6th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of the British Army raised in the years leading up to World War II. It served in the Battle of France and was evacuated from Dunkirk. Re-equipped, it defended London and the West Midlands during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz. It was then sent to the Middle East theatre, but was diverted en route to the Far East, where the Japanese Army had invaded British Malaya. Split up, ill-equipped and fighting against overwhelming odds, the regiment was captured in Java, Dutch East Indies, in March 1942. Many of the men taken prisoner later died working on the Burma Railway and in the 'Hell Ships' taking them to work in Japan. Its successor unit served in the post-war British Army until 1958.
Origin
6th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (as lieutenant-colonel's commands were then known in the Royal Artillery) was formed on 6 September 1935 at Lichfield around a nucleus of 12 (Independent) AA Battery with a newly formed 16 AA Battery. On 1 November it was joined by 3 AA Battery, which had been reformed after World War I, and by 1 AA Machine Gun Battery, both from 1st AA Brigade.Frederick, pp. 754, 765.Monthly Army List, October 1935.Routledge, pp. 40 & 59. Before the end of the year the new unit moved to Blackdown Barracks, near Aldershot in Hampshire, where it came under the command of 1st Air Defence Brigade. Over the next few years it had the following organisation:Monthly Army List, January 1936.
Headquarters (HQ) 3 AA Bty 12 AA Bty 16 AA Bty (left for 4th AA Bde on 1 July 1936 and was replaced by 15 (Independent) AA Bty) 1 Machine Gun Bty (redesignated 1 Light AA Bty 1 May 1937 and left by August 1939 and later joined 1st LAA Rgt)
Apart from 1 MG Bty, the standard equipment of the batteries was the QF 3-inch 20 cwt AA gun that had been used in World War I, mounted on a cruciform travelling platform and towed by a lorry. The brigade became 6th AA Regiment on 1 May 1938 when the RA changed its unit designations and from 1 June 1940 the 6th and other heavy AA (HAA) regiments and batteries adopted the HAA designation.Routledge, pp. 50, 60.Walker, p. 7. The regiment formed part of 1 AA Brigade (previously 1 AD Bde) in Aldershot Command.Aldershot Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.
Mobilisation
On the outbreak of war 6th HAA Rgt mobilised at Blackdown under the command of Lt-Col E.D. Milligan as part of 1 AA Bde. It was embarked from Southampton in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France, landing at Cherbourg Harbour and initially deploying to protect the BEF's concentration area round Le Mans from attacks by the Luftwaffe. As the build-up continued it moved to Bellancourt on the Somme and later to Berlette in the Aubigny area. Here 3 HAA Bty carried out the regiment's first engagement, against a Heinkel He 111, on 21 November. There followed months of tedium as the 'Phoney War' dragged on.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 13.Walker, pp. 9–20.
The regiment was reorganised in January 1940, exchanging 15 HAA Bty for 2 HAA Bty from 1st HAA Rgt and 3 HAA Bty for 18 HAA Bty from 4th HAA Rgt, while 1 LAA Bty was subordinated directly to 1 (later 4) AA Bde. Lieutenant-Colonel Milligan was promoted to command 1 AA Bde and was succeeded by Lt-Col E.M.C. Brittan as CO.Farndale, Years of Defeat, Annex A.
On 19 March the regiment received its first Gunlaying Mk I radar sets to provide early warning and to assist optical instruments in picking up targets, although there were problems in calibrating them. They were later handed over to 4th HAA Rgt, which was envisaged to have a more static role in the forthcoming campaign.Routledge, p. 115.Walker, pp. 20–1.
