45th Anti-Aircraft Brigade

45th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (45 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). Formed in 1938, it was responsible for protecting South Wales during the Second World War. It was reformed in the postwar TA under a new title, and continued until 1955.

Origin With the expansion of Britain's Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences in the late 1930s, new formations were created to command the growing number of Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) AA gun and searchlight units. 45th AA Brigade was formed on 29 September 1938 at Newport, Wales, to take over the TA AA units in South Wales. The HQ later moved to Penylan Court, Cardiff, the pre-war HQ of 20th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. The brigade was responsible for the AA defences of South Wales, and initially formed part of 4 Anti-Aircraft Division. The first brigade commander was Brigadier Charles Massy, DSO, MC.Frederick, pp. 1050–1.Monthly Army List, May 1939.Massy at Generals of World War II.Farndale, Annex J.

Mobilisation At the time the brigade was formed, the TA's AA units were in a state of mobilisation because of the Munich crisis, although they were soon stood down. In February 1939 the TA's AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command. In June, during the period of tension leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War, a partial mobilisation of AA Command was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun and searchlight positions. AA Command mobilised fully on 24 August, ahead of the official declaration of war on 3 September.Routledge, pp. 65–6 & 371; Table LVIII, p. 376.

Order of Battle 1939 On the outbreak of war 45 AA Bde was supposed to have come under the command of 5 AA Division, but this process was not completed until 1 May 1940. In September 1939 it had the following composition:AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376; Table LX, p. 378.45 AA Bde War Diary, 1940 The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 166/228520 LAA Rgt War Diary, 1939–41, TNA file WO 166/2690.No 2 Co CFRE War Diary 1939–40, TNA file WO 166/3325. 77th (Welsh) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA – Heavy AA (HAA) gun unit converted from field artilleryLitchfield, pp. 79–80. HQ, 239th and 240th (Glamorgan) Batteries at Cardiff 241st and 242nd (Glamorgan) Batteries at Rhondda 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welch Regiment (67th Searchlight Regiment) – Searchlight (S/L) unit converted from infantryLitchfield, pp. 82–3. HQ, 450th–452nd S/L Companies at Cardiff 1st (Rifle) Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (68th Searchlight Regiment) – S/L unit converted from infantryLitchfield, p. 182. HQ, 453rd–455th S/L Companies at Stow Hill, Newport No 2 (AA S/L) Company, Carmarthenshire Fortress Royal Engineers, at Llanelli – later 484 S/L Battery, RA 45th Anti-Aircraft Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) – later 914 Company RASC Glamorgan Company, Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS)

In addition, 20th Light AA Regiment was at Cardiff under the command of the Welsh area of Western Command and 34th LAA Regiment was forming in Swansea34 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. under the command of 55 Light AA Bde at Plymouth. These soon came under the command of 45 AA Bde.

In mid-May, as the Battle of France got under way, 45 AA Bde's units – particularly the widely spaced S/L sites – were ordered to find rifle detachments to guard against possible attacks by German paratroopers. The brigade also had to lend 240 AA Bty of 77th AA Rgt, with a Gun-laying radar (GL) set, to reinforce the defences of Littlehampton on the South Coast of England, and 160 Troop of 20th LAA Rgt with its AA Light machine guns (LMGs) to Portsmouth.

Battle of Britain After the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk, the German Luftwaffe began almost nightly minor air raids, often by single aircraft, against the dock facilities and steelworks of South Wales, though the Battle of Britain was mainly fought over Southern England.

In July 1940, the Cardiff area was protected by a mere 12 HAA guns,Collier, Appendix IX. but during the summer the AA defences of South Wales were bolstered by a number of units that had been re-equipped after evacuation from Dunkirk and Norway. These included 5 AA Bde, which was reformed to take over the Gloucester–Hereford area, 55th (Devon) LAA Rgt, a mobile unit returned from Norway, and 79th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) AA Rgt and 85th (Tees) AA Rgt from Dunkirk. The arrival in September of the Regular Army 1st S/L Rgt, RA, also re-equipped after Dunkirk, allowed 45 AA Bde to complete the illuminated areas of South Wales, and 484 (Carmarthenshire) S/L Bty was relieved and sent to Devonport.Farndale, p. 98.Sainsbury, pp. 70–6.

