118th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

The 118th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, (118th LAA Rgt) was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in 1942. It served in Home Forces and then went to Assam to defend Fourteenth Army's vital bases and airfields during the Burma Campaign until it was broken up in 1944.

Cap badge of the Gloucestershire Regiment
11th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
118th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
Cap badge of the Royal Artillery
Active28 May 1940–28 February 1945
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
RoleInfantry
Air defence
SizeBattalion
Regiment
Part ofFourteenth Army
EngagementsBurma Campaign

11th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment

11th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (not to be confused with 11th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, formed in World War I), was originally formed on 28 May 1940 as 50th Holding Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, as part of the rapid expansion of the Army with wartime conscripts, but it converted to infantry on 9 October that year as the 11th Battalion.[1] On 8 November it joined 221st Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) when that static defence formation was organised at Chatham, Kent. On 26 February 1941 the brigade was temporarily attached to 2nd Division, at that time serving in the East Riding of Yorkshire as part of I Corps. On 19 March the brigade came under the new Yorkshire County Division formed for coast defence in that area.[2][3][4]

On 1 December Yorkshire County Division was downgraded to East Riding Coastal Area and 221st Brigade was broken up. On 11 December 11th Gloucesters transferred to 218th Independent Brigade, still in the East Riding Coastal Area.[2][5] However, the battalion did not remain there long: it left 218th Bde on 31 January 1942 and next day it was transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) and began to retrain as a light anti-aircraft (LAA) regiment.[1][5][6]

A Bofors 40 mm LAA gun crew under training, January 1942.

Anti-Aircraft conversion

The unit was designated 118th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment with 387, 388 and 389 LAA Batteries.[7] After training it joined it joined Anti-Aircraft Command in February 1942, but left before it had been assigned to a brigade.[8][9] On 7 May the regiment joined 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division. This formation had just been reconstituted in Western Command after its units returned from service in Iceland. However, 118th LAA Rgt left the division on 12 August 1942 and came under direct War Office control preparatory to going overseas.[10][11]

India

The regiment embarked for India in February 1943 and arrived at Bombay on 11 April. It proceeded to Bangalore under command of 160 Line of Communication Area. It was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel T. Haighton and comprised 54 Bofors 40 mm guns.[12][13][14] It was at first assigned to 3rd Indian Anti-Aircraft Brigade, which was responsible for air defence of the coastal cities of Bombay, Madras and Vizagapatam.[15]

Burma Campaign
Formation sign of Fourteenth Army.

On 23 June the regiment moved to the Tezpur area in Assam where it came under 9th Anti-Aircraft Brigade.[13][14] This brigade was deployed defending 15 separate airfields, each with eight heavy AA (HAA) and 12 LAA guns, together with key supply points at Digboi (airfield and oil installations), Dimapur, Lumding, and Tinsukia. By September the brigade had also been given responsibility for Ledo, the vital railhead and airbase for the US transport aircraft flying over The Hump to supply Chinese forces. These were under sustained attack by Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-21 ('Sally') bombers escorted by Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters. The increasing HAA defences and fighters began to drive the Japanese to attack at low level, which made them targets for the LAA Bofors guns.[16][17]

On 13 December 1943 the regiment came under command of 251 Line of Communication Sub-Area,[14] and by March 1944 it was part of 14th West African Anti-Aircraft Brigade under Fourteenth Army. The brigade defended the bases in Assam and the Surma Valley during the decisive battles of Imphal and Kohima. 14th West African AA Brigade moved batteries of 118th LAA Rgt up to Dimapur, and then went forward to the airfields at Imphal and Pallel as they were relieved from Japanese ground attacks.[18]

Disbandment

By now Japanese air power in Burma had been broken,[19] but Fourteenth Army was suffering a manpower shortage as it went over to the offensive. The decision was made to break up a number of AA units and redeploy the personnel to other roles, particularly to the infantry. 118th Light AA Regiment was broken up on 31 August and its men drafted away, the process being complete by the end of the year.[13][14][20] The regiment was formally disbanded on 28 February 1945.[6][7]

Notes
  1. Frederick, p. 102.
  2. Joslen, p. 384.
  3. Joslen, pp. 40, 117, 223.
  4. Collier, Map 20.
  5. Joslen, p. 381
  6. Farndale, Years of Defeat, Annex M.
  7. Frederick, pp. 806, 838.
  8. Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/80.
  9. Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, with amendment TNA file WO 212/81.
  10. Joslen, p. 79.
  11. Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional units), 2 April 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/515.
  12. Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 22 November 1942, with amendments, TNA files WO 212/8 and WO 33/1962.
  13. Farndale, Far East, Annex K.
  14. Joslen, p. 526.
  15. Routledge, Table XXXVII, p. 252.
  16. Routledge, pp. 236–7; Table XXXVII, p. 253.
  17. Woodburn Kirby, pp. 12, 24–5, 120–1.
  18. Routledge, pp. 236, 245; Table XXXIX, p. 254.
  19. Woodburn Kirby, p. 388.
  20. Routledge, pp. 244, 255.

References
  • Basil Collier, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom, London: HM Stationery Office, 1957/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, ISBN 978-1-84574-055-9.
  • Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
  • Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1939–1946, London: Brasseys, 2002, ISBN 1-85753-302-X.
  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3.
  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
  • Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
  • Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan Vol III, The Decisive Battles, London: HM Stationery Office, 1961/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-62-9.
  • Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3
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