Battle of France
The Battle of France began on 10 May with the German invasion of the Low Countries. The BEF followed the pre-arranged Plan D and advanced into Belgium to take up defences along the Dyle. 1 AA Brigade's role was to defend the routes forward, protecting roads and bridges, artillery concentrations, HQs and supply dumps. 6th HAA Regiment moved up as part of this advance, split into detachments. On 13 May, B Section of 12 Bty brought down a Junkers Ju 88, and later B and C Sections hit three low-flying Dornier Do 17s and believed they had brought one down. On 15 May B and D shot down another Ju 88.Ellis, Chapter III.Farndale, Years of Defeat, pp. 30, 34.Routledge, pp. 115–7; Table XVIII, p. 126.Walker, pp. 22–5.
However, on that day a German breakthrough in the Ardennes forced the BEF to fall back again. While 15 Bty remained in the Ypres area, 3 and 12 Btys fell back. As the situation deteriorated, HAA guns were also used in an anti-tank role. On 19 May one Troop knocked out two German Panzers, but the HAA guns could not be withdrawn and had to be disabled. On 20 May D Section was relocated to defend the canal bridge at Svegegham and came under attack as low-flying bombers attempted to destroy the bridge, without success on either side. On 21 May 15 Bty was ordered to detach a party with Bren guns to assist in defending Vimy Ridge; the battery finally got away from Ypres on 22 May while the city was under heavy bombing. Deploying south of Lille the battery got its first confirmed 'kill' when A Section scored a direct hit on a Ju 88 at 8000 feet while conducting barrage fire.Ellis, Chapter VIII.Farndale, Years of Defeat, pp. 42–4.Walker, pp. 24–8.
By now the main body of the BEF was cut off and making for Dunkirk to be evacuated (in Operation Dynamo). 15 Battery set up near the perimeter and tried to hit a Heinkel spotter aircraft before switching fire to a low-flying bomber attacking a nearby Bofors gun position; it hit this aircraft with Shrapnel shell and brought it down. 3 Battery reached Armentières on 23 May, by which time the Dunkirk perimeter was shrinking. On 27 May the regiment was ordered to destroy all transport and stores other than those attached to the guns, and the following day the (mistaken) order was received to destroy all guns and instruments. B Section did not receive the order, and continued to fire from La Panne until out of ammunition. Many of the regiment's gunners were got away from the beaches at La Panne and Bray-Dunes, some aboard the Royal Daffodil.Ellis, Chapter XV.Ellis, Chapter XVI.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 85.Routledge, pp. 120–22.Walker, pp. 28–35.
Battle of Britain AA units returning from France were rapidly reinforced, re-equipped where possible, and redeployed for future integration into existing defence plans. 6th HAA Regiment, with its original HAA batteries (3, 12 and 15) back under command, went to Aberystwyth in Wales, where it re-equipped with 3-inch guns.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 98.Walker, pp. 36–8. RHQ then moved on 4 July to Eastleigh, with 12 HAA Bty nearby at West End, Hampshire, to help defend Southampton Docks, while 3 HAA Bty went on 5 July to Falmouth, Cornwall, to defend the harbour there. 15 HAA Battery still had no guns and was posted to Bristol, where it became temporarily attached to 76th (Gloucestershire) HAA Rgt, which had four old semi-mobile 3-inch guns available for re-training. On 12 July the battery got some shots off against a Ju 88, forcing it to jettison its bombs. 12 HAA Battery redeployed with A and C Sections at Brownwich, Fareham, under 252 HAA Bty of 80th (Berkshire) HAA Rgt, B and D sections at Fort Southwick and Fort Nelson respectively, both under 250/80 HAA Bty. Here they had the chance to familiarise themselves with modern 3.7-inch HAA guns, even though these were in a poor state of maintenance. They had a brief engagement with a Do 17 on 11 July.Walker, pp. 38–9.Collier, Chapter X.Collier, Appendix IX.
Meanwhile, RHQ was relocated to Tunbridge Wells in Kent with 250/80 HAA Bty and 181 HAA Bty from 65th (Manchester Regiment) HAA Rgt under 2 AA Bde. Its role (in a scheme codenamed 'Bovril') was to defend roads leading away from the South Coast in case of invasion, and at the same time to reconnoitre and prepare AA gun sites for when guns became available. This was done at Ashford, Canterbury, Edenbridge, Sevenoaks, Tenterden and Tunbridge Wells.2 AA Bde War Diary, Home Forces 1940, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 166/2221.Collier, Chapter VIII.
