Showing posts with label D-D. Show all posts
Showing posts with label D-D. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2019

WVS - Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence

WVS > .

1938-5-16 Women's Voluntary Services (WVS) from 1938 to 1966 ⇒ Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) from 1966 to 2004 ⇒ WRVS from 2004 to 2013 ⇒ Royal Voluntary Service.

On 16 May 1938, the British government set out the objectives of the Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence or Women’s Voluntary Services for Air Raid Precautions:

It was seen “as the enrolment of women for Air Raid Precaution Services of Local Authorities, to help to bring home to every household what air attack may mean, and to make known to every household [in the country] what it can do to protect itself and the community.”

In the words of Home Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare, "as regards their civil defence functions, the Minister regards the Women's Voluntary Service as occupying ... much the same relationship as that of the women's auxiliary services for the armed forces of the Crown."

Hidden army - WVS .
Hidden army video - WVS .

The Women's Voluntary Services was founded in 1938 by Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading, as a British women's organisation to recruit women into the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) services to help in the event of War.

The WVS/WRVS was a voluntary organisation, and it was Lady Reading's vision that there would be no ranks. It was perhaps the only organisation where you could find a Duchess and a char lady working side by side. While many members of the WVS mucked in on pretty much all tasks, the idea of an organisation without a hierarchy would not have worked and so while there were no ranks, there were titles. Women were recruited for specific tasks, whether that was to drive ambulances, to be a member of a knitting work party or collect National Savings. Inevitably those women who signed up for one thing often ended up being co-opted for other work, especially if they showed aptitude.

The WVS was split into 12 Regions (using the same boundaries as Civil Defence) which started with 1 in the NE of England and moved clockwise down the country and back up. London was Region 12 and Scotland Region 11. Each Region had a Regional Administrator who was paid for by the Home Office. Under this each County had a County Organiser and 'staff' and below that were the Centres. During and after the Second World War, there were almost 2,000 WVS centres around Great Britain (as well as Northern Ireland during the war) each at the sharp end of providing help to their communities. Each was prominently positioned within a town or village and was run by a Centre Organiser appointed by Headquarters in London. Each Centre Organiser had a team of members who were responsible for different aspect of WVS work e.g. evacuation, Training, Food or Clothing. Under their direction were the 'ordinary' members.

The WVS played a key part in the evacuation of civilians from urban areas. The WVS had been asked to pinpoint areas of safety and billeting for evacuated children. Moving children out of the cities proved reasonably easy. Getting them to a known area of safety proved a lot more difficult as trains did not always arrive at an expected destination or would turn up at a reception point unexpectedly. The WVS is credited with helping to move 1.5 million people (the majority were children) out of cities in the early days of September 1939.

The WVS also played a major role in the collection of clothing required for the needy. In October 1939, Lady Reading broadcast to the United States about the need for clothing in the UK. The broadcast led to large quantities of clothing (known as "Bundles for Britain") being sent over to the United Kingdom by the American Red Cross. These were distributed from WVS Emergency Clothing Stores.

When troops returned to ports after the evacuation at Dunkirk, members of the WVS were there to greet them and hand out food, drink and warm clothing. The WVS base at the railway station in Headcorn, Kent was an especially busy place for feeding returning soldiers before they dispersed—a spit was installed so that meat could be roasted there and then. The WVS also played a vital part during the Blitz of London and other cities.

By the time of the Blitz, women in the WVS were adept at providing food and drink around the clock. While ARP wardens and firemen fought the fires, women in the WVS set up mobile canteens to keep them refreshed, thus placing themselves in serious physical danger with collapsing buildings a constant threat. When the raids ended, the WVS also played a part in looking after those who were injured and had lost their homes. Records indicate that the WVS dealt with and helped over 10,000 people every night of the Blitz.

As the Blitz lasted for 57 nights, the WVS helped in total a vast number of people who went to their rest centres. Some people stayed just for a night—many stayed for much longer and stretched the resources of the WVS to the limit. In Barnes, one WVS member fed 1,200 bomb victims in just one day, cooking in her own kitchen.

