Brigade was also intended to transfer to the 7th AA Division just before the outbreak of war, but in practice this did not occur. In April 1939, AA Command was formed to control all the AA gun and searchlight defences of the United Kingdom.Major-General Harrison was transferred to command RA Training Establishments and was replaced as the General officer commanding of the 2nd AA Division on 30 May 1939 by Maj-Gen Claude Grove-White.
The deterioration in international relations during 1939 led to a partial mobilisation in June, and a proportion of TA AA units manned their war stations under a rotation system known as 'Couverture'. Full mobilisation of AA Command came in August 1939, ahead of the declaration of war on 3 September 1939.
World War II
Order of Battle 1939–40
On the outbreak of war the 2nd AA Division had the following order of battle:- GOC: Major-General M.F. Grove-White
- HQ: RAF Hucknall
- 32nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade at Derby
- * 68th AA Regt RA
- * 42nd AA Battalion RE
- * 44th AA Battalion RE
- * 50th AA Bn RE
- * 32nd AA Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps
- 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade organised 29 September 1938 at South Ealing, London'
- * 33rd AA Bn RE
- * 36th AA Bn RE
- * 58th AA Bn RE
- * 9th Battalion Middlesex Regiment
- * 10th Battalion. Royal Fusiliers
- * 40th AA Brigade Company, RASC
- 41st Anti-Aircraft Brigade organised 29 September 1938 in Chelsea, London
- * 78th AA Regt RA
- * 32nd AA Bn RE
- * 1/6th Battalion Essex Regiment
- * 2/6th Battalion Essex Regiment
- * 41st AA Brigade Company, RASC
- 50th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade organised 24 August 1939 at Hucknall
- * 26th LAA Regt RA – mobile reserve
- 2nd AA Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals, at Hucknall
- 2nd AA Divisional Royal Army Service Corps at Carter's Green, West Bromwich
- * 904th, 929th Companies
- * 932nd Company
- 2nd AA Divisional Company, Royal Army Medical Corps, at Hucknall
- 2nd AA Divisional Workshop Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, at Hucknall
39th Anti-Aircraft Brigade at RAF Digby
- 62nd AA Regt
- 67th AA Regt
- 91st AA Regt
- 40th AA Bn
- 46th AA Bn
- 39th AA Brigade Company, RASC
Phoney War
- Hull: 28
- Leeds: 24
- Sheffield: 20
- Derby: 6
- Nottingham: 6
On 23 September 1939, responsibility for the Humber Gun Zone was transferred from the 39th AA Brigade to the 31st AA Brigade in the 7th AA Division. This responsibility reverted to the 39th AA Brigade and the 2nd AA Division in May 1940.
Battle of Britain
By 11 July 1940, at the start of the Battle of Britain, the division's strength had risen to 231 guns of all types :- Leighton Buzzard: 4
- Nottingham: 16
- Derby: 40
- Humber: 38
- Mobile battery: 8
- Airfields: 20
- Vital points: 82
In July 1940, at the height of invasion fears, a mobile column called 'Macduff' was formed by the 50th AA Brigade, consisting of one HAA battery and one S/L Company to operate directly under the command of the 2nd AA Division, available to combat enemy paratroopers.