The Battle of Britain was now under way, and during late July and throughout August the batteries had fleeting engagements with small numbers of raiders along the South Coast and Severn Estuary. There were attacks on Southampton and Portsmouth, on Lee-on-Solent and Gosport airfields, and on the Thornycroft factory at Woolston. 12 and 15 HAA Btys provided a cadre of officers and other ranks to 211 AA Training Rgt at Oswestry to form the basis of a new battery. GL Radar was delivered to 15 HAA Bty, to improve the defences of Bristol. Falmouth, meanwhile, was subject to mine-laying operations by enemy aircraft.Pile's despatch.Walker, pp. 40–5.
By the end of August, 12 HAA Bty had rejoined RHQ, which was also commanding 251/80 HAA Bty, 260 HAA Bty of 84th (Middlesex, London Transport) HAA Rgt and 152 LAA Bty of 51st (Devon) LAA Rgt as a mobile force in Kent. During early September the pattern of fleeting targets – but no 'kills' – for all the batteries continued by day and night, though most of the 3-inch guns had been replaced by 3.7s, together with the new Sperry Predictor No 2.Walker, pp. 45–9.Routledge, p. 49.
After its heavy losses so far during the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe changed tactics and started bombing London. On 9 September, 12 HAA Bty and its attached 212 Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS), were sent to strengthen the London Inner Artillery Zone (IAZ). It split its eight guns between sites ZS7 at Eltham and ZS22 at Grove Park, Lewisham, under the command of 105th HAA Rgt in 48 AA Bde. The raids against London worsened, and RHQ of 6 HAA Rgt with two sections of 250/80 HAA Bty were brought from Kent on 14 September to take over command of six more sites in South East London under 48 AA Bde: ZS4 (Bostall Heath), ZS17 (Mitcham), and ZS26 (Thornet Wood, Bromley) (all mobile guns) and ZS9 (Sundridge Park), ZS12 (Southwark Park) and ZS23 (Ravensbourne, Bromley) (all static guns). HQ was established at Holly Hedge Drill Hall in Blackheath.Collier, Chapter XV.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 109.Walker, pp. 49–59.
Large daylight raids against London on 14 and 15 September were intercepted by Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters, so the guns were silent, but were active again at night, with several bombs dropped round the Eltham sites, and more batteries were brought into the IAZ. Bristol was also attacked, and part of 15 HAA Bty was moved to Henbury Golf Course to be closer to the Bristol aircraft factory at Filton.Routledge, pp. 385–6.Walker, pp. 55–60.
The Blitz After 15 September the Luftwaffe concentrated on night raids – the London Blitz – which went on night after night. On 12 October, 3 HAA Bty was brought up from Cornwall to rejoin 6 HAA Rgt, taking over ZS23 and ZS26 sites, allowing 328 HAA Bty to return to its parent regiment (104th HAA Rgt). Shortly afterwards 15 HAA Bty was also brought back from Bristol, taking over sites ZW7 (Chingford) and ZE18 (Queen Elizabeth), both north of London under 4th HAA Rgt. Later 3 and 12 HAA Btys were concentrated in a 16-gun site at ZS34 (Addington). By now most of the gunsites were well equipped with 3.7-inch guns, Sperry predictors, and GL Mk I radar with an elevation finding (E/F) attachment, which slowly improved the success rate of the guns in the IAZ: on 19 November, 12 Bty scored its first 'bullseye' on an He 111. Several of the gunsites received minor damage and casualties (killed and wounded) from bombs, the most serious being an oil bomb that hit an ammunition lorry.Farndale, Years of Defeat, p. 110.Routledge, p. 393.Walker, pp. 60–71.Collier, Chapter XVI.