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the work done by the WVS during the Blitz: the rest centres provided shelter, food, and importantly, sanitation. But working so near to the centre of the bombing inevitably led to casualties. 241 members of the WVS were killed during the Blitz and many more were wounded. 25 WVS offices were destroyed.

The WVS began running IIPs (Incident Inquiry Points), places where people came to find out about their loved ones who were in an area that had been bombed in order to free the ARP to work with the fire brigade. The WVS also helped with the Queen's Messenger Food Convoys which took food to areas in need after a bombing raid. The people who survived the bombing of Coventry received help from one of the convoys with 14,000 meals being served.

By 1941, one million women belonged to the WVS. Their work did not slacken after the end of the Luftwaffe's bombing raids. The Battle of the Atlantic and the devastating toll of merchant ships sunk by U-boats led to shortages in Great Britain. The WVS did all that it could to assist in the collection of required material for the war effort and also to educate people not to waste what they had.

Each WVS centre had its own Salvage Officer and Food Leader. The Food Leader did whatever was required at a local level to assist the authorities in the complicated task of food rationing. Educational pamphlets were produced and lectures held. The WVS organised campaigns such as 'Salute the Soldier', 'Wings for Victory', 'Spitfire Funds' and Warship Week.

In the buildup to D-Day, the expertise the WVS had in catering was put to use again. The skills learned during the Blitz were again put to good use when the V1 and V2 rockets fell on London. Once again, the WVS played a key role in evacuation. With the success of D-Day, the WVS moved into Europe to support troops there. The first WVS abroad had landed in Italy with the success of the invasion there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Voluntary_Service .

Women's Voluntary Service: 'The army Hitler forgot' .
https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/about-us/our-history .
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1419318354/hidden-histories-of-a-million-wartime-women .
https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/about-us/our-history/timeline-list .
https://www.mylearning.org/stories/women-at-war-the-role-of-women-during-ww2/480 .
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/categories/c54954/ .
http://www.caringonthehomefront.org.uk/search-the-library/volunteering/ .
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a6651894.shtml .
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/71/a3384371.shtml .

44-12-3 Home Guard Stands Down ..
Voluntary Organisations ..
Women's Institute .. 
Women's Voluntary Service .. 

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

D-Day innovations

Lies and Deceptions that made D-Day possible - IWM > .

Analog & Digital Computing  


1. TIDE-PREDICTION MACHINE
In 1942, British mathematician Arthur Thomas Doodson had begun working on existing models of tide-prediction machines - essentially mechanised calculators that could reveal tidal patterns. In 1944, using his specially modified machine >, Doodson identified the exact time the landings should take place (H-Hour) and that D-Day should fall between 5 and 7 June.
The development of specialised landing craft had begun early in the war. D-Day vessels ranged from tiny Assault Landing Craft to huge Landing Ships. Other landing craft were fitted with guns or rockets. There was even a 'Landing Barge, Kitchen'. Equipment could be brought directly onto the beaches, providing a short-term solution to the problem of securing the harbours and ports needed for the immediate build-up of men and materiel. 

3. HORSA GLIDERS
Gliders ..
Horsa gliders were first produced in 1942 and made significant contributions to airborne assaults throughout the latter part of the Second World War. On D-Day, these gliders were used on an unprecedented scale to transport troops and supplies to Normandy. They were towed by transport or bomber aircraft before gliding into the landing zone, where supplies could be retrieved. Gliders transported heavier equipment that could not be delivered via parachute drops or when using larger transport aircraft was not possible. The hinged nose and removable tail section allowed cargo to be unloaded relatively easily without damaging the overall structure. But gliders were flimsy – constructed mainly of wood and fabric – and were difficult to operate. They would often violently break apart on landing, especially during improvised or crash landings.