The Blitz
By late 1940, the 2nd AA Division formed part of II AA Corps. Grove-White had been promoted on 11 November to command the new corps and at first it shared the 2nd AA Division's HQ at RAF Hucknall. The 2nd AA Division then moved to Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, and then on 27 January 1941 to Milton Hall, near Peterborough. The brigades were the same, but by February 1941 their locations and composition had changed:- GOC: Major-General F.L.M. Crossman, DSO, MC
- 32nd AA Brigade covering the East Midlands
- * 78th HAA Rgt
- * 113th HAA Rgt formed November 1940
- * 27th LAA Rgt
- * 38th LAA Rgt
- * 64th LAA Rgt
- * 41st S/L Rgt
- * 44th S/L Rgt
- * 58th S/L Rgt
- 40th AA Brigade covering airfields
- * 78th HAA Rgt
- * 30th LAA Rgt
- * 36th S/L Rgt
- * 64th S/L Rgt
- * 72nd S/L Rgt
- 41st AA Brigade covering East Anglia
- * 78th HAA Rgt
- * 29th LAA Rgt
- * 60th S/L Rgt
- * 65th S/L Rgt
- * 69th S/L Rgt
- * 121st AA Z Battery formed by May 1941, equipped with Z Battery rocket projectiles
- 50th AA Brigade covering Derby & Nottingham
- * 67th HAA Rgt
- * 113th HAA Rgt
- * 28th LAA Rgt
- * 38th LAA Rgt
- * 64th LAA Rgt
- * 42nd S/L Rgt
- * 38th S/L Rgt
- * 50th S/L Rgt
- 2nd AA Divisional Signals
- 50th AA Brigade
- * 28th LAA Rgt
- * 4nd2 S/L Rgt
- * 50th S/L Rgt
- 66th AA Brigade
- * 67th HAA Rgt
- * 113th HAA Rgt
- * 38th LAA Rgt
- * 64th LAA Rgt
- * 15th AA 'Z' Rgt
Mid-war
After December 1941 the division's order of battle was as follows:
32nd AA Brigade
- 136th HAA Rgt
- 45th LAA Rgt
- 64th LAA Rgt
- 120th LAA Rgt
- 134th LAA Rgt
- 41st S/L Rgt
- 44th S/L Rgt
- 58th S/L Rgt
- 60th S/L Rgt
- 65th S/L Rgt
- 30th LAA Rgt
- 33rd LAA Rgt
- 96th LAA Rgt
- 138th LAA Rgt
- 36th S/L Rgt
- 64th S/L Rgt
- 78th HAA Rgt
- 82nd HAA Rgt
- 106th HAA Rgt
- 128th HAA Rgt
- 161st HAA Rgt
- 64th LAA Rgt
- 113th LAA Rgt
- 126th LAA Rgt
- 60th S/L Rgt
- 69th S/L Rgt
- 72nd S/L Rgt
66th AA Brigade
- 106th HAA Rgt
- 113th HAA Rgt
- 144th HAA Rgt
- 38th LAA Rgt
- 45th LAA Rgt
- 44th S/L Rgt
- 15th AA 'Z' Rgt
The increased sophistication of Operations Rooms and communications was reflected in the growth in support units, which attained the following organisation by May 1942:
- 2nd AA Division Mixed Signal Unit HQ, RCS
- * HQ No 1 Company
- ** 2nd AA Division Mixed Signal Office Section
- ** 40th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section
- ** 104th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section
- ** 41st AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section
- ** 115th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section
- ** 331st AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section
- ** 333rd AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section
- ** 6th AA Line Maintenance Section
- * HQ No 2 Company
- ** 32nd AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section
- ** 105th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section
- ** 50th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section
- ** 106th RAF Fighter Sector Sub-Section
- ** 407th AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section
- ** 22nd AA Sub-Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Sub-Section
- ** 24th AA Sub-Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Sub-Section
- ** 66th AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section
- ** 324th AA Gun Operations Room Mixed Signal Section
- ** 6th AA Line Maintenance Section
- HQ 2nd AA Div RASC
- * 904th, 929th, 932nd Companies
- HQ 2nd AA Div RAMC
- 2nd AA Div Workshop Company, RAOC
- 2nd AA Div Radio Maintenance Company, RAOC
The 66th AA Brigade HQ, with its signal section and transport company, left AA Command in August 1942 and came under War Office control ready to join First Army in the invasion of North Africa.
Disbandment
The 2nd AA Division, like the other AA Corps and Divisions, was disbanded and replaced on 1 October 1942 by a new AA Group structure. The Midlands and East Anglia were covered by the 5th AA Group, headquartered at Hucknall. The 2nd AA Divisional Signals was apparently converted into the new Group signal unit.General Officer Commanding
The following officers commanded the 2nd AA Division:- Major-General James Harrison
- Major-General Maurice Grove-White
- Major-General Francis Crossman