Re: British Home Guard Rocket Projectors

On Sep 15, 3:25 am, LIBERATOR <jgcho...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sep 15, 4:11 am, Rob Arndt <teuton...@xxxxxxx> wrote:





On Sep 15, 2:38 am, LIBERATOR <jgcho...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sep 14, 4:35 am, Rob Arndt <teuton...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

http://www.westwoodworks.net/HowItWas/WestwoodWorksInWW2/images/JAWD4...

The Anti-Aircraft Rocket Battery

In July 1942, the Northants 101st. A.A. Troop (101 Northants Home
Guard “Z” A.A. Battery) – the only such unit in the county - was
formed under the command of Lt. Col. E.W. Bromige. Their first home
was Unity Hall. Because of the extreme necessity for anti-aircraft
defence it was decided to use compulsory service Home Guard members
for the “Z” troop instead of robbing men from other units, although
some other compulsory service Home Guard members would also have gone
to other units. A number of the Westwood men joined the 101st Z
Battery and were trained to fire twin rail rocket projectors - anti-
aircraft devices of which there were 64 sited on the playing fields in
Fulbridge Road. The battery was formed of eight identical units who
took turns to man the battery - approximately 1,500 men in total. (See
Jim Deboo's account of his time with the unit below).

Directly under Anti-Aircraft Command for operations, a nucleus of
Regular Royal Artillery personnel – a battery commander (Major), a
second-in-command (Captain), four subalterns, one ATS officer, fifty
other ranks and fifty ATS – was camped on the Fulbridge Road playing
field site. These regular troops trained the Home Guard in basic
infantry skills, rocket projector drill, plotting and instrument
drill, aircraft recognition and anti-gas procedures. Each unit, or
relief, performed one whole night’s duty once a week – from seven
o’clock in the evening until they were released from the site (after
being given breakfast) to return to work at the usual starting times.
In similar batteries elsewhere in the country, members of the Home
Guard manned the guns one night in eight but this was not possible in
Peterborough due to the very high percentage of shift workers.

In March 1944, the A.A. Home Guard were regimented with the formation
of the 10th Home Guard A.A. Regiment, consisting of the batteries at
Peterborough, Leicester and Cambridge. At the same time, the rocket
projector was removed from the secret list and the Peterborough unit
became the 101 Northants Home Guard Rocket A.A. Battery.

~ Westwood Works in WW2

Rob

Did anti-aircraft guns ever keep track of how many kills they
achieved?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Of course they did, Germans liked to put rings around their gun
barrels ;)

Rob- Hide

I never saw that on antiaircraft guns, only tanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The Flak 88s were used in both roles as AT and AA, so most of the time
you can see both the victory rings on the barrels as well as the
stencils on the shields. Most smaller AA guns just had the kills on
their shields and it was a group effort. However, there were some flak
aces during the war awarded the Rittterkreuz by themselves.

Johann Muhr used the Flak 88 as AT, pure AA, as well as on a SPAAG:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/Krollspell666/MuhrJohann.jpg

Karl Joerss of the Kriegsmarine was credited with 12 a/c kills by
witnesses in the Med from the German transport "Dora". He operated
20mm guns- single, drilling, und vierling!
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/Krollspell666/JrssKarl.jpg

Rob
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: British Home Guard Rocket Projectors
    ... some other compulsory service Home Guard members would also have gone ... Battery and were trained to fire twin rail rocket projectors - anti- ... Did anti-aircraft guns ever keep track of how many kills they ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • Re: British Home Guard Rocket Projectors
    ... formed under the command of Lt. ... some other compulsory service Home Guard members would also have gone ... Battery and were trained to fire twin rail rocket projectors - anti- ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • British Home Guard Rocket Projectors
    ... The Anti-Aircraft Rocket Battery ... formed under the command of Lt. ... some other compulsory service Home Guard members would also have gone ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • Re: British Home Guard Rocket Projectors
    ... formed under the command of Lt. ... some other compulsory service Home Guard members would also have gone ... Battery and were trained to fire twin rail rocket projectors - anti- ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • Re: British Home Guard Rocket Projectors
    ... The Anti-Aircraft Rocket Battery ... some other compulsory service Home Guard members would also have gone ...
    (rec.aviation.military)