The Blitz 10th Anti-Aircraft Division (United Kingdom)

blitz devastation in sheffield city centre

the division s fighting units, organised 3 aa brigades, consisted of heavy anti-aircraft (haa) , light anti-aircraft (laa) gun regiments , searchlight (s/l) regiments of royal artillery. haa guns concentrated in gun defence areas (gdas) @ hull, leeds , sheffield. laa units distributed defend vulnerable points (vps) such factories , airfields, while s/l detachments disposed in clusters of three, spaced 10,400 yards (9,500 m) apart.

at time 10th aa division created, industrial towns of uk under regular attack night, limited aa defences replied best could. west yorkshire, despite important industrial facilities, steelworks, aircraft , ordnance factories, @ considerable distance luftwaffe s bases , less raided coastal targets , midlands. nevertheless, in 10th aa division s area, sheffield badly bombed on 12 , 15 december 1940 (the sheffield blitz), leeds on 14 march 1941 (the leeds blitz), hull on 18 march (the hull blitz) , on 7 , 8 may, when sheffield hit again.

troops of 9th battalion, hampshire regiment, helping clear bomb damage in hull.

there still few aa guns tasks set them, , in march 1941 aa command obliged shift haa guns sheffield liverpool, under heavier attack. position on laa gun sites worse: small numbers of bofors 40 mm guns available @ start of blitz, , laa detachments had make light machine guns (lmgs).

order of battle 1940–41

the division s composition during blitz follows:

31st (north midland) aa brigade – hq york: responsible west yorkshire

87th haa rgt – joined may 1941
38th laa rgt (part) – 2nd aa division may 1941
71st laa rgt
43rd (duke of wellington s) s/l rgt
49th (west yorkshire regiment) s/l rgt
54th (durham light infantry) s/l rgt


39th aa brigade – hq raf digby: responsible airfields , humber estuary

62nd (northumbrian) haa rgt
91st haa rgt
39th laa rgt
40th (sherwood foresters) s/l rgt
46th (lincolnshire regiment) s/l rgt – 7th aa division may 1941
84th s/l rgt




spotter , predictor operators @ 4.5-inch haa gun site in leeds, 20 march 1941.



62nd aa brigade – responsible leeds , sheffield

75th (home counties) (cinque ports) haa rgt
96th haa rgt
117th haa rgt – new regiment formed in december 1940
59th laa rgt – new regiment formed in october 1940


2nd aa z regiment – new divisional unit equipped z battery rocket launchers, formed in september 1940
10th aa divisional signals, royal corps of signals (rcs) – formed @ york november 1940
10th aa divisional royal army service corps (rasc)

914th company – 9th aa division may 1941
926th , 930th companies


10th aa divisional company, royal army medical corps (ramc)
10th aa divisional workshop company, royal army ordnance corps (raoc)




^ routledge, pp. 388-9, 93.
^ cite error: named reference pile invoked never defined (see page).
^ cite error: named reference collier17 invoked never defined (see page).
^ collier, appendix xxx , appendix xxxi
^ routledge, p. 394.
^ collier, chapter 18.
^ routledge, pp. 383–4, table lxvi, p. 397, p. 398.
^ cite error: named reference bmh invoked never defined (see page).
^ routledge, table lxv, p. 396.
^ farndale, annex d, pp. 257–9.
^ 10 aa division 1940 @ ra 39–45.
^ order of battle of non-field force units in united kingdom, part 27: aa command, 12 may 1941, amendments, national archives (tna), kew, file wo 212/79.
^ litchfield, p. 54.
^ 87 haa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 269.
^ 38 laa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ 71 laa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 268.
^ 43 s/l rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 259.
^ 49 s/l rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 57.
^ 54 s/l rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 250.
^ 62 haa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 266.
^ 91 haa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 144.
^ 39 laa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield. p. 41.
^ 40 s/l rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 143.
^ 46 s/l rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ 84 s/l rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 106.
^ 75 haa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ litchfield, p. 267.
^ 96 haa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ farndale, annex m.
^ 117 haa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ 59 laa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ 78 laa rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ 2 aa z rgt @ ra 39–45.
^ lord & watson, p. 251.