8th Anti-Aircraft Division

The 8th Anti-Aircraft Division (8th AA Division) was an air defence formation of the British Army during the early years of the Second World War. It defended South West England during The Blitz and the Luftwaffe 'hit and run' raids, but only had a short career.

Mobilisation The 8th Anti-Aircraft Division was one of five new divisions created on 1 November 1940 by Anti-Aircraft Command to control the growing anti-aircraft (AA) defences of the United Kingdom. The division was formed by splitting the 5th AA Division, with the new formation taking responsibility for the City of Bristol and the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Potential targets in this area included the Bristol Aeroplane Company factory and airfield at Filton, and the Royal Navy dockyards at Devonport (Plymouth) and Portland.Frederick, p. 1047.8 AA Division 1940 at British Military History.Routledge, p. 394; Map 34.Pile's despatch.

The Divisional headquarters (HQ) was at Bristol and the first General Officer Commanding (GOC) was Major-General Robert Allen, who was transferred from commanding the 5th AA Division.Farndale, Annex J.Allen at Generals of World War II. The division formed part of I AA Corps, which was created at the same time to cover Southern England and Wales. The fighting units, organised in four AA Brigades, consisted of Heavy (HAA) and Light (LAA) gun units and Searchlight (S/L) units of the Royal Artillery, with major concentrations of HAA guns in the Bristol and Plymouth Gun Defence Areas (GDAs)

The Blitz

When the 8th AA Division was formed the Luftwaffes night Blitz on British cities was already under way. There had previously been daylight raids during the Battle of Britain, notably on Bristol and Portland on 25 September 1940,Routledge, Table LXII, pp. 379–80. now the night attacks were stepped up both against London and smaller cities, with the ports of Bristol and Plymouth receiving frequent raids, particularly heavy in March 1941 (the Bristol Blitz and Plymouth Blitz).Collier, Chapter 17.Collier, Appendix XXX.

In 1939 the scale of HAA guns (3-inch and the newer 3.7-inch and 4.5-inch guns) allocated to the Bristol GDA (covering Bristol and Avonmouth) had been 56, and this was increased to 80 in 1940, but by the end of February 1941 only 36 were in place. This increased to 68 a month later, though further additions to the establishment were already being called for.Collier Chapter 18. The position on LAA gunsites was worse: only small numbers of Bofors 40 mm guns were available at the start of the Blitz, and most LAA detachments had to make do with Light machine guns (LMGs).Routledge, pp. 383–4, Table LXVI, p. 397, p. 398.

Order of Battle The division's composition during the Blitz was as follows:Farndale, Annex D, pp. 257–9.Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.8 AA Division 1940 at RA 39–45.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/79.

46th AA Brigade – Bristol 76th (Gloucestershire) HAA Rgt76 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 84. 23rd LAA Rgt – to 5th AA Division by May 194123 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 88. 66th (Gloucesters) S/L Rgt (part)66 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 86. 68th (Monmouthshire Regiment) S/L Rgt68 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 182. 55th AA Brigade – Plymouth and Falmouth, Cornwall 56th (Cornwall) HAA Rgt56 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 35. 118th HAA Rgt (part) – new regiment raised in December 1940; to 9th AA Division by May 1941Farndale, Annex M.118 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 58th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) LAA Rgt – part deployed at Plymouth, part under 65th AA Brigade at Southampton; left to join 11th Support Group in May 194158 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 292.Joslen, p. 221. 81st S/L Rgt – new unit formed in November 1940 from existing S/L Bty of Cornwall Fortress Royal Engineers81 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. 82nd S/L Rgt – new unit formed in November 1940 from existing S/L Bty of Dorset Fortress Royal Engineers82 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.

60th AA Brigade – Exeter, Yeovil and Portland 104th HAA Rgt104 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 44th LAA Rgt44 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 66th S/L Rgt (part) 64th AA Brigade – Airfield sector layout 35th LAA Rgt35 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 100. 2nd S/L Rgt2 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. 3rd (Ulster) S/L Rgt – converted into 4th (Ulster) LAA Rgt in January 19423 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45.Litchfield, p. 310. 76th S/L Rgt76 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. 85th S/L Rgt – new unit raised in January 194185 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. 9th AA 'Z' Rgt – equipped with Z Battery rocket launchers, formed by the 8th AA Division in January 19419 AA Z Rgt at RA 39–45. 8th AA Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) – formed at Bristol as duplicate of 5th AA Divisional Signals at Reading, BerkshireLord & Watson, p. 170.Brief History of 39 Signal Regt at British Army website. 8th AA Divisional Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) 191st, 915th and 917th Companies 8th AA Divisional Company, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) 8th AA Divisional Workshop Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)

Mid-War By October 1941 the availability of S/L control radar was sufficient to allow AA Command's S/L sites to be 'declustered' into single-light sites spaced at 10,400-yard intervals in 'Indicator Belts' along the coast and approaches to the GDAs, and 'Killer Belts' at spacing to cooperate with the RAF's Night-fighters.Routledge, p. 399.

Early in 1942 the Luftwaffe began a new wave of attacks on British cities (the Baedeker Blitz): Exeter and undefended Bath were hit in March, April and May, and Weston-super-Mare in June. New GDAs were established at Exeter, Taunton, Bath and Salisbury.Routledge, pp. 400–4.Collier, Chapter 20.Collier, Appendix XXXVII.

Newly formed AA units joined the division, the HAA and support units increasingly becoming 'Mixed' units, indicating that women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) were fully integrated into them. At the same time, experienced units were posted away to train for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for the invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) and the need to transfer AA units to counter the Baedeker raids and the Luftwaffes hit-and-run attacks against South Coast towns.

