40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom)

The 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army formed shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Its role was to defend Royal Air Force airfields in East Anglia.

Origin
The brigade was formed on 28 September 1938 at South Ealing in West London, as part of 2nd AA Division, with the following searchlight units under command:
 * 33rd (St Pancras) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers (RE) – formed in 1935 from the 19th London Regiment (St Pancras)
 * 332, 333 & 334 AA Companies, RE
 * 36th (Middlesex) AA Bn, RE – formed in 1936
 * 317, 345, 346, 424 AA Companies, RE
 * 58th (Middlesex) AA Bn, RE – formed in 1938 as a duplicate of 36th Bn
 * 344, 425, 426 AA Companies, RE
 * 9th Bn Middlesex Regiment (60th Searchlight Regiment) – infantry battalion converted in 1938
 * 429, 439, 431 Companies
 * 10th (3rd City of London) Bn Royal Fusiliers (69th Searchlight Regiment) – infantry battalion converted in 1938
 * 456, 457, 458 Companies
 * 40 AA Brigade Company Royal Army Service Corps

Although the brigade's units were all from London and Middlesex, its war station was at RAF Duxford, with the searchlight detachments defending RAF stations across East Anglia.

World War II
By the summer of 1940, all searchlight regiments had been transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA). During the intense period of activity of the Battle of Britain and subsequent Blitz 40 AA Bde's organisation changed in other ways as well, giving it the following order of battle by November 1940:


 * 78th (1st East Anglian) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery – formed in 1938 by conversion of 84th (1st East Anglian) Field Regiment, RA
 * 30th Light AA Regiment, RA – newly raised in August 1939, joined 40 AA Bde October 1939; one Troop deployed to each of 10 RAF stations
 * 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, RA – see above
 * 64th (The Essex Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, RA – formed in 1938 from 1/6th Bn Essex Regiment; transferred from 41st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade in November 1940
 * 72nd (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, RA – raised in 1938; transferred from London in November 1940

Postwar
On 1 January 1947, 40 AA Bde was redesignated 66 AA Bde in the reformed TA, with its HQ at RAF Coltishall and constituting part of 5 AA Group based in Nottingham. It had the following units under command:


 * 284 (1st East Anglian) (Mobile) HAA Regiment, RA – the former 78 HAA Regiment (see above)
 * 660 HAA Regiment, RA– newly organised from 409 (Suffolk) Independent AA Battery, previously part of 78 HAA Regiment
 * 530 (Essex) LAA Regiment, RA– the former 30 LAA Regiment (see above)

The brigade was disbanded in September 1948.

Online sources

 * British Army units from 1945 on


 * British Military History


 * Orders of Battle at Patriot Files


 * Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth (Regiments.org)


 * The Royal Artillery 1939–45


 * Graham Watson, The Territorial Army 1947