Anti-Aircraft Command


Anti-Aircraft Command was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom.

Origin

The formation of a Command-level body of anti-aircraft defences had been announced in 1938, but Anti-Aircraft Command was not formed until 1 April 1939 under General Sir Alan Brooke, who had been commander of Anti-Aircraft Corps. He then passed control to Sir Frederick Pile, who remained in command until the end of the war.
AA Command was under the operational direction of RAF Fighter Command as part of Air Defence of Great Britain, and occupied a headquarters known as Glenthorn in the grounds of Bentley Priory, home of Fighter Command.
The majority of AA Command's guns and searchlights were operated by Territorial Army units. Some Regular Army units joined after they returned from the Dunkirk evacuation. Later, as the war progressed, Regulars and TA were freed up for overseas service by the use of men of the Home Guard and women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

Organisation

Divisional

Divisions under the command were:
AA Command was also responsible for the Orkney and Shetland Defences.

Corps

At the end of 1940, the Command created three Corps to supervise this expanding organisation:
In October 1942, the corps and divisions were abolished and replaced by seven flexible AA Groups more closely aligned with the operational structure of Fighter Command:
Later, the 6th AA Group took over the Solent area to cover the preparations for Operation Overlord and was replaced in NE England by a new 8th Anti-Aircraft Group.
A new 9th Anti-Aircraft Group was formed to cover southern East Anglia during the flying bomb offensive.
On 1 April 1943, AA Command took over control of smoke screens from the Ministry of Home Security. These installations were manned by the Pioneer Corps.
In November 1944, the 3rd, 4th and 7th Anti-Aircraft Groups were disbanded, with the areas covered by the 2nd and 5th Anti-Aircraft Groups extended.

Postwar

When the TA was reformed after the Second World War in 1947, AA Command was generously provided for, with a large number of units, some of them including members of the Women's Royal Army Corps. It was structured in five regional AA Groups, each commanding a number of TA and Regular AA Brigades:
On 1 December 1954, it was announced that AA Command would be disbanded with effect from 10 March 1955.

Senior staff

The following officers held senior posts in AA Command:

General Officers Commanding-in-Chief