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I Anti-Aircraft Corps (United Kingdom)

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I Anti-Aircraft Corps (I AA Corps) was a high-level formation of Britain's Anti-Aircraft Command from 1940 to 1942. It defended Southern England and Wales during the Blitz and the middle years of the Second World War.

I Anti-Aircraft Corps
Formation sign of I Anti-Aircraft Corps.[1]
Active11 November 1940 – 30 September 1942
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeAnti-Aircraft corps
RoleAir Defence
Part ofAnti-Aircraft Command
Garrison/HQUxbridge
EngagementsThe Blitz
Baedeker Blitz
Battle of the Fringe Targets

Origin

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AA Command had been created in 1938 to control the Territorial Army's rapidly-expanding anti-aircraft (AA) organisation within Air Defence of Great Britain. On the outbreak of war in September 1939, it commanded seven AA Divisions, each with several AA Brigades, disposed around the United Kingdom.[2][3][4][5] Continued expansion made this organisation unwieldy, so in November 1940 – during the Luftwaffe's nightly Blitz on London and other British cities – five further AA Divisions were organised, and all the divisions grouped under three corps headquarters directly subordinate to AA Command. The largest of these was I AA Corps, covering Southern England and South Wales, which by February 1941 comprised five AA divisions and 20 brigades. Its boundaries roughly coincided with No. 10 Group RAF and No. 11 Group RAF of RAF Fighter Command.[2][5][6][7]

Order of battle

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I AA Corps had the following organisation from February 1941:[8][9][10][11][12][13]

Corps HQ: Uxbridge

General Officer Commanding:[5][14]

  • Lieutenant-General S.R. Wason (11 November 1940 to 14 February 1942)[15]
  • Lieutenant-General C.A.E. Cadell (14 February 1942 to 30 September 1942)[16]

1st AA Division

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Became independent, directly under AA Command, during April 1942

5th AA Division

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6th AA Division

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8th AA Division

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9th AA Division

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Intermediate Ammunition Depots

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Equipment Ammunition Magazines

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Operations

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As soon as it was organised, I AA Corps had to deal with the heaviest weight of the 1940–41 Blitz on London and cities such as Bristol, Cardiff, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton and Swansea. It was responsible for the London Inner Artillery Zone and the Thames North and South AA belts, together with major Gun Defence Areas (GDAs) around Dover, the Solent, Plymouth, Bristol and South Wales, with 'Indicator Belts' and 'Killer Belts' of searchlights in between, the former working with the GDAs and RAF Sectors, the latter with the night fighters in the air. Redeployment was called for in 1942 when the Luftwaffe began the 'Baedeker raids' on cities such as Bath, Canterbury and Exeter, that had previously warranted little AA defence. Later, further redeployment, particularly of light AA guns, was necessary when the south coast towns of England were attacked by 'hit and run' raids, mainly by single-engined fighter-bombers, often evading radar detection, in what became known as the 'Battle of the Fringe Targets'.[2][5][17] In August 1942 the 3rd AA Divisional HQ was moved south from Scotland to join I AA Corps and assist in controlling the large number of AA units brought by this redeployment.[18] It was given control of 27th, 47th and 64th AA Bdes, but this lasted only for a short time.[13]

Disbandment

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The AA Corps and Divisional HQs were disbanded on 30 September 1942 and a replaced by a more flexible system of AA Groups, each aligned with a Group of RAF Fighter Command. The area covered by I AA Corps became the responsibility of three of the new groups: 1st AA Group (London) and 2nd AA Group (South East England) with 11 Group RAF, and 3rd AA Group (South West England and South Wales) with 10 Group RAF.[2][5][7][19]

Notes

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  1. ^ Cole p. 53
  2. ^ a b c d Sir Frederick Pile's despatch.
  3. ^ Routledge, p. 65.
  4. ^ Farndale, p. 5.
  5. ^ a b c d e Robert Palmer, A Concise History of Anti-Aircraft Command (History and Personnel) at British Military History.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Routledge, p. 394.
  7. ^ a b Frederick, p. 1047.
  8. ^ Routledge, p. 394 & Map 34; Table LXV, p. 396.
  9. ^ Farndale, Annex D, pp. 257–9.
  10. ^ AA Command structure at British Military History.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 212/79.
  12. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, TNA file WO 212/80.
  13. ^ a b 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.
  14. ^ Farndale, Annex J.
  15. ^ Wason at Generals of World War II
  16. ^ Cadell at Generals of World War II
  17. ^ Routledge, pp. 387–404 & Map 35.
  18. ^ Routledge, pp. 402–3.
  19. ^ Routledge, p. 401 & Map 36.

References

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  • Cole, Howard (1973). Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire. London: Arms and Armour Press.
  • 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, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
  • Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3
  • 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

External sources

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