35th Anti-Aircraft (AA) Brigade was formed on 1 April 1938 at Fort Fareham in Hampshire, and was commanded by Brigadier R.B. Purey Cust (appointed 16 May 1938). It was assigned to 5th AA Division when that formation was created on 1 September 1938.[1][2][3][4]
Mobilisation
The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis, units manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October.[5] In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command. In June a partial mobilisation of TA units was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA and searchlight positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations.[6]
Together with the searchlights of 27th (Home Counties) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, 35 AA Bde was responsible for the air defence of the city and naval base of Portsmouth. In September 1939, the brigade had 29 heavy AA guns round Portsmouth.[17] During 1940 the AA regiments of the RA were designated 'Heavy AA', and the RE units transferred to the RA as 'Searchlight Regiments'.[18] By July 1940 there were 44 HAA guns deployed round Portsmouth.[19]
Battle of Britain and Blitz
The brigade was heavily engaged throughout the Battle of Britain. A few bombers got through to Portsmouth on 10 July,[20] and the Portsmouth and Southampton AA guns were in action on 15 August, claiming one 'kill',[21] Again, on 18 August, German air raids crossed Southern England and appeared over RAF airfields at West Malling, Manston, Kenley, Biggin Hill, Gravesend and the town of Sevenoaks, all within four and a half hours in the afternoon. The guns of 35 AA Bde and its neighbours were in action and accounted for 23 enemy aircraft.[22] On 24 August a raid eluded RAF Fighter Command's fighters and bombed the city and dockyard badly, killing over 100 people despite the efforts of the AA guns, although another raid two days later was driven off by fighters and AA fire, and only dropped a few bombs on the outskirts of the city.[23][24] This was the start of the Portsmouth Blitz).
After 15 September, the intensity of Luftwaffe daylight attacks fell, and the emphasis switched to night bombing of industrial towns (the Blitz). Portsmouth was a major target: during a succession of attacks, two bombs fell on a gun position of 35 AA Bde, killing an officer and 10 men, wrecking the command post and one gun. Two of the remaining guns continued to fire by improvised methods.[25] The city was badly bombed on the nights of 5 December 1940, 10 January, 10 March, 17 and 27 April 1941.[26][27][28]
The Blitz ended in May 1941, but there were occasional raids thereafter and AA Command continued to strengthen its defences. Newly-formed units joining AA Command were increasingly 'mixed' ones into which women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service were integrated, while those armed with Z Battery rocket projectiles were partly manned by members of the Home Guard.[26][36][37] At the same time, experienced units were posted away for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for Operation Torch. The AA defences of Southern England were severely tested in the summer of 1942 by the Luftwaffe's 'hit-and-run' attacks along the South Coast, and there was much reorganisation, accounting for some of the turnover of units listed earlier. LAA units waiting to go overseas were sometimes lent back to AA Command to deal with the hit-and-run raiders.[36][37][38]
Order of Battle 1941–42
Over the two years following the Blitz, the brigade had the following changes in composition:[39][40][41][42]
48th (Hampshire) S/L Rgt – from 47 AA Bde August 1942; returned to 47 AA Bde November 1942
391, 392, 393, 394 S/L Btys
5th AA 'Z' Rgt
102, 114 Z Btys
112, 127 Z Btys – joined May 1941
35 AA Bde Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section (part of No 2 Company, 5 AA Division Mixed Signal Unit, Royal Corps of Signals)
Order of Battle 1942–43
The AA Divisions were disbanded on 30 September and replaced by new AA Groups that corresponded with the groups of RAF Fighter Command. 35 AA Brigade joined the new 2 AA Group covering South East England.[48] After this major reorganisation, the brigade settled down with the following composition (temporary attachments omitted):[42][49][50]
194, 198 (M) Z Btys – joined January, left October 1943
35 AA Bde Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section (part of 4 Mixed Signal Company, 2 AA Group Signals)
Late War
At the end of 1943, the brigade underwent a major reorganisation, leaving it with just three units (185th (M) HAA Rgt, 3rd LAA Rgt, and 5th AA 'Z' Rgt)[50] and shortly afterwards it came under command of 6 AA Group. This was a headquarters that had been moved from Scotland to the South Coast to take responsibility for the build-up of AA defences in the Solent–Portsmouth area covering embarkation ports for the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord).[59] Shipping at Portsmouth was bombed on four successive nights (25–28 April) during the 'Baby Blitz' of early 1944.[60]
Order of Battle 1945
35 AA Brigade was soon rejoined by two other regiments that had served briefly with it in the past (127th HAA Rgt and 48th S/L Rgt), and attained the following order of battle:[61]
48th (Hampshire) S/L Rgt – joined May; left August 1944
391, 392, 393 S/L Btys
5th (M) AA 'Z' Rgt – redesignated 5 AA Area Mixed Rgt April; left May 1944
102, 112, 127 (M) Z Btys
Other units served briefly with the brigade during the summer of 1944, but by October it had returned to simply commanding 159th and 185th HAA and 3rd LAA Rgts.[61]
At this time, the brigade's HQ establishment was 9 officers, 8 male other ranks and 25 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 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.[62]
Order of Battle 1945
By this stage of the war, AA Command's strength was diminishing as manpower had to be released to 21st Army Group fighting in North West Europe, and batteries and whole regiments were disbanded or converted other roles. By the end of the year 35 AA Bde was composed as follows:[61]
Shortly afterwards, 6 AA Group was disbanded, and by February 1945, 35 AA Bde had returned to the command of 2 AA Group with just 2nd and 5th AA Area Mixed Rgt HQs under its command (the Home Guard had been stood down and all the Z Btys had disappeared). After VE-Day, the brigade was responsible for 5 and 6 Area AA Maintenance HQs, and for the only fully Mixed searchlight regiments, 26th and 93rd.
Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, 35 AA Bde's Regular Army units reformed 10 AA Bde while the TA portion was renumbered as 61 AA Brigade (TA),[a] both at Fareham. Still forming part of 2 AA Group, 61 AA Bde comprised the following units:[1][63][64][65]
However, the brigade was disbanded on 1 June 1948.[1][65]
Footnotes
^The TA AA brigades were now numbered 51 and upwards, rather than 26 and upwards as in the 1930s; the wartime 61st AA Bde was converted into an infantry brigade in 1945.
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, ISBN1-85753-080-2.
J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN1-85117-009-X.
Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN978-1-84342-474-1.
Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN0-9508205-2-0.
Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN1-85753-099-3.