In June all AA regiments equipped with 3-inch or the newer 3.7-inch guns were termed Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) units being formed. On 1 August all RE and converted infantry S/L regiments were transferred to the RA.Litchfield.

Dispositions, August 1940 In August and September 1940, the Cardiff area had 26 HAA guns. The available LAA units were distributed to defend Vulnerable Points (VPs) such as docks and Glascoed Royal Ordnance Factory.Collier, Appendix XXII. The number of raids over South Wales, and the number of times the guns engaged, increased sharply at the end of August. At this time, 45 AA Bde was deployed as follows:

77th (Welsh) HAA Rgt 239 HAA Bty The Bulwarks, Porthkerry – 4 x 3.7-inch Sully – 4 x 3.7-inch 240 HAA Bty Llwyn-y-Grant, Cardiff – 2 x 3-inch New House, Newport – 2 x 3-inch, 2 x 3.7-inch 241 HAA Bty – detached to 4 AA Division 242 HAA Bty Ely Racecourse, Cardiff – 4 x 3.7-inch Intake, West Llandaff – 2 x 3.7-inch 79th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) HAA RgtSainsbury, p. 73. 246 HAA Bty Bateman's Hill, Upton Castle, Pembrokeshire – 4 x 3.7-inch West Penner, Pembroke – 4 x 3.7-inch 247 HAA Bty Jersey Marine Golf Club, Swansea – 8 x 3.7-inch 248 HAA Bty Lavernock Fort, Penarth – 2 x mobile 3.7-inch with GL Mardy Farm, Cardiff – 4 x mobile 3-inch, 4 x static 3.7-inch 85th (Tees) HAA Rgt 174 HAA Bty RAF Pembrey – 4 x 3.7-inch Sketty, Swansea – 4 x 3.7-inch 88th HAA Rgt 283 HAA Bty Pye Corner, Nash, Newport – 8 x 3.7-inch 20th LAA Rgt 62 LAA Bty Glascoed – 10 Lewis AA LMGs 63 AA Bty Pontypridd – 6 Lewis guns RAF St Athan – 4 x Vickers Mk VIII 2-pounder pom-pom gun 94 LAA Bty Newport Docks – 24 x Lewis guns, 2 x 3-inch 34th LAA Rgt 64 LAA Bty Swansea – 16 x Lewis guns RAF Pembrey – 2 x Bofors 40 mm guns, 12 x Lewis guns 65 LAA Bty Llandarcy – 2 x 3-inch Naval guns, 12 x Lewis guns Clydach, Swansea – 8 x Lewis guns 92 LAA Bty Bridgend 16 x Lewis guns RAF Llandow – 14 x Lewis guns Port Talbot – 8 x Lewis guns 67th (Welch) S/L Rgt 450 S/L Bty, HQ at Castleton, Newport – 24 x S/Ls 451 S/L Bty, HQ at Usk – 18 x S/Ls 452 S/L Bty, HQ at Bridgend – 16 x S/Ls 77th S/L Rgt – forming at Picton Castle, HaverfordwestFarndale, Annex M. 484 (Carmarthenshire) Independent S/L Bty, HQ at Swansea – 15 x S/Ls

There were frequent moves of sub-units as reinforcements were integrated into the defences, and as opportunities arose for training. During this period, 45 AA Bde was commanded by Brig Cuthbert Baynham, DSO.Baynham at Generals of WWII.

