The 3rd Anti-Aircraft Division was an air defence formation of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army, created in the period of tension before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended Scotland and Northern Ireland during the early part of the war.
Origin Large numbers of Territorial Army (TA) units were converted to anti-aircraft (AA) and searchlight roles in the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) during the 1930s, and higher formations were required to control them. The 3rd AA Division was the first division-level headquarters created de novo (earlier ones being converted infantry divisions). It was formed at Edinburgh on 1 September 1938 within Scottish Command, transferring to Anti-Aircraft Command when that formation was created on 1 April 1939. It was responsible for the AA defences of Scotland, including Northern Ireland and the Orkney and Shetland Defences (OSDEF). It operated with No 13 Group of RAF Fighter Command, covering Scotland and the North of England.Frederick, p. 1047.
Order of battle The composition of the 3rd AA Division on the outbreak of war was as follows:AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.
3rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade formed 7 December 1938 at Belfast. The TA did not exist in Northern Ireland before the war, so the part-time units in the province were part of the Supplementary Reserve and were numbered in sequence after the Regulars. 3rd (Ulster) Searchlight Regiment, RA (SR) – formed 1939Litchfield, p. 310. 8th (Belfast) AA Regiment, RA (SR) – formed 1939Litchfield, p. 311. 9th (Londonderry) AA Regiment, RA (SR) – formed 1939Litchfield, p. 312. 102nd AA Regiment, RA (TA) – formed at Antrim 10 September 1939Litchfield, p. 313. 3rd AA Brigade Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) 92nd AA Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) 3rd AA Brigade Workshop Section, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) 36th (Scottish) Anti-Aircraft Brigade formed 1 May 1938 at Edinburgh, responsible for the city of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth 71st (Forth) AA Regiment, RA – formed 1938 at DunfermlineLitchfield, p. 283. 94th AA Regiment, RA – formed April 1939 at TurnhouseLitchfield, p. 300. 101st AA Regiment, RA – formed August 1939 at InvernessLitchfield, p. 293. 36 AA Brigade Company RASC 42nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade formed 1 October 1938 at Glasgow, responsible for the city of Glasgow, other urban areas in Greater Glasgow, and the Firth of Clyde 74th (City of Glasgow) AA Regiment, RA 83rd (Blythswood) AA Regiment, RA – converted 1938 from the 7th (Blythswood) Battalion, Highland Light InfantryLitchfield, p. 291. 100th AA Regiment, RA – formed at Motherwell 42nd AA Brigade Company RASC 51st Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade formed 25 August 1939 at Edinburgh, originally to command the LAA units of the 3rd AA Division, but later assumed responsibility for north east Scotland 14th (West Lothian Royal Scots) Light AA Regiment, RA – converted August 1938 from part of the 4th/5th Battalion Royal Scots at LinlithgowLitchfield, p. 299. 18th LAA Regiment, RA – formed December 1938 at GlasgowLitchfield, p. 292. 19th LAA Regiment, RA – formed January 1939 at Edinburgh 31st LAA Regiment, RA – formed August 1939 at PerthLitchfield, p. 302. 32nd LAA Regiment, RA – formed August 1939 at FalkirkLitchfield, p. 309. 51st AA Brigade Company RASC 52nd Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade formed August 1939 at Stirling with responsibility for searchlight provision across the 3rd AA Division's sectors 51st (Highland) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers – formed in 1938 at Aberdeen 4th/5th Battalion, Royal Scots (52nd Searchlight Regiment) – converted 1938 from part of the 4th/5th Bn in central Edinburgh 5th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (56th Searchlight Regiment) – converted 1938 from 5/8th Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) at Glasgow 8th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (57th Searchlight Regiment) – formed 1 November 1938 by duplication of the above, based in south Glasgow 52nd AA Brigade Company RASC 3rd AA Divisional Signals, RCS formed in Edinburgh in 1939Lord & Watson, p. 172. 3dr AA Divisional Workshops, RAOC
Mobilisation Mobilisation in the last week of August 1939 was difficult for the 3rd AA Division, which had the task of moving troops, guns and stores by road and by sea to remote and inaccessible sites in Orkney to defend the fleet anchorage at Scapa Flow, which had high priority.Routledge, p. 371.
At this point, the division had a strength of 111 HAA guns, while in the LAA role there were 18 3-inch, 5 2-pounder 'pom-pom' and 40 mm Bofors guns, and 340 light machine guns (LMGs), together with 159 searchlights.Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376. The HAA guns were deployed in the defended areas as follows:Routledge, Table LIX p. 377.
Firth of Forth – 28 (plus 1 out of action) Firth of Clyde – 19 (plus 3 out of action) Scapa Flow – 8 Invergordon – 2 (plus 2 out of action) Tyneside – 34 Teesside – 14
Shortly afterwards, Tyneside and Teesside became the responsibility of a new the 7th AA Division, and the 3rd AA Division was able to concentrate on defending Scotland.
Phoney War Unlike most of Britain's defence forces, the 3rd AA Division was frequently in action during the so-called Phoney War that lasted from September 1939 to May 1940. The first action occurred unexpectedly on 16 October 1939, when nine enemy aircraft suddenly appeared out of cloud and dived on warships off Rosyth Dockyard, close to the Forth Bridge. No warning had been given, but gun positions of the 71st HAA Rgt hastily loaded for a 'crash' action under individual gun control, normal prediction being impossible against diving and turning targets. A total of 104 rounds were fired and one aircraft had its tail shot off (fighters accounted for another two). HMS Southampton was damaged. The following day, 14 hostile aircraft in three waves attacked warships lying in Scapa Flow. The 226th Battery of the 101st HAA Rgt was able to engage and claimed one shot down. Among the vessels damaged in this raid was the Jutland veteran HMS Iron Duke, acting as a base ship and floating AA battery.Routledge, p. 374.