4. 'HOBART'S FUNNIES' AND AVRES
Crocodiles, Donald Duck, Landing Craft ..
Hobart's Funnies ..
These unusual vehicles played an important role on D-Day and throughout the Battle of Normandy. The failed raid at Dieppe in August 1942 exposed how difficult it was to land armoured vehicles during an amphibious invasion and to break through German coastal defences with insufficient armoured support. As a result, armoured vehicles were designed to perform specialist tasks and reinforce ground troops on D-Day. These vehicles were nicknamed 'Hobart's Funnies' after their inventor, Major-General Sir Percy Hobart. They include the Duplex Drive (DD) 'swimming' tank; the 'Crocodile' flamethrower tank and the 'Crab' mine-clearing flail tank. Although the Funnies had been used in simulation and training exercises, they had not been tested in combat until D-Day. Modified vehicles known as AVREs (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineer) were created by adding specialised devices to tanks. One example, the 'bobbin' carpet layer tank, laid reinforced matting on sandy beaches so other vehicles could drive across the soft surface.

5. MULBERRY HARBOURS
Mulberry Harbours ..
Mulberry Harbours WW2: Disaster at Dieppe led to D-Day success - IWM > .
After D-Day, the Allies needed to continually build up reinforcements of men and supplies in Normandy to sustain the invasion's momentum. Previous experience taught the Allies hard but important lessons about the need to secure harbours and ports - harbours to provide protection from bad weather and rough seas, and ports to provide a place to ferry men and cargo. The planners responsible for 'Overlord' proposed creating two artificial harbours - codenamed 'Mulberries' - by sinking outdated ships ('Corncobs') and large concrete structures ('Phoenixes'). Adding floating roadways and piers (codenamed 'Whales') would allow them to use the beachhead as an improvised port.

6. PLUTO
PLUTO - short for 'pipeline under the ocean' - supplied petrol from Britain to Europe via an underwater network of flexible pipes. It gave the Allied forces access to enough petrol to fuel aircraft and vehicles and to sustain the momentum of their advance. Two PLUTO pipelines ran from the Isle of Wight to Port-en-Bessin - the linkup point between Omaha and Gold beaches. Another pipeline was added later, running from Dungeness on the Kent coast to Boulogne in France, and the PLUTO network continued to expand as the Allies advanced across Europe. The 3-inch-wide pipeline was wound around giant floating spools called 'conundrums' - like the one in this photograph - and then unrolled across the Channel.

7. GERMAN DEFENCES
Atlantikwall .. 
German Defences ..
When Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was put in charge of German defences in Normandy, he believed that any invasion would come at high tide, when the beachhead was at its narrowest and troops would be vulnerable to German fire for the shortest period of time. He therefore devised a series of obstacles adapted for use under water that would be completely concealed during mid and high tides. The jagged edges of iron 'hedgehogs', pictured above, could tear through the bottom of landing craft. Some were rigged with explosives that would detonate on impact. Round, flat land mines (called 'teller mines' after the German word for 'plate') were attached to wooden posts wedged into the sand and would explode when they came into contact with landing craft. Inland, Rommel also designed a network of large posts fixed vertically into the ground that prevented gliders from landing in open areas. These defences were nicknamed 'Rommel's Asparagus'.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Weather Prediction - wartime

The North Atlantic weather war occurred during WW2. The Allies (Britain in particular) and Germany tried to gain a monopoly on weather data in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Meteorological intelligence was important as it affected military planning and the routing of ships and convoys. In some circumstances, visibility was necessary (photographic reconnaissance and bombing raids) and in others concealment (keeping ship movements secret or suppressing enemy air activity). D-day planning was greatly affected by weather forecasting; it was delayed by one day in the expectation that a storm would blow out and sea conditions would be acceptable. British sources of data included ships at sea and the weather stations at Valentia Observatory and Blacksod Point, in neutral Ireland; German use of weather ships also exposed their secret Enigma codes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_weather_war .

Weather Station Kurt (Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26) was an automatic weather station, erected by a German U-boat crew in northern Labrador, Dominion of Newfoundland in October 1943. Installing the equipment for the station was the only known armed German military operation on land in North America during the Second World War. After the war it was forgotten until its rediscovery in 1977.

