Defending the Nation Press ‘ESC’ at any time to stop the presentation “In the first year of...
Transcript of Defending the Nation Press ‘ESC’ at any time to stop the presentation “In the first year of...
Defending the Nation
Press ‘ESC’ at any time to stop the presentation
“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.