Blitz Following the Luftwaffe's defeat in the Battle of Britain, it began heavy night attacks on Britain's cities ('The Blitz'). At first the towns of South Wales, including important coal and oil port facilities, refineries, steelworks and ordnance factories, were under almost nightly air attack, to which the AA defences replied as best they could. In the absence of effective GL radar control, at night the guns could only reply blindly with fixed barrages.Sainsbury, pp. 72–4, 79.Pile's despatch.Collier, Chapter XVII.Routledge, p. 391. In September, 45 AA Brigade was also called upon to lend reinforcements (174 HAA Bty) to London. There was a lull in the intensity of raids on South Wales from late September as the Luftwaffe concentrated on London and the industrial cities of the English Midlands, but there was a flare-up in activity over South Wales in late October. Some of this was aircraft dropping Parachute mines in the Bristol Channel. In November the AA guns began to claim some hits from GL-controlled fire.Sainsbury, pp. 75–6.

As AA Command's resources expanded, 5 AA Division's responsibilities were split in November 1940 and a new 9 AA Division was created to cover South Wales and the Severn Valley. 45 AA Brigade was transferred to the new formation, and was itself split in half, a new 61 AA Bde taking over the western part of its area around the Swansea Gun Defence Area (GDA) and out to Pembroke Dock, while 45 AA Bde concentrated round the Cardiff GDA (covering Barry and Newport as well as Cardiff); the S/L detachments were widely spread across brigade boundaries.Routledge, p. 394.Sainsbury, p. 77. For example, 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) S/L Rgt of 5 AA Bde had 307 Bty at Llandaff operating the 'Cardiff–Newport Dazzle Area' for 45 AA Bde.37 S/L Rgt War Diary August 1940–September 1941, TNA file WO 166/3054. However, both splits (to form 9 AA Division and 61 AA Bde) did not take full effect until 3 February 1941.Sainsbury, p. 79.

There were heavy night raids on Cardiff on 2 January, 3 and 4 March 1941 (the Cardiff Blitz), with frequent smaller raids.Collier, Appendix XXX. By the end of February 1941 the HAA guns (3-inch, 3.7-inch and 4.5-inch) in the Cardiff GDA only numbered 52 out of a planned establishment of 64. This increased a month later to 56 guns, though further additions to the establishment were already being called for.Collier Chapter 18. The position on LAA gun sites was worse: only small numbers of Bofors guns were available at the start of the Blitz, and most LAA detachments had to make do with AA LMGs.Routledge, pp. 383–4, Table LXVI, p. 397, p. 398. However, they began to be supplemented by AA rocket batteries (Z Batteries).Routledge, pp. 79–80. Four of these (initially 111, 113, 124 and 125) were assigned to 45 AA Bde from early September 1940, and a regimental HQ was established soon afterward to command them.

Order of Battle 1940–41

The composition of 45 AA Bde during this period was as follows:Farndale, Annex D, p. 258.Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.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. 77th (Welsh) HAA Rgt 239, 240, 241 HAA Btys 242 HAA Bty – disbanded June 1941 85th (Tees) HAA Rgt (part) – returned from Dunkirk 174, 220 HAA Btys 88th HAA Rgt (part) – new unit formed in London; to 1 AA Division by May 1941Litchfield, p. 166. 281, 282, 283 HAA Btys 112th HAA Rgt – from 8 AA Division July 1941 351, 352, 353 Btys 118th HAA Rgt – new unit formed December 1940 373, 374, 375 HAA Btys 20th LAA Rgt 62, 63 LAA Btys 94 LAA Bty – attached to 5 AA Division until March 1941; to 77th LAA Rgt summer 1941 240 LAA Bty – joined summer 1941 34th LAA Rgt (part) – to 61 AA Bde by May 1941 64, 65, 92 LAA Btys 93 LAA Bty – to 7 AA Division August 1940 55th (Devon) LAA Rgt – mobile unit returned from Norway, part of GHQ Reserve lent to AA CommandLitchfield, p. 43.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery, 26 December 1940, with amendments, TNA files WO 212/4 and WO 33/2365.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 33/2323.55 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 163 LAA Bty 164 LAA Bty – attached to 5 AA Bde, then 1 AA Division 165 LAA Bty – attached to 61 AA Bde 55 LAA Rgt Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) 1st S/L Rgt (part) – Regular Army S/L unit returned from Dunkirk 2 S/L Bty 37th (TEE) S/L Rgt (part) – returned from Dunkirk