28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade (28 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of the British Territorial Army created in 1925 to command anti-aircraft units in Kent and around the militarily important Medway Towns, which it defended during the Second World War. In 1940 the brigade was responsible for the defences on the south side of the Thames Estuary including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham and the Port of Dover. The brigade was heavily engaged throughout the Battle of Britain, in the summer of 1940, and The Blitz, from autumn 1940 to spring 1941, operating a total of 70 heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) guns controlled from a gun operations room (GOR) at Chatham. During 1942 many of the brigade's experienced units were transferred to active theatres overseas. Increasingly the brigade included women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS).
From mid-1944 the German Luftwaffe began launching V-1 flying bombs against southeast England, whose speed and maneuverability made them hard for AA guns to destroy. As a result, the brigade was repositioned along the South Coast as part of a concentration of AA guns under Operation Diver to target V-1s coming in over the English Channel. As the launching sites in France were overrun by 21st Army Group by late 1944, the Luftwaffe switched to air-launching V-1s over the North Sea, forcing another redeployment to the east of London.
The brigade was formally disbanded in 1946, following the end of the war. It was reformed in 1947 as 54 (Thames and Medway) AA Brigade, but permanently disbanded in 1948.
Interwar period German air raids by Zeppelin airships and Gotha bombers on London and other British cities during the First World War had shown the need for strong anti-aircraft (AA) defences in any future war. When the Territorial Army (TA) was reformed in the 1920s it included a number of dedicated AA units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE). At first these were concentrated in London under 26th and 27th Air Defence Brigades. In 1925 55th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA was formed to defend the Medway Towns of north Kent. 28th Air Defence Brigade (AD Bde) was then formed at Tunbridge Wells to command the AA defences in the area, even though it only had 55th AA Bde under its command, and that in turn consisted only of 163rd (Kent) AA Battery at Tunbridge Wells. There were also 313 and 314 independent AA searchlight companies of the RE (TA) in Kent, but these were not formally subordinated to 28 AD Bde at this time.Litchfield, pp. 112–3.Monthly Army List 1925–35.
At first, 28th AD Bde was subordinate to the Home Counties Area of Eastern Command, but as Britain's AA defences expanded during the 1930s, higher formations became necessary. 1st AA Division was formed to cover London and the Home Counties on 15 December 1935.Routledge, p. 59. The 28th ADB was reorganised as 28th (Thames & Medway) Anti-Aircraft Group, based at Kitchener Barracks, Chatham, and commanding all the gun and searchlight units in the area.Frederick, pp. 1048–50.Monthly Army List January 1936.
Order of Battle 1935 The composition of 28 AA Group in December 1935 was as follows:
55th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA) HQ at Fort Clarence, Rochester 163rd (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Tunbridge Wells 166th (City of Rochester) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Fort Clarence, Rochester 205th (Chatham and Faversham) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Chatham 58th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade. A RA (TA) HAA gun unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 52nd (Kent) Medium Brigade, Royal Artillery HQ at Erith 206th (Erith) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Erith 207th (Erith) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Erith 208th (Bromley) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Penge 61st (Finsbury Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA). An AA unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 11th Battalion, the London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles), affiliated to the Middlesex Regiment.Monthly Army List January 1939. HQ at Pentonville 170th Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battery at Finchley 171st Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battery at Pentonville 195th Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battery at Finchley 272nd Anti-Aircraft Battery added later at Southgate 29th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA). Formed in 1935 from the Kent and Middlesex Group Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Companies, Royal Engineers. HQ at Marine School, Chatham 313th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Company at Chatham 314th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Company at Tonbridge 322nd Anti-Aircraft Company at Greenhithe 347th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Company at Sidcup 32nd (7th City of London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA). A searchlight unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 7th London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) affiliated to the Middlesex Regiment HQ at Finsbury Square 328th Anti-Aircraft Company at Finsbury Square 329th Anti-Aircraft Company at Grove Park, Lewisham 330th Anti-Aircraft Company at Grove Park 331st Anti-Aircraft Company at Bexleyheath
The 28th and other anti-aircraft groups adopted the more normal formation title of 'Brigades' after the Royal Artillery redesignated its Brigades as "Regiments" in 1938.Routledge, p. 60
Mobilisation
Order of Battle 1939 By the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 the London and searchlight units had left 28th AA Bde, which was now entirely composed of heavy AA artillery regiments based in Kent. It was serving in 6 AA Division, which was formed on 30 May 1939 to take responsibility for the air defence of the Thames Estuary, Essex and Kent.Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376.Farndale, Annex J. p. 301
55th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA55 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45. New 307th Battery formed at Tunbridge Wells 205th Battery transferred to 89th HAA Regiment 58th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA New 264th Battery formed at Dartford 75th (Home Counties) (Cinque Ports) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA). HAA Regiment converted from field artillery in 1938. HQ at Dover 223rd (Cinque Ports) Battery at Folkestone 233rd (Kent) Battery at Dover 306th Battery at Ashford, Kent 89th (Cinque Ports) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA). HAA Regiment raised as duplicate of 75th AA Rgt in April 1939 HQ at Sittingbourne 205th (Kent) Battery at Sittingbourne (from 55th (Kent) AA Regiment) 234th (Kent) Battery at Deal 235th (Kent) Battery at Margate
Early War Opportunities for action were rare during the Phoney War, but on the night of 22/23 November 1939 the HAA guns of 28 AA Bde ("Thames South") combined with those of 37 AAB on the other bank of the river ("Thames North") to engage at least two German mine-laying aircraft that had strayed into the mouth of the estuary. One wrecked aircraft was found on the marshes and credited to 206 Battery of 58th HAA Regiment, based at Allhallows, Kent.Routledge, pp. 374–5.