Weather systems in temperate climates predominantly move from west to east. This gave the Allies an important advantage. The Allied network of weather stations in North America, Greenland, and Iceland allowed the Allies to make more accurate weather forecasts than the Germans. German meteorologists had weather reports sent by U-boats and weather ships, such as Lauenburg, operating in the North Atlantic. They also had reports from clandestine weather stations in remote parts of the Arctic and readings collected over the Atlantic by specially equipped weather aircraft. However, the ships and clandestine stations were easily captured by the Allies during the early part of the war. Data from aircraft was incomplete as they were limited in range and susceptible to Allied attack. Regular weather reporting by U-boats put them at risk as it broke radio silence, allowing the Allies to locate them and track their movements by radio triangulation.

To gather more weather information, the Germans developed the Wetter-Funkgerät Land (WFL) automatic weather station. It was designed by Dr. Ernst Ploetze and Edwin Stoebe. Twenty-six were manufactured by Siemens. The WFL had an array of measuring instruments, a telemetry system and a 150 watt, Lorenz 150 FK-type transmitter. It consisted of ten cylindrical canisters, each 1 metre (3.3 ft) by c.47 cm diameter (1.5 metres (4.9 ft) circumference) and weighing around 100 kilograms (220 lb). One canister contained the instruments and was attached to a 10-metre (33 ft) antenna mast. A second, shorter mast carried an anemometer and wind vane. The other canisters contained the nickel-cadmium batteries that powered the system. The WFL would send weather readings every three hours during a two-minute transmission on 3940 kHz. The system could work for up to six months, depending on the number of battery canisters.

Fourteen stations were deployed in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions (Greenland, Bear Island, Spitsbergen, and Franz Josef Land) and five were placed around the Barents Sea. Two were intended for North America. One was deployed in 1943 by the German submarine U-537, but the submarine carrying the other, U-867, was sunk in September 1944 northwest of Bergen, Norway, by a British air attack.[1]

On September 18, 1943, U-537, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Peter Schrewe, departed from Kiel, Germany on her first combat patrol. She carried WFL-26, codenamed "Kurt", a meteorologist, Dr. Kurt Sommermeyer, and his assistant, Walter Hildebrant. En route, the U-boat was caught in a storm and a large breaker produced significant damage, including leaks in the hull and the loss of the submarine's quadruple anti-aircraft cannon, leaving it both unable to dive and defenceless against Allied aircraft.

On October 22, U-537 arrived at Martin Bay in Northern Labrador, at a position 60°5′0.2″N 64°22′50.8″WCoordinates: 60°5′0.2″N 64°22′50.8″W.[3] This is close to Cape Chidley at the north-eastern tip of the Labrador Peninsula. Schrewe selected a site this far north as he believed this would minimize the risk of the station being discovered by Inuit people. Within an hour of dropping anchor, a scouting party had located a suitable site, and soon after Dr. Sommermeyer, his assistant, and ten sailors disembarked to install the station. Armed lookouts were posted on nearby high ground, and other crew members set to repair the submarine's storm damage.

For concealment, the station was camouflaged. Empty American cigarette packets were left around the site to deceive any Allied personnel that chanced upon it, and the equipment was marked as the property of the non-existent "Canadian Meteor Service" (at the time, the area was part of the Dominion of Newfoundland and not part of Canada until 1949). The crew worked through the night to install Kurt and repair their U-boat. They finished just 28 hours after dropping anchor and, after confirming the station was working, U-537 departed. The weather station functioned for only a month before it permanently failed under mysterious circumstances, possibly because its radio transmissions were jammed. The U-boat undertook a combat patrol in the area of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, during which she survived three attacks by Canadian aircraft, but sank no ships. The submarine reached port at Lorient, France on December 8, after seventy days at sea. She was sunk with all hands eleven months later on November 11, 1944 by the submarine USS Flounder near the Dutch East Indies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Station_Kurt .
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/weather-station-kurt.html .
https://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=328 .

