The 93rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (93rd LAA Rgt) was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. Elements of the regiment landed with special equipment on D-Day, and served in the Normandy campaign. The regiment went on to defend Belgian cities against V-1 flying bombs and participated in the assault crossing of the Rhine.

Origin 93rd LAA Regiment was formed in November 1941 by converting the 8th Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), a war service infantry battalion that had only been raised in the previous year as part of the rapid expansion of the British Army.Loyals at Regiments.org93 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45.Farndale, Annex M.

8th Loyals

The 8th Bn Loyals was formed on 4 July 1940 at Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, as a new unit. (A previous 8th Loyals had been a 'Kitchener's Army' battalion during World War I). The majority of the recruits were from Lancashire, particularly Liverpool, the officers from regiments in North West England (the commanding officer was Lieutenant-Colonel J. O'Sullivan of the Loyals), and the cadre of experienced non-commissioned officers and men was drawn from the Manchester Regiment's Machine Gun Training Centre at Ladysmith Barracks, Ashton-under-Lyne (who had to be re-trained in infantry work).Frederick, p. 192.8 Loyals War Diary, 1940, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/4446.

The battalion assembled in camp at Caernarfon, joining the newly raised 7th and 9th Battalions of the Loyals which (together with 12th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers) constituted No 15 Infantry Training Group. In October 1940 the 15th ITG became 215th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), a home defence formation.Joslen, p. 378. Training was hampered by the shortage of rifles and equipment, and the tented camp became uninhabitable during winter gales. In January 1941 the 8th Battalion relocated to billets in disused mills at Biddulph, with B Company at Huyton.

In February the brigade transferred to the Durham and North Riding County Division in North East England, where it took up an operational role in beach defence. The 8th Battalion's headquarters (HQ) was at Saltburn-by-the-Sea and it took over the defences from Redcar Pier to Staithes. These included concrete pillboxes equipped with Vickers guns, for which the previous training of the battalion's original cadre was useful. The battalion moved to Shildon in County Durham in June and carried out exercises with 215 Bde along the River Tweed against Scottish Command before returning to Saltburn.

93rd LAA Regiment In November 1941, the county division and 215 Bde were disbanded. At this point the three battalions of the Loyals were converted from infantry to other roles: the 7th and 8th became the 92nd (Loyals) and 93rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiments of the RA, while the 9th became 148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. The new 93rd LAA Regiment came into existence on 15 November, consisting of Regimental HQ (RHQ) and 320–322 LAA Batteries, still under the command of Lt-Col O'Sullivan. Cadres from 320 and 321 Btys went for retraining to 233rd LAA Training Rgt and 322 Bty to 212th LAA Training Rgt, both based at Saighton Camp, Chester, and the batteries then went to AA practice camps, while RHQ was established at Rugby.Frederick, pp. 804, 835.93 LAA Rgt War Diary 1941, TNA file WO 166/2764.93 LAA Rgt War Diary 1942, TNA file WO 166/7681. Surplus men were drafted on 26 November to 210th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Training Regiment at Oswestry where they joined a new 493 (Mixed) Heavy AA Bty that was being formed for 141st (Mixed) HAA Rgt ('Mixed' indicating that women from the Auxiliary Territorial Service were integrated into the unit's personnel).Frederick, p. 760.

In January 1942 the regiment moved to Waitwith Camp, Catterick Garrison,Waitwith Lines, Catterick, at Army Rumour Service. to join 42nd Support Group in 42nd Armoured Division, which had recently been converted from the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. Support Groups at the time consisted of a brigade of mobile field, anti-tank and LAA artillery together with lorried infantry, intended to support the armoured brigades of the division. The LAA regiment was equipped with Bofors 40 mm guns. However, the support group concept was soon scrapped and from 1 June 1942 the regiment served directly under the HQ RA of 42nd Armoured Division.Joslen, pp. 29 & 222.

Mobile training was carried out at Rainham in Essex in April 1942 and field firing at No 16 LAA Practice Camp at Clacton-on-Sea in May and June. RHQ moved to Blenheim Terrace, Scarborough, in June, and then to Bridlington in November. When not training, LAA regiments often assisted Anti-Aircraft Command as part of Air Defence of Great Britain. In December 1942, 93rd LAA Rgt was deployed along the Sussex coast, which was subject to 'hit and run' raids by the Luftwaffe.Routledge, pp. 401–4. RHQ was at Hove, 320 Bty at Seaford and Pevensey, 321 Bty at Newhaven and 322 Bty at Eastbourne. A detachment of 322 Bty on Eastbourne Pier continued to man their gun even when the pier was damaged by a mine explosion. At the end of the year 322 Bty moved to Brighton, where on 29 March 1943 it opened fire at eight enemy aircraft and claimed one hit.93 LAA Rgt War Diary 1943, TNA file WO 166/11720. Training resumed in May, with 93rd LAA Rgt again going to Clacton and then on exercises with 42nd Armoured Division.

Training for Overlord 42nd Armoured Division itself was disbanded in October 1943 and 93rd LAA Rgt served for a while in Suffolk and Kent with AA Command. Lieutenant-Colonel W.F. Holman took command of the regiment in November 1943 and it came under the control of 80th AA Brigade on 9 December. 80th AA Brigade was a mobile formation organised in Home Forces specifically for the planned invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord). The regiment was given a special assault role, equipped with 20 mm Oerlikon or the new 20 mm Polsten guns in triple mountings, half of them mounted on Crusader tank chassis.80 AA Bde War Diary 1943, TNA file WO 166/11248.Joslen, p. 583.80 AA Bde Operation Order No 1, 20 May 1944, TNA file WO 171/1085.Routledge, pp. 305–8.