During the summer of 1940 the brigade was joined by 53rd (City of London) HAA Regiment, which had been evacuated from Marseille after abandoning its guns in the wake of the Fall of France.53 HAA Regt War Diary 1940–41, The National Archives, Kew (TNA) file WO 166/2343.
28 AA Brigade was responsible for the defences on the south side of the Thames Estuary (Thames South) including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham, as well as the Port of Dover.6 AA Division at RA 39–45 By 11 July 1940, the Thames South AA layout operated by 28 AA Bde had a total of 70 HAA guns (3.7-inch and 4.5-inch).Farndale, p. 106.
Battle of Britain
The Luftwaffe began its 1940 bombing offensive against the British mainland with small-scale raids on coastal targets. In July 1940 it began heavy daylight raids against south coast ports and shipping; the guns at Dover were in action virtually every day. Lieutenant-Colonel N.V. Sadler of 75th HAA Regiment developed an effective system of HAA barrages over individual points in Dover Harbour and the shipping channels, underpinned by light anti-aircraft (LAA) fire. In one day the regiment claimed to have shot down 10 aircraft: seven Junkers Ju 87 'Stukas', together with two Messerschmitt Bf 109s and a Dornier Do 215.Routledge, pp. 381–6. During this period 6 AA Division was placed under the operational control of No. 11 Group RAF, which remained the case for the rest of the war.Farndale, Annex D, p. 333. Decisions as to whether or not the guns could fire were made at the lower level sector operations rooms, an army officer sat beside each fighter controller and directed the gun crews when to open and cease fire.Price, p. 26 This was to ensure that anti-aircraft guns would not be firing when British fighter aircraft were liable to be hit.Deighton, p. 125
The brigade was heavily engaged throughout the Battle of Britain. On 18 August, for example, German air raids appeared over RAF airfields at West Malling, Manston, Kenley, Biggin Hill, Gravesend and the town of Sevenoaks, all within four and a half hours in the afternoon. The guns of 28 AA Bde and its neighbours were in action and claimed 23 German aircraft shot down. Four days later a mass raid flew up the Thames Estuary to attack RAF Hornchurch on the Essex shore: the raid was broken up by 28 and 37 AA Bde, and then the fighters of No. 11 Group RAF attacked. Follow-up raids were marked for the fighters by 'pointer' rounds of HAA fire. On 1 September over 200 German aircraft attacked Maidstone, Biggin Hill, Kenley and Chatham; operating in coordination with the fighters, the guns broke up the formations and claimed four aircraft shot down, but the airfields at Biggin Hill and Kenley were badly hit. Next day a mass raid arrived over the Medway and flew up the Thames towards Hornchurch. They came under heavy fire from the 3.7s and 4.5s of 28 and 37 AA Bdes and 15 were claimed as shot down before the fighters took over. On 7 September heavy raids up the estuary attacked oil wharves at Thameshaven, Tilbury Docks and Woolwich Arsenal: a total of 25 German aircraft were claimed by AA guns and fighters.Routledge, pp. 385–6.Farndale, p. 109. In addition to aircraft shot down claimed by the gunners, they caused many losses to German aircraft which went unseen from the British side. For example, on 28 July two Junkers Ju 88 from the same German formation were damaged over the Thames Estury by anti-aircraft fire but managed to return to occupied Europe; however, both crashed on landing and were written off. Almost all the crew of both aircraft were killed or wounded.Deighton, p. 182
One of the lessons the Germans learnt during the Battle of Britain was that day bombers needed to fly in tight formation for mutual protection against fighters. However, the tighter formations made easier targets for ground based guns and were more vulnerable to AA fire. On 8 September a formation of 15 Dornier Do 17s flew along the Thames at 15,000 feet. The opening salvo from a troop of four 3.7-inch guns of 28 AA Bde brought down the three leading aircraft and scattered the others in disorder; they jettisoned their bombs as they escaped.Farndale, p. 107. On 15 September, remembered as the zenith of the battle, the guns of 28 AA Bde were in prolonged combat, engaging German aircraft over Chatham in the morning, and again in the afternoon.Farndale, p. 110.
Overall, British anti-aircraft defences have been considered to have performed poorly during the Battle of Britain. They have been compared unfavourably with similar German efforts of the same period. General Frederick Pile, General Officer Commanding Anti-Aircraft Command, felt that his most effective weapon was the LAA Bofors gun, which was in short supply; as was the Kerrison Predictor, the only fully automated anti-aircraft fire-control system available for low and intermediate level anti-aircraft fire. For HAA guns, gun laying radar was not yet operational. The larger guns also suffered from a lack of operational mobility, being mostly sited in fixed concrete emplacements.Deighton, p. 302–03
The Blitz