50th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade

50th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) during the Second World War. It defended the North Midlands of England during The Blitz and later helped to protect Brussels from V-1 flying bombs during the Campaign in North West Europe.

Mobilisation 50th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade was created just before the outbreak of war by Anti-Aircraft Command as part of the expanding anti-aircraft (AA) defences of the TA. It officially came into existence on 24 August 1939 when AA Command mobilised ahead of the official declaration of war on 3 September.Frederick, pp. 1050–2.

Brigade headquarters was formed at RAF Hucknall, near Nottingham, which was the HQ of 2nd AA Division. At first the only unit under the brigade's command was 26th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (26th LAA Rgt RA), at Derby. This consisted of 114, 115 and 116 LAA Batteries and was designated as a mobile reserve.AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376; Table LX, p. 378.Litchfield, p. 40. The brigade was given responsibility for AA defence of Derby, Nottingham, and the East Midlands.

Order of Battle During the winter of 1939–40 the new brigade took over a number of Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) units from other brigades in 2nd AA Division. By May 1940, its composition was as follows:50 AA Bde Operation Instruction No 1 of 29 June 1940 in 41 (5NSR) AA Bn War Diary 1939–40, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 166/3059.

50th AA Brigade 68th (North Midland) AA Rgt, RA – heavy AA (HAA) gun unit in the Derby and Nottingham Gun Zone41 (5NSR) AA Bn Operation Instruction No 8 of 18 November 1939 in 41 (5NSR) AA Bn War Diary 1939–40, TNA file WO 166/3059.68 HAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 200, 222 (Derby), 276, 277 AA Batteries 28th LAA Rgt, RA – forming at NottinghamLitchfield, p. 199.28 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 53 (Derby), 112 (Nottingham), 113 (Warwick) Btys 41st (5th North Staffordshire Regiment) AA Bn, RE 362, 363, 364, 365 AA Companies – searchlight (S/L) unit illuminating targets for 68th AA Rgt 42nd (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) AA Bn, RE – S/L unit 366, 367, 368, 369 AA Cos 58th (Middlesex) AA Bn, RE – S/L unit 344, 425, 426 AA Cos

Home Defence

In July 1940, at the height of invasion fears after the Dunkirk evacuation, AA Brigades were required to form mobile columns available to combat enemy paratroopers. 50th LAA Bde's column called 'Macduff' consisted of one HAA battery and one S/L company to operate directly under 2 AA Division. In addition, Brigade HQ ordered all AA units to cooperate with field forces or the Local Defence Volunteers (LDVs, later called the Home Guard) by providing fighting patrols and guards when they could not perform their primary AA role (S/L units in daylight, for example). S/L detachments were routinely provided with Lewis guns for self-defence against air attack, which would be useful in a ground defence role, and they were ordered to prepare Molotov cocktails.50 AA Bde Operation Instruction No 13 of 16 June 1940 in 41 (5NSR) AA Bn War Diary 1939–40 TNA file WO 166/3059.365 AA Coy (41 AA Bn) War Diary July 1940, TNA file WO 166/3208.Routledge, p. 382.

The brigade's area (Sector L in I Corps) was divided into four belts of resistance based on the widely-spread S/L sites: Coastal Belt: 1st Infantry Division formed the active defence outside the S/L defended localities Central Belt: artillery units from I Corps were forming mobile columns based at S/L Company HQs Rear Belt: other I Corps troops were forming mobile columns based at S/L Company HQs Remaining S/L areas: Company areas would be reinforced by the LDVs

Battle of Britain and Blitz On 1 August 1940, all the RE AA Battalions and companies were transferred to the RA and designated Searchlight regiments and batteries, and during the year the AA regiments equipped with 3-inch or 3.7-inch guns were designated Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiments equipped with Bofors 40 mm guns or Light machine guns (LMGs).41 (5NSR) AA Bn War Diary 1940, TNA file WO 166/3059.Routledge, p. 78.Litchfield, p. 5 and individual entries. The Midlands were barely affected during the Battle of Britain, though the Derby Barrage fired for the first time on 19 August 1940, and a series of night raids on Liverpool late in the month passed overhead.Collier, Appendix XV.

The North and East Midlands had escaped the worst of the bombing during the early part of the Blitz, but both Nottingham and Derby were heavily attacked on the night of 8/9 May 1941 (the Nottingham Blitz).Nottingham Post, 19 July 2012.Collier, p. 280; Appendices XXX & XXXI.

Order of Battle During The Blitz from autumn 1940 to May 1941, the brigade had the following composition:2 AA Div at RA 39–45.Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.Farndale, Annex D. 67th (York and Lancaster Regiment) HAA Rgt67 HAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 187, 188, 189, 198 HAA Btys 113 HAA Rgt (part) – new unit formed November, joined Nottingham–Derby Gun Zone December 1940Farndale, Annex M.113 HAA Rgt at RA 1939–45.113 HAA Rgt War Diary 1940-41, TNA file WO 166/2403. 359, 362, 366, 391 HAA Btys 28th LAA Rgt – as above 38th LAA Rgt (part)38 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 51, 124, 125 LAA Btys 64th LAA Rgt (part) – new unit formed November 194064 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 191, 192, 193 LAA Btys 38th (The King's Regiment) S/L Rgt (part)38 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45. 350, 351, 352, 352 S/L Btys 42nd (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) S/L Rgt – as above42 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45. 50th (Northamptonshire Regiment) S/L Rgt50 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45. 400, 401, 402, 403 S/L Btys

113 HAA Rgt's gun sites were initially split between 50th AA Bde protecting Nottingham and Derby, and 32nd (Midland) AA Bde guarding the East Midlands.

