The 56th (East Lancashire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, (56th (EL) LAA Rgt) was a Royal Artillery (RA) air defence unit of Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA) raised as a duplicate unit just before the outbreak of the Second World War. It served in the Norwegian Campaign and then joined 8th Armoured Division. It was sent to Egypt and participated in the Second Battle of El Alamein and the subsequent pursuit across North Africa. It then fought in the Italian Campaign, including defending the Salerno and Anzio beachheads. It often operated under US command, on one occasion in an anti-tank role. The regiment reformed as heavy AA artillery in the postwar TA and continued until 1955 when it merged with other units in Lancashire.
Origin
After the Munich Crisis Britain's part-time Territorial Army was rapidly doubled in size. In June 1939 the Burnley-based 52nd (East Lancashire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (itself only recently converted to the light anti-aircraft (LAA) role from a field artillery regiment) formed a duplicate regiment, 56th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. This consisted of Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at Oswaldtwistle and 166–168 LAA Batteries.Frederick, pp. 802, 828–9.Litchfield, pp. 115–6.
At this stage LAA units were armed with Light machine guns (AALMGs), usually old Lewis guns, but the new Bofors 40 mm gun was on order.Routledge, pp. 52–5.
Second World War Mobilisation In June 1939, as the regiment was forming, the international situation worsened and a partial mobilisation of the TA units in Anti-Aircraft Command was begun. In a process known as 'couverture', each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun and searchlight positions. The whole of AA Command was fully mobilised on 24 August ahead of the declaration of war.Routledge, pp. 65–6, 371. 56th LAA Regiment mobilised in Western Command but was not yet assigned to any formation.Western Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files. During October 1939 the regiment underwent training at Tuxford and Hatfield in Yorkshire, where it came under the command of 39 AA Brigade.39 AA Bde War Diary 1939–41, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 166/2272.
Norway
Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, and British and French forces launched a hastily planned and badly-executed operation to intervene. Because the bulk of Britain's Regular Army had already deployed to France, most of the troops available for the Norwegian Campaign were part-time soldiers of the TA. The main Allied objective was the port of Narvik. After the German naval forces there had been destroyed, a base was established on the island of Harstad just outside Narvikfjord, with an AA allocation of light (LAA) and heavy (HAA) guns under the command of 6 AA Brigade. 56th LAA Regiment was preparing to be deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), but despite its relative lack of training and its deficiencies in men and equipment, it was hurriedly sent to Norway as part of this force.Farndale, pp. 27–8; Annex C.Routledge, pp. 108–9.
While the main land force was en route to Narvik, the British Government diverted two infantry brigades to land at Namsos and Åndalsnes, north and south of Trondheim respectively. 166 LAA Battery of 56th LAA Rgt was allocated to 146 (1st West Riding) Brigade ('Mauriceforce') going to Namsos and 168/56 LAA Bty went with 148 (North Midland) Bde ('Sickleforce') to Åndalsnes. Meanwhile, RHQ and 167/56 LAA Bty continued as planned to join 6 AA Bde at Harstad.Derry, pp. 60–5.Derry, Appendix B, Pt II.Joslen, p. 461.
Åndalsnes Sickleforce embarked on the Royal Navy cruisers Arethusa and Galatea and a large transport ship at Rosyth on 14 April expecting to go to Namsos. It was then diverted to Åndalsnes, where the transport could not be used, so part of the force was transshipped to two other cruisers, Carlisle and Curacoa and two destroyers. However, the transhipment was done hurriedly under blackout conditions and important stores were left behind, including the No 3 Predictors for 168 LAA Bty's Bofors guns. The convoy sailed at 07.00 on 17 April and the first flight of Sickleforce began landing at Åndalsnes about midnight on 18 April. The accompanying Troop of 168 LAA Bty got its Bofors guns smartly ashore on 19 April, and the rest of the battery arrived with the second flight (board the cruisers Galatea, Glasgow and Sheffield) on 21 April. Sickleforce quickly secured its first objective, the railway junction at Dombås, and prepared to turn north towards Trondheim. However, at the urging of the Norwegians 148 Bde was diverted south to support the Norwegian troops fighting at Lillehammer, coming under air attack from the Luftwaffe as they went forward. Unable to operate in the snow off the roads the British troops were soon in trouble. 15 Brigade arrived at Åndalsnes to reinforce Sickleforce on 23 April and advanced with a troop of 168 LAA Bty as far as Otta where it met the survivors of 148 Bde and became engaged in bitter fighting on 25 April. 168 LAA Battery got three of its Bofors into action, bringing down three enemy aircraft before one of the guns received a direct hit, killing or wounding all of its detachment. As Sickleforce and the Norwegians were forced back, the Luftwaffe delivered strong harassing attacks, singling out the Bofors guns on the exposed mountain slopes. However, 15 Bde managed to break contact and 168 LAA Bty extracted four Bofors to be sent back to Åndalsnes while the men began a long march through deep snow. Åndalsnes had also been under heavy air attack from above the range of the few Bofors there. The War Office ordered the evacuation of Åndalsnes, which took place by night on 30 April, aboard the cruisers Arethusa, Galatea, Sheffield and Southampton. 168 LAA Battery was taken back to Scapa Flow.Derry, pp. 67–9, 79, 98–100, 103–15, 119–32, 134–9, Map 6.Routledge, p. 109.