These attacks led to calls for strengthened AA defence for the naval bases at Scapa Flow, Invergordon, Rosyth and the Clyde anchorage, and the 3rd AA Division was given priority for new guns. Starting in January 1940, the division was to receive 64 3.7-inch and 32 4.5-inch HAA guns and an increase to 100 searchlights, but only 10 Bofors and some Naval 2-pounders were available for LAA defence. The 3rd AA Division had many problems at Scapa, where a chain of rugged islands enclose an extensive area of water, which stretched beyond the reach of HAA fire from the islands. Installing gun positions on the islands required an immense amount of labour. A new Luftwaffe attack on 16 March 1940 caught the defences half-prepared: only 52 out of 64 HAA guns were fit for action, and 30 out of 108 SLs. About 15 Junkers Ju 88s approached at low level in the dusk: half dived on the warships and the rest attacked the airfield. 44 HAA guns of 42 AA Brigade engaged, but their predictors were defeated by erratic courses and low height. 17 LAA guns also engaged, but the Gun layers were blinded by gun-flashes in the half light. No enemy aircraft were brought down. A subsequent inquiry concluded that the low level attack had evaded radar, the gun lay-out still left gaps in the perimeter, and guns were out of action awaiting spare parts.Routledge, p. 375.
There were three more attacks on Scapa Flow the following month. On 4 April, a formation estimated at 12 Ju 88s carried out a series of medium- and low-level runs, dropping bombs and machine-gunning AA positions, and escaped without loss. Four days later, 12 Heinkel He 111s spent 2 hours over the anchorage carrying out individual attacks, but four were shot down. On 10 April about 20 hostile aircraft made a night raid; some were successfully illuminated and three shot down. The Scapa defences were clearly improved, and close concentrations of fire over warships, supplemented by naval AA fire, could now hold off dive-bombing attacks. The Luftwaffe now turned its attention to the campaigns in Norway and France and the Low CountriesRoutledge, p. 376.
In November 1939, the 3rd AA Brigade HQ and some of its units were sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force, defending the lines of communication.BEF GHQ at RA 39–45.Ellis, Appendix I. The 3rd AA Brigade HQ returned to Northern Ireland after the Dunkirk evacuation.
Battle of Britain On 11 July 1940, at the start of the Battle of Britain, the guns of the 3rd AA Division under the command of Maj-Gen Leslie Hill were deployed as follows:Farndale, pp. 105–6. Belfast – 7 Clyde – 28 Ardeer – 4 Kyle of Lochalsh – 4 Aberdeen – 4 Scapa Flow – 88 Shetlands – 12 Airfields – 8 Vulnerable Points – 119 (mainly Bofors gun)
The 3rd AA Division was now cooperating with Fighter Command's No 14 Group, recently reformed to cover Scotland.
In 1940, the Royal Artillery's AA regiments were designated 'Heavy AA' (HAA) to distinguish them from the newer Light AA (LAA) units. (Prior to that, some of the Regular Army and Supplementary Reserve regiments had included both HAA and LAA batteries.) Also during 1940, all the searchlight units, whether AA battalions of the RE or still forming part of their parent infantry regiments, were transferred to the RA. The units of the 52nd AA Brigade were therefore redesignated as follows: 51st (Highland) Searchlight Regiment, RA – from January 194051 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. Litchfield, p. 274. 52nd (Queen's Edinburgh, Royal Scots) Searchlight Regiment, RA – from August 1940Litchfield, p. 298. 56th (Cameronians) Searchlight Regiment, RA – from August 1940Litchfield, p. 290.56 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. 57th (Glasgow) Searchlight Regiment, RA – from August 1940
In September 1940, the 3rd AA Division formed the 3rd AA Z Regiment, equipped with Z Battery rocket projectiles.
In November 1940, at the height of The Blitz, a new 12th AA Division was formed to take over responsibility for western Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the 3rd AA Division retained responsibility for eastern Scotland. The 3rd and 42nd AA Brigades were transferred from the 3rd AA Division to the new formation, and 12 AA Divisional Signals was formed by expanding the Glasgow company of 3 AA Divisional Signals. Both 3 and 12 AA Divisions, together with OSDEF and the 7th AA Division covering northern England, formed part of a newly created III AA Corps,III AA Corps at RA 39–45. and the 3rd AA Division's commander, Maj-Gen Hugh Martin, was promoted to command the new higher formation.
Blitz From November 1940 and during The Blitz, the 3rd AA Division's order of battle was therefore as follows:3 AA Division at RA 39–45.Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.Farndale, Annex D, pp. 257–9.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.
36th AA Brigade Edinburgh & Forth 71st HAA Rgt – as above; left October 1941 114th HAA Rgt – formed November 1940 31st LAA Rgt – as above 32nd LAA Rgt – as above 51st AA Brigade NE Scotland 108th HAA Rgt – formed August 1940 40th LAA Rgt – formed September 193940 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 67th LAA Rgt – formed December 1940 52nd AA Brigade Searchlights 51st S/L Rgt – as above 52nd S/L Rgt – as above 56th S/L Rgt – as above 3rd AA Z Rgt 3rd AA Divisional Signals, RCS 3rd AA Divisional RASC 195th and 225th Companies 3rd AA Divisional Company, Royal Army Medical Corps 3rd AA Divisional Workshop Company, RAOC 3rd AA Divisional Radio Maintenance Company, RAOC (joined during 1941)
Mid-war