Defending the Nation

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Ground Defences
In the first year of the war, gunners claimed
to have shot down 444 German aircraft
Defending the Nation
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Whats happening in the picture? Who are these
people?
Part of The Battle of Britain Memorial -
Sculpture by Paul Day
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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
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According to Len Deighton who has often been
overlooked when studying British successes during
the Battle of Britain?
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)
Please select an area that you would like to
explore.
Anti-Aircraft Guns
Barrage Balloons
Search Lights
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Anti-Aircraft Guns
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
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A Light A.A. Gun, Swansea
Photograph courtesy of Swansea Museum
What does A.A. stands for?
Why do you think that Swansea would have needed
defences such as these?
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I was in the Fforestfach branch for about
eighteen monthsWe 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?
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I was in the Fforestfach branch for about
eighteen monthsWe 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?
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(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.
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.
Source - Len Deighton, Battle of Britain
(Jonathan Cape, 1980)
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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?
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Barrage Balloons
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.
Jean Williams, a schoolgirl who lived in Pembroke
Dock during the early years of the war
Talking Points How did a barrage balloon work?
What was its purpose?
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Barrage Balloons hover above a convoy of ships
during World War Two.
Photograph courtesy of The National Museums and
Galleries of Wales, ref P.86.949
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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?
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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
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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.
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Search Lights
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
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Eventually Search Lights were only switched on
when specific enemy aircraft were being
tracked. Why do you think that this decision was
made?
A World War Two Searchlight housed at Duxford
Aircraft Museum
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Searchlight Crossbeam
Ack-Ack Gun Position
Ack-Ack Gun Position
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(Most searchlights were) 90cm searchlights with
a carbon projector giving 210 million
candlepowerthese 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 Britains night defence.