Defending the Nation

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“In the first year of the war, gunners

claimed

to have shot down 444 German aircraft…”

What’s happening in the picture? Who are these people?

Part of The Battle of Britain Memorial - Sculpture by Paul Day

Why do you think that so many men and women were asked to volunteer to man air defences during the period 1939-45?

Part of The Battle of Britain Memorial - Sculpture by Paul Day

“It is often forgotten that in addition to Fighter

Command, Britain was defended against the Luftwaffe

in 1940 by a huge army of gunners and search-light

operators and barrage balloon crews who laboured

day and night amidst intense discomfort (and often

boredom) for very little recognition.”Len Deighton, Battle of Britain (Jonathan Cape, 1980)

According to Len Deighton who has often been overlooked when studying British successes during the Battle of Britain?

Please select an area that you would like to explore.

Anti-Aircraft Guns Barrage Balloons Search Lights

“When planes came over the ack-ack guns would fire.

The guns were called ack-ack because of the sound

they made. Each round was quickly followed by

another, like huge birds squauking. Lots of these guns

were handled by women from the A.T.S. The guns were

placed inside a wall of sandbags.Jean Williams, a schoolgirl who lived in Pembroke Dock during the early years of the war

A Light A.A. Gun, Swansea

What does A.A. stands for?

Why do you think that Swansea would have needed defences such as these?

Photograph courtesy of Swansea Museum

“I was in the Fforestfach branch for about eighteen

months…We were issued with red flashes to put on

our arms and we were very proud of these….The

whole battery was under the command of Colonel

Aeron Thomas, who was a well-known Swansea

businessman.

We had two guns – two different types of gun, I should

say. One was the mobile and the other was the

static….”

Jack Smith, who was a lieutenant in an anti-aircraft battery in Swansea, taken from Wales and the Second World War by Philip Tapper and Susan Hawthorne

Can you explain why this AA Battery was under the command of a

well known businessman?

“I was in the Fforestfach branch for about eighteen

months…We were issued with red flashes to put on

our arms and we were very proud of these….The

whole battery was under the command of Colonel

Aeron Thomas, who was a well-known Swansea

businessman.

We had two guns – two different types of gun, I should

say. One was the mobile and the other was the

static….”

Jack Smith, who was a lieutenant in an anti-aircraft battery in Swansea, taken from Wales and the Second World War by Philip Tapper and Susan Hawthorne

Even though guns on the ground accounted for a very small

percentage of Luftwaffe planes shot down, it has been said that they

made a significant contribution to the defence of airfields and towns?

Why is this?

“ (A.A.) gunners made a very real contribution to the defence of

the airfields in August and throughout the battle (of Britain) by

forcing the German bombers to fly high and thus bomb less

accurately.”

Source - Len Deighton, Battle of Britain (Jonathan Cape, 1980)

The Commander-in-Chief of Anti-Aircraft Command was Sir Frederick Pile. He commanded seven A.A. Divisions which consisted of 1,200 heavy and 587 light guns. There were also 3,932 searchlights under his command.

In the first year of the war, the gunners claimed to have shot down 444 German aircraft over Britain. These figures were wildly exaggerated, but were supported to boost the morale of the gunners.

A.A. Guns were most effective at night as there were few effective night fighter aircraft that could challenge the Luftwaffe.

“The slender resources of the Anti-Aircraft Command

were strained to provide guns for the defence of the

most important fighter and bomber aerodromes. High

altitude and Bofors guns were provided up to the limit

considered practicable, and the effort was reinforced

by the use of Royal Air Force detachments with Lewis

guns and some hundreds of 20mm cannon which

were not immediately required for use in aircraft.”Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding

Why do you think that aerodromes were often given priority, even

over civilian areas, when Anti-Aircraft guns were being issued during

the

Battle of Britain?

“The town I lived in was a military base and so it was

protected by barrage balloons. These huge silver

balloons were on top of the hill above the town and

were tethered to the ground by thick cables fastened to

iron rings embedded in a concrete base”.

Talking Points: How did a barrage balloon work? What was its purpose?

Jean Williams, a schoolgirl who lived in Pembroke Dock during the early years of the war

Photograph courtesy of The National Museums and Galleries of Wales, ref: P.86.949

Barrage Balloons hover above a convoy of ships during World War Two.

47 Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons operated barrage balloons, in

which many WAAFs served as balloon operators.

“They were required to drive the lorry, operate

the winch, splice ropes and manhandle 120lb

blocks and sandbag ballast. They lived ‘in the

field’ as part of eight crew and two NCOs. The

first WAAF-operated balloon was named ‘Romeo’.

”David Oliver, Fighter Command 1939-45 (Harper Collins 2000)

Why do you think that the contribution of WAAF as balloon operators was so welcome between 1941-

45?

A Barrage Balloon tethered over Cathays Park.

How effective do you think barrage balloons were in protecting towns and cities like Cardiff from Luftwaffe bombers?

Image courtesy of Cardiff Council Libraries and Information Service

“By the 31st July 1940, there were 1,466 balloons deployed

around Britain, under the command of the R.A.F., each

manned by twelve men* responsible for raising and

lowering their huge gasbags as the weather changed – they

were particularly vulnerable to thunderstorms”.

“The balloons were a useful deterrent to enemy pilots

nervous of hitting their cables, especially at night…(Many)

Bf 109 pilots on their daylight sweeps over Britain often

found themselves reduced to shooting down balloons to

justify their attacks, when British fighters refused to be

drawn to engage them.” Len Deighton, Battle of Britain (Jonathan Cape, 1980)

* By 1941 many barrage balloon crews were female.

“There were searchlights in Pembroke Dock – huge

lamps set on the hills. They used to scan the sky for

incoming enemy planes. At night we would watch the

beams of light scanning back and fore.”Jean Williams, a schoolgirl who lived in Pembroke Dock during the early years of the war

A World War Two Searchlight –housed at Duxford Aircraft Museum

Eventually Search Lights were only

switched on when specific enemy

aircraft were being tracked.

Why do you think that this decision

was made?

Searchlight

Crossbeam

Ack-Ack Gun Position

Ack-Ack Gun Position

“(Most searchlights were) 90cm searchlights with a carbon

projector giving 210 million candlepower…these were a

very important part of the night defences. While not

intended that way, its greatest effect was to blind the

bomber crews.” R. Townshend-Bickers, Battle of Britain (1990)

Give three reasons why Searchlights were such an important part of

Britain’s night defence.