It joined 80th AA Bde at Oxted in Surrey at the beginning of January 1944, from where it sent subunits and personnel for battle training and practice in waterproofing vehicles, assault landing and tank driving. As a mobile unit it had its own Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshop attached. In April it moved to Rustington in Sussex, from where in mid-May the batteries were sent to the Overlord concentration areas in Hampshire.93 LAA Rgt War Diary 1944, TNA file WO 171/1124.

D-Day For the Normandy landings, 80th AA Brigade was assigned to support I Corps landing on Juno and Sword Beaches, while 76th AA Brigade supported XXX Corps on Gold Beach. The leading elements were to land with the assault waves on D-Day itself (6 June). Light AA defence was emphasised at the start of the operation, since low-level attack by German aircraft was considered the most likely threat. The LAA regiments involved in the initial landings were on minimum scales of equipment, to be brought up to strength by parties arriving later. In the early phases, 93rd LAA Rgt's RHQ remained in England while its batteries were employed separately to supplement 40 mm defences:'M' & 'N' Assault Groups Operation Order No 1, 103 HAA and 73 LAA Rgt War Diaries, May 1944, TNA files WO 166/14783 and WO 171/1121.

320 Bty (A, B and C Trps) was under command of 120th LAA Rgt (76th AA Bde) landing on Gold Beach D Troop, 321 Bty, was part of 'O' AA Assault Group on Juno Beach under command of 114th LAA Rgt (80th AA Bde) landing on Mike Sector of Juno Beach E Trp, 321 Bty, was part of 'P' AA Assault Group under command of 86th HAA Rgt (80th AA Bde) landing on Nan Sector of Juno Beach F Trp, 321 Bty, remained in reserve offshore G and H Trps, 322 Bty, were part of 'M' AA Assault Group under command of 73rd LAA Rgt (80th AA Bde) landing on Sword Beach I Trp, 322 Bty, was part of 'N' AA Assault Group under command of 103rd HAA Rgt (80th AA Bde) landing on Sword Beach

Each battery consisted of 18 triple 20 mm mountings, of which nine were mounted on Crusaders. At Juno, the Crusaders each towed one of the trailer-mounted triple Polstens.114 LAA Rgt War Diary 1944, TNA file WO 171/1132. The assault groups were transported from Southampton in Landing craft tank (LCTs), while the follow-up elements sailed from Felixstowe through the Straits of Dover.120th LAA Rgt, D-Day Diary of Events, included in June 1944 (TNA file WO 171/1135) and July 1945 (TNA file WO 171/4966) War Diaries.

The recce group of A Trp, 320 Bty, landed at King Red sector of Gold Beach in the first 90 minutes without too much difficulty. While digging in, Gunner George Perry noticed two men on a sinking DUKW and swam out with a rope, under fire, to rescue them. He was subsequently awarded a Military Medal (MM).Perry's citation, endorsed by Lt-Gen Sir Bernard Montgomery, in TNA file WO 373/49/276. A Troop's guns (three Crusader SP and three towed) on LSTs 344 and 345 arrived late at King Red sector but were ready for action at 16.15.Routledge, p. 308.

At midnight, the AA Defence Commander on Gold Beach reported that he had six triple 20mm mountings in King Sector and two in Jig Sector.76 AA Bde War Diary, 1944, TNA file WO 171/1084.

On Juno Beach, the reconnaissance party of D Troop was due to land at 10.30, but arrived at 13.15, followed at 19.00 by the guns, which deployed around the beach exits. E/321 Troop landed on Nan Green sector at 17.00 and was ready for action at the beach exit by 18.30.

On Sword, the CO of G Troop landed 45 minutes after H-Hour and because the recce parties of H and I Trps were delayed, he reconnoitred positions for the whole of 322 Bty. The battery was shelled and mortared as it came ashore, and lost 10 men killed and six wounded, but all of G Trp's guns were in position by 4 1() hours after H-Hour. H and I Trps arrived on D + 1.73 LAA Rgt War Diary, 1944, TNA file WO 171/1121.Routledge, p. 310.

At dawn on D+1 the AA positions on Mike Green sector were dive-bombed by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 dropping out of low cloud; D Trp claimed some hits with their 20mm.

C Troop had embarked in LST 3760 at Felixstowe and arrived off the beaches late on D-Day. The gunners manned the naval AA guns during the night, firing against enemy raiders. The guns were landed at Jig sector and all were in action by 20.00 on D + 1.

F/321 Trp remained anchored off the beaches from 23.00 on D-Day until it landed at Mike Red at 06.00 on D+2. The troop commander was killed on D+3 when his Jeep ran over a mine on the beach.

Four Polsten mountings from 93rd LAA went to the Orne and Caen Canal bridges at Benouville on D+3, where they joined the SP Bofors guns of 92nd (Loyals) LAA Rgt where the bridges and strongpoints held by 6th Airborne Division were subjected to repeated heavy air attacks.

By D+4, 76 AA Bde had 14 20 mm mountings among its landed units, with which it was extending AA coverage from Gold Beach towards Port-en-Bessin and Arromanches (site of the vital Mulberry Harbour under construction).

Normandy