Active 1939–1942 Branch Territorial Army Role Air Defence | Country United Kingdom Type Anti-Aircraft Division | |
Part of Anti-Aircraft Command (1939–40)1 AA Corps (1940–42) | ||
The 6th Anti-Aircraft Division (6 AA Division) was an air defence formation created within Anti-Aircraft Command of Britain's Territorial Army just before World War II. It defended the Thames Estuary and the approaches to London during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.
Contents
Origin
6 AA Division was formed during 1939 to take responsibility for the air defence of the Thames Estuary, Essex and North Kent, with its HQ at Uxbridge, Middlesex. The existing 27 (Home Counties), 28 (Thames & Medway), 29 (East Anglian) and 37 AA Brigades were transferred to this new formation, together with the new formations and units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) being raised as part of the expansion of the TA after the Munich Crisis.
The divisional HQ was provided by duplicating 1 AA Division's headquarter elements at RAF Uxbridge, including 1st AA Divisional Signals. Major-General Frederick Hyland was promoted from command of 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade to General Officer Commanding of the new division on 30 May 1939. He continued in command throughout its existence.
The divisional badge was a red arrow piercing a black and white target on a black square.
Order of Battle
The division's composition on the outbreak of war in 1939 was as follows:
27 (Home Counties) AA Bde at Lingfield, Surrey
28 (Thames & Medway) AA Bde at Kitchener Barracks, Chatham, Kent
29 (East Anglian) AA Bde at South Kensington, London
37 AA Bde at Edmonton, London
56th Light AA Bde at Uxbridge
At this point the division had a strength of 138 HAA guns (4.5-inch, 3.7-inch or 3-inch), while in the LAA role there were 23 3-inch, 35 2-pounder 'pom-pom' and 40 mm Bofors guns, and 270 light machine guns (LMGs), together with 479 searchlights.
The area covered by 6 AA Division coincided with the RAF Sectors of Debden, North Weald, Hornchurch, Biggin Hill, and Kenley, being the major part of No. 11 Group RAF. The coastal boundary ran from Lowestoft in the north to Worthing in the south, while the internal boundary was that of Metropolitan London.
World War II
During 1940, the RE's AA Bns were transferred to the RA as Searchlight regiments, while the AA regiments were designated Heavy AA (HAA) to distinguish them from the Light AA (LAA) regiments that were being formed.
On the outbreak of war the division's HAA guns were contained in four main 'gun defended areas' (GDAs) at Harwich (6 guns), Thames & Medway North (59 guns emplaced along the north bank of the Thames Estuary), Thames & Medway South (74 guns emplaced along the south bank of the Thames Estuary and defending Chatham and Rochester), and Dover (including Folkestone) (6 guns). The four GDAs were controlled by 'gun operations rooms' (GORs) at Felixstowe, Vange, Chatham and Dover respectively. Each GOR was linked directly to No. 11 Group Operations Room at Uxbridge.
Forty-five 'vulnerable points' (VPs) in the divisional area were defended by LAA guns: these included Air Ministry Experimental Stations, fighter aerodromes, dockyards, oil depots, magazines, and factories. The armament ranged from Bofors 40 mm, 3-inch 20 cwt, and 20 mm Hispano cannon to light machine guns (LMGs). Searchlights were deployed in single-light stations at approximately 6000 yard spacing, with 3500 yard spacing along the coast and in the GDAs. Each searchlight site was equipped with AA LMGs.
To deal with minelaying off East Anglia and Kent, 6th AA Division organised a flotilla of three small Paddle steamers, each equipped with one Bofors gun and two S/Ls. Their role was to patrol the channels off the coast to engage enemy minelaying aircraft and to report the position of mines to the Royal Navy or to detonate them if possible. The flotilla fought a number of actions that caused a drop in enemy Seaplane activity. Later the vessels were replaced by larger ones carrying a gun-laying (GL Mk. I radar) radar set, while other GL positions were set up on the coast to track minelayers. It was possible to plot where a mine fell from an aircraft and then direct minesweepers to the position.
On 11 July 1940 (shortly before the Battle of Britain began), 6 AA Division's guns were deployed as follows
During the London Blitz of Autumn 1940 to Spring 1941, the division was assigned to I AA Corps and was constituted as follows:
6 AA Bde covering Essex airfields – recently returned from the Norwegian Campaign
28 AA Brigade covering Thames, Chatham and Dover
29 AA Brigade covering Kent
37 AA Brigade covering North Thames
56 AA Brigade covering Kent airfields
In March 1941, 6 AA Division formed 12th Anti-Aircraft Z Regiment, Royal Artillery equipped with Z Battery rocket projectiles.
A reorganisation of AA Command in October 1942 saw the AA divisions disbanded and replaced by a number of AA Groups more closely aligned with the groups of RAF Fighter Command. 6th AA Division became 2 AA Group cooperating with No. 11 Group RAF.