27th (Home Counties) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

27th (Home Counties) Anti-Aircraft Brigade (27 AA Bde) was an Air Defence formation of the British Army in World War II that served in The Blitz and later converted to infantry.

Origin
The brigade was first organised as 27th (Home Counties) AA Group on 15 December 1935 at RAF Kenley in Surrey. 27 AA Group came under the command of 1st AA Division (formed the previous day at RAF Uxbridge), which was responsible to London District for the growing number of Territorial Army (TA) anti-aircraft gun and searchlight units around London.

Order of Battle
The following units comprised 27th (Home Counties) AA Group on its formation:


 * 60th (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery (TA) (heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) gun unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 4th (City of London) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers)
 * HQ at Bromley
 * 168 Battery at Bromley
 * 169 Battery at Bromley
 * 194 Battery at Bromley


 * 30th (Surrey) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers (TA) (formed in 1935 from HQ Surrey Group AA Searchlight Companies RE)
 * HQ at Kingston upon Thames
 * 315 Company at Croydon
 * 316 Company at Kingston upon Thames
 * 318 Company at Guildford
 * 323 Company at Ewell


 * 31st (City of London Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) (searchlight unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 6th City of London Regiment (City of London Rifles))
 * HQ at Sutton
 * 324 Company at Sutton
 * 325 Company at Sutton
 * 326 Company at Merton
 * 327 Company at Hackbridge


 * 34th (The Queen's Own Royal West Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) (searchlight unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 20th London Regiment, affiliated to the The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment)
 * HQ at Blackheath
 * 320 Company at Greenwich
 * 336 Company at Blackheath
 * 337 Company at Blackheath
 * 338 Company at Eltham


 * 35th (First Surrey Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) (searchlight unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 21st London Regiment (1st Surrey Rifles) affiliated to the East Surrey Regiment)
 * HQ at Camberwell
 * 340th Company at Camberwell
 * 341st Company at Camberwell
 * 342nd Company at Camberwell
 * 343rd Company at Camberwell

The AA Groups took the more usual formation title of Brigades in 1938 after the Royal Artillery replaced its traditional unit designation 'Brigade' by the modern 'Regiment'.

Outbreak of war
During the period of tension leading to the Munich crisis and eventually the outbreak of World War II, the Territorial Army grew enormously, and existing TA infantry battalions continued to be converted to AA regiments. The number of divisions and brigades was expanded, and the whole AA defence of the United Kingdom was taken over by Anti-Aircraft Command on 1 April 1939. When the UK declared war on 3 September 1939, 27th (Home Counties) AA Bde was a searchlight formation in 6 AA Division (also based at Uxbridge) and had the following composition:


 * Brigade HQ: Lingfield, Surrey


 * 31st (City of London Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA)
 * HQ, 324, 325, 326, 327 Companies as before


 * 34th (The Queen's Own Royal West Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA)
 * HQ, 302, 336, 337, 338 Companies as before


 * 70th (Sussex) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (a newly formed TA Unit)
 * HQ, 459, 460, 461 Batteries all at Brighton

In August 1940, during the Battle of Britain, the RE 'Anti-Aircraft' (searchlight) battalions became regiments of the RA.

The Blitz
By late 1940, at the height of The Blitz, 27 AA Bde was serving in 5 AA Division covering the important naval base of Portsmouth, with the following regiments under command:


 * 31 (City of London Rifles) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA)


 * 70 (Sussex) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA)

The AA Corps and Divisions were disbanded and replaced on 1 October 1942 by new AA Groups. Late in 1944, 27 AA Bde was serving in 2 AA Group, covering the Solent, South-East England and southern East Anglia.

Conversion
By the end of 1944, 21st Army Group was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry. At the same time the German Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted. In January 1945 the War Office began to reorganise surplus anti-aircraft and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.

On 22 January 1945, HQ 27 AA Bde under Brigadier H.G. Smith was converted into 303rd Infantry Brigade with the following units under command:


 * 33rd (St Pancras) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA) (formed in 1935 by conversion of 19th London Regiment (St Pancras)) – became 632nd (St Pancras) Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery


 * 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment RA (TA) – became 634th (Middlesex) Infantry Regiment Royal Artillery


 * 38th (The King's Regiment) Searchlight Regiment RA (TA) (formed in 1936 by conversion of 6th (Rifle) Battalion The King's Regiment (Liverpool)) – became 635th (King's Regiment) Infantry Regiment Royal Artillery

After initial infantry training, 303 Bde was sent to Norway in June 1945 as part of the liberation of that country (Operation Doomsday).

External sources

 * British Military History


 * Imperial War Museum


 * Land Forces of Britain, the Empire, and Commonwealth


 * The Anti-Aircraft Defence Of The United Kingdom From 28th July, 1939, To 15th April, 1945 London Gazette


 * Orders of Battle


 * Patriot Files


 * The Royal Artillery 1939–1945