Those AA units in the War Office (WO) Reserve rostered for overseas deployment were lent back to AA Command when not required for training. One of these, 103rd HAA Rgt, was moved down from Merseyside, which was rarely attacked by this stage of the war, to reinforce the 8th AA Division in Cornwall in April 1942, establishing its batteries at St Ives, Truro and Penzance under the 55th AA Brigade.103 HAA Rgt War Diary 1942, TNA file WO 166/7471.

In July, the 103rd HAA Rgt was sent for a short attachment to the 11th AA Brigade (the mobile training brigade in Hampshire) and was relieved by 79th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) HAA Rgt which had just completed training with the 11th AA Brigade. The 79th HAA Regiment occupied sites at Hayle, Truro and Penzance on 14 July and the Penzance and Truro guns were in action against raiders early the next morning. The deployment lasted three weeks before the regiment left for further training and the 103rd HAA Rgt returned.Sainsbury, p. 90.

In West Cornwall the main threat was from low level daylight 'hit and run' raids by single engined Luftwaffe aircraft (such as attacks by pairs of Focke-Wulf Fw 190s on St Ives on 28 August and Truro on 7 September), which were difficult for HAA guns to engage. Night raids on Truro on 24 September and on Penzance two nights later were engaged by the regiment with both HAA and light machine guns.

In August 1942, the 64th AA Brigade was transferred from the 8th AA Division to the 3rd AA Division, a HQ brought down from Scotland to handle the increased workload along the South Coast.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.

Order of Battle During this period the division was composed as follows (temporary attachments omitted):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, 1 October 1942, TNA file WO 212/82.

46th AA Brigade 59th (Essex Regiment) HAA Rgt – from the 6th AA Division December 1941; to WO control as part of the field force March 1942; later to Operation TorchJoslen, p. 465.Routledge, Tables XXX–XXXII, pp. 188–90. 76th (Gloucestershire) HAA Rgt – to the 69th AA Brigade by December 1941 104th HAA Rgt – to the 5th AA Division in December 1941 112th HAA Rgt – from the 11th AA Division by May 1941; to the 9th AA Division by December 1941 116th HAA Rgt – new unit formed in November 1940; to the 55th AA Brigade by December 1941 119th HAA Rgt – from the 1st AA Division by May 1941; to the 64th AA Brigade by December 1941 133rd (Mixed) HAA Rgt – new unit formed September 1941 140th HAA Rgt – new unit formed December 1941; to the 69th AA Brigade by May 1942 150th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – new unit formed February 1942 165th HAA Rgt – new unit formed July 1942 36th LAA Rgt – from the 1st AA Division by May 1941; to the 69th AA Brigade Summer 194136 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 47th LAA Rgt – from the 69th AA Brigade by December 1941; to Operation Torch 194247 LAA LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 133rd LAA Rgt – from the 69th AA Brigade July 1942 66th S/L Rgt – to the 69th AA Brigade Summer 1941 68th S/L Rgt – to the 69th AA Brigade Summer 1941 1st AA 'Z' Rgt – from the 1st AA Division by May 1941, returned by December 19411 AA 'Z' Rgt at RA 39–45. 55th AA Brigade 56th HAA Rgt– as above; left for India in December 1941Joslen, p. 519. 79th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) HAA Rgt – from the 11th AA Brigade for July 1942Litchfield, p. 104. 103rd HAA Rgt – from the 4th AA Division May 1942103rd HAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 116th HAA Rgt – from the 46th AA Brigade by December 1941 162nd (Mixed) HAA Rgt – new unit formed June 1942 166th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – new unit formed August 1942 36th LAA Rgt – from the 69th AA Brigade by December 1941; left for India in April 1942Joslen, p. 523. 44th LAA Rgt – from the 9th AA Division January 1942 (previously the 60th AA Brigade ); left for India in March 1942 46th LAA Rgt – from the 9th AA Division by May 194146 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 55th (Devonshire) LAA Rgt – from WO Reserve in April 1942; later to CeylonLitchfield, p. 43.55 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Joslen, p. 524. 137th LAA Rgt – new unit formed February 1942137 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 29th (Kent) S/L Rgt – from the 6th AA Division January 1942; to the 60th AA Brigade June 1942Litchfield, p. 108. 81st S/L Rgt – as above; converted into unbrigaded 131st LAA Rgt in March 1942 82nd S/L Rgt – to the 64th AA Brigade December 1941 85th S/L Rgt – from the 64th AA Brigade by December 1941; converted into 132nd LAA Rgt in the 5th AA Division in March 1942 9th AA 'Z' Rgt – from the 60th AA Brigade by December 1941 60th AA Brigade 108th HAA Rgt – from Orkney and Shetland Defences (OSDEF) by September 1942 12th (Finsbury Rifles) LAA Rgt – from the 1st AA Division by May 1941; left AA Command and joined WO Reserve June 1941, later to Persia and Iraq Command (PAIFORCE)12 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Joslen, p. 488.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 25 March 1941, with amendments, TNA files WO 212/5 and WO 33/2323. 44th LAA Rgt – to the 9th AA Division by December 1941; then to the 55th AA Brigade January 1942 67th LAA Rgt – from the 3rd AA Division by September 1942 29th (Kent) S/L Rgt – from the 55th AA Brigade June 1942 74th (Essex Fortress) S/L Rgt – from the 6th AA Division January 1942Litchfield, p. 174.