Namsos 146 Bde at Namsos was allocated 166 LAA Bty among other AA units, but large ships could not berth at the docks and the French AA guns could not be landed for almost a week. The first Bofors troop (without predictors) did not arrive until 26 April, by which time the infantry who had moved towards Trondheim had been subjected to strong enemy attacks, which included artillery and aircraft, and had been pushed back. Namsos itself had been under heavy air attack since 20 April. The Bofors guns went forward and were at once attacked by low-level and dive-bombers; two guns got away, the rest were knocked out. Namsos too was evacuated the day after Åndalsnes.Derry, pp. 84–96, 139–42.
Narvik For the main attack on Narvik, AA guns were landed at Harstad, an island base just outside Narvikfjord with an anchorage, and at an airstrip at Skånland on the opposite coast (which never became fit for use). An existing airfield at Bardufoss at a remote site on the mainland was cleared for fighters, with a small supply port at Sørreisa. Initial AA defence for Bardufoss was to be provided by 3 LAA Bty, who had to blast packed ice clear before the guns could be emplaced. By 9 May, 3 LAA Bty had its HQ and two guns at Harstad, two guns at Skånstad, two struggling up the mountains to Bardufoss, and a troop of four fighting dive-bomber attacks on the French at Gratangen – a total spread of 80 miles of land and water. 56th LAA Regiment then arrived with 10 Bofors guns of 167 LAA Bty, and RHQ took over command of 3 LAA Bty. 167 LAA Battery was assigned to defend Sorreisa, but defence of Tromsø was later added to the force's commitments, and four guns were sent there, the British Army's most northerly deployment at that time. All land movements had to be carried out along steep narrow roads banked with of snow, and the Bofors required two gun tractors in tandem to get up some of the mountain roads, such as the route to Bardufoss.Derry, pp. 204–5, Map 10.Routledge, pp. 110–2.
The final Allied attack on Narvik began on 27 May, launched by French, Polish and Norwegian troops, supported by British artillery. However, immediately after its capture, orders were received to destroy the port and evacuate the force to the UK. (The BEF was simultaneously being evacuated from Dunkirk.) To cover the evacuation, AA units were ordered to maintain maximum activity and especially to prevent reconnaissance overflights. At the same time, 6 AA Bde was ordered by London to recover its 3.7-inch and 40 mm guns as a matter of priority. This was done by progressively thinning out defences. The Bodo force was evacuated at night by naval destroyers after a 100-plus German air raid destroyed the town and airstrip: all equipment there had to be abandoned. However, 6 AA Bde was able to assemble 22 Bofors and five HAA guns from the outlying positions at Harstad, with a number of predictors and heightfinders. 6 AA Brigade ended all AA defence on 6 June and by 8 June the British troops had embarked with their surviving equipment and the convoy sailed for the UK, still under air attack.Derry, pp. 201–2, 207–11, 213–22.
Home defence
The returning AA units were rapidly reinforced, re-equipped where possible, and redeployed for future integration into existing defence plans. 56th LAA Regiment went to Dunfermline where it re-equipped with Bofors guns.Farndale, Years of Defeat p. 98. Then on 24 January 1941 the regiment joined 8th Support Group in the recently formed 8th Armoured Division. Support Groups at the time consisted of a brigade of mobile field, anti-tank (A/T) and LAA artillery together with lorried infantry, intended to support the armoured brigades of the division. The LAA regiment was equipped with towed Bofors guns.Joslen, p. 219.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 25 March 1941, TNA file WO 212/5.
The division trained for operations, first in Northern Command, then in Southern Command, and finally in South-Eastern Command.Joslen, p. 22. On 7 February 1942 56th LAA Rgt was authorised to use the same 'East Lancashire' subtitle as its parent unit.
North Africa 8th Armoured Division embarked for the Middle East on 7 May 1942 and landed in Egypt on 7 July. It arrived to find that the support group concept had been scrapped in Middle East Forces, and from 23 July 1942 56th (EL) LAA Rgt came directly under the divisional RA. The division never got its motor infantry brigade, and soon after arrival its armoured brigades were stripped away to act independently, each accompanied by a battery from 56th (EL) LAA Rgt. The divisional HQ RA was then designated 'Hammerforce' on 18 October, consisting once more of the field, A/T and LAA regiments, and assigned a role under 1st Armoured Division for the Second Battle of El Alamein. With one troop also detached to protect X Corps' HQ, 56th (EL) LAA Rgt had few of its 48 Bofors guns under its direct command, being distributed as follows:Joslen, p. 22.Joslen, pp. 170–4, 574.Joslen, pp. 567–8.Playfair & Molony, Vol IV, pp. 7–9, 37.Routledge, Table XXIII, p. 161. RHQ + 2 Trps with Hammerforce – under 1st Armoured Division 1 Trp with HQ X Corps 168 LAA Bty with 23 Armoured Bde – under XXX Corps, with one armoured regiment supporting each attacking division (implying 1 Trp of 168 LAA Bty per regiment) 1 Bty with 24 Armoured Bde – under 10th Armoured Division
Alamein