Mid-War In the spring of 1941, 50th LAA Bde was split up, keeping the S/L regiments and LAA (and thus reverting to being a 'Light' AA brigade) while a new 66th AA Bde took over the HAA guns and rockets:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/79.

AA Command redeployed its S/L units during the summer of 1941 into 'Indicator Belts' of radar-controlled S/L clusters covering approaches to the RAF's Night-fighter sectors, repeated by similar belts covering GDAs. Inside each belt was a 20-mile deep 'Killer Belt' of single S/Ls cooperating with night-fighters patrolling defined 'boxes'. The pattern was designed to ensure that raids penetrating deeply towards the Midlands GDAs would cross more than one belt, and the GDAs had more S/Ls at close spacing. The number of LAA units to protect Vital Points such as airfields was growing, albeit slowly.Routledge, pp. 398–400.

Order of Battle 1941–42 Over next year the brigade's composition changed as follows:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/80.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. 144 (Mixed) HAA Rgt – joined from 66th AA Bde August 1942 497, 498, 503, 504 HAA Btys 20 LAA Rgt – joined August 1942 28 LAA Rgt – left for India autumn 1941Joslen, p. 522. 106, 112 Btys 53 Bty – left in early June 1941 250 Bty – joined summer 1941 111 LAA Rgt – new unit formed from 7th Bn Dorset Regiment December 1941; left July 1942111 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 348, 349, 350, 363 LAA Btys 139 LAA Rgt – new unit formed July 1942 from existing batteries; left September 1942139 LAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 94, 177, 230 LAA Btys 42 (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) S/L Rgt– as above 50 (Northamptonshire Regiment) S/L Rgt – left spring 1942 15 AA 'Z' Rgt – rocket regiment joined from 66th AA Bde August 1942

'Mixed' units were those where women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) were integrated into the unit. 'Z' Regiments were equipped with Z Battery rocket launchers.

Reorganisation 2 AA Division, like the other AA Corps and Divisions, was disbanded and replaced on 1 October 1942 by a new AA Group structure. The Midlands and East Anglia were covered by 5 AA Group, headquartered at Hucknall and coinciding with No. 12 Group RAF.Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July 1939, to 15th April 1945" London Gazette 16 October 1947Routledge, pp. 400–1, Map 36.

Order of Battle 1942–44 Following this reorganisation the brigade's composition changed as follows:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/82.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 13 March 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/83.Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84.Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/85. 144 (Mixed) HAA Rgt – as above; left July 1943 147 HAA Rgt – joined from 51st AA Bde July 1943; left for 57th AA Bde August 1943147 HAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 360, 403, 427 HAA Btys 172 (Mixed) HAA Rgt – new unit formed August 1942; left July 1943172 HAA Rgt at RA 1939–45. 517 HAA Bty (attached to 32nd AA Bde) 570, 573 HAA Btys 582 HAA Bty (attached to 31st (North Midland) AA Bde) 662 HAA Bty – joined June 1943 20 LAA Rgt – left for 47th AA Bde November 1942 120 LAA Rgt – joined from 32nd AA Bde December 1942; left for mobile training summer 1943 393, 394, 395 LAA Btys 142 LAA Rgt – joined from 31st AA Bde April 1943; left for 65th AA Bde August 1943 374, 398, 465, 483 LAA Btys 36 (Middlesex) S/L Rgt – joined from 40th AA Bde September 1943; left for 27th (Home Counties) AA Bde January 1944 317, 345, 346, 424 S/L Btys 42 (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) S/L Rgt – left for 39th AA Bde early 1943 43 (5th Duke of Wellington's) S/L Rgt – joined from 61st AA Bde October 1943 370, 372, 373 S/L Btys 49 (West Yorkshire Regiment) S/L Rgt – joined from 31st AA Bde March 1944 395, 396, 398 S/L Btys 58 (Middlesex) S/L Rgt – rejoined from 57th AA Bde February 1944; left March 1944; returned July–September 1944 425, 426 S/L Btys 314 S/L Bty (from July 1944) 62 (Loyals) S/L Rgt – joined from 53rd Light AA Bde December 1942; left for 69th AA Bde early 194362 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45. 435, 436, 437 S/L Btys 64 (Essex Regiment) S/L Rgt – joined from 40th AA Bde March 1944; left for 41st (London) AA Bde July 1944 441, 442, 443 S/L Btys 65 (Essex Regiment) S/L Rgt – joined from 32nd AA Bde July 1943; left for 65th AA Bde August 194365 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45. 444, 445, 446 S/L Btys 84 S/L Rgt – joined early 1943 from 39th AA Bde; disbanded October 194384 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45. 512, 518, 519 S/L Btys 517 S/L Bty (attached to 32nd AA Bde) 15 AA 'Z' Rgt – became Mixed November 1942; became Area Regiment outside brigade control April 1944 120, 180, 181, 219 Z Btys 195 Z Bty (attached to 32 AA Bde) – left January 1943

Overlord planning