Greenland ..

Monday, February 25, 2019

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Mulberry Harbours

3D - Mulberry Harbour - Arromanches, August 1944 > .
24-6-4 D-Day Shipping: Battle of Atlantic, Liberty Ships, LSTs - Shipping > .
Lies and Deceptions that made D-Day possible - IWM > .
June 6th 1944 - The Light of Dawn 1 - Doc > .
Mulberry Harbours WW2: Disaster at Dieppe led to D-Day success - IWM > .

Two years before D-Day and Operation Overlord, the Allies mounted a daring rehearsal raid on the French port of Dieppe. The attack ended in disaster, but out of its ashes came one of the greatest unsung inventions of the Second World War, one that would keep the Allies in the fight when they returned to invade Normandy: the Mulberry Harbours. 

Unable to capture a French port, the Allies decided to build their own, float them across the channel and built them on the French coast. Together, the Mulberry Harbours brought in the millions of tonnes of supplies needed to help the Allies break out of Normandy and into Germany itself.

After D-Day, the Allies needed to continually build up reinforcements of men and supplies in Normandy to sustain the invasion's momentum. Previous experience taught the Allies hard but important lessons about the need to secure harbours and ports - harbours to provide protection from bad weather and rough seas, and ports to provide a place to ferry men and cargo. The planners responsible for 'Overlord' proposed creating two artificial harbours - codenamed 'Mulberries' - by sinking outdated ships ('Corncobs') and large concrete structures ('Phoenixes'). Adding floating roadways and piers (codenamed 'Whales') would allow them to use the beachhead as an improvised port.

Discover D-Day: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/dday/
7 clever invention from D-Day: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/7-clev...
Why D-Day was so important to Allied victory: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/why-d-...

Friday, January 11, 2019

Observer Corps - ROC

.
Battle Of Britain: Hugh "Stuffy" Dowding - The Man Who Saved A Nation - War > .

The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a civil defence organisation intended for the visual detection, identification, tracking and reporting of aircraft over Great Britain. It operated in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down (ROC headquarters staff at RAF Bentley Priory stood down on 31 March 1996). Composed mainly of civilian spare-time volunteers, ROC personnel wore a Royal Air Force (RAF) style uniform and latterly came under the administrative control of RAF Strike Command and the operational control of the Home Office. Civilian volunteers were trained and administered by a small cadre of professional full-time officers under the command of the Commandant Royal Observer Corps; latterly a serving RAF Air Commodore.

In 1925, following a Defence Committee initiative undertaken the previous year, the formation of an RAF command concerning the Air Defence of Great Britain led to the provision of a Raid Reporting System, itself delegated to a sub-committee consisting of representatives from the Air Ministry, Home Office and the General Post Office. This Raid Reporting System was to provide for the visual detection, identification, tracking and reporting of aircraft over Great Britain, and was eventually to become known as the Observer Corps. The Observer Corps was subsequently awarded the title Royal by His Majesty King George VI in April 1941, in recognition of service carried out by Observer Corps personnel during the Battle of Britain.

Throughout the remainder of the Second World War, the ROC continued to complement and at times replace the Chain Home defensive radar system by undertaking an inland aircraft tracking and reporting function, while Chain Home provided a predominantly coastal, long-range tracking and reporting system. With the advent of the Cold War, the ROC continued in its primary role of aircraft recognition and reporting, and in 1955 was allocated the additional task of detecting and reporting nuclear explosions and associated fall-out. By 1965, thanks to advances in (radar) technology, most roles and responsibilities relating to aircraft had been withdrawn and the ROC assumed the role of field force for the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO); a role which the ROC continued until the early 1990s and the cessation of the Cold War.

The Royal Observer Corps was a uniformed volunteer organisation, which has enjoyed a long association with the Royal Air Force. The badge of the Royal Observer Corps depicts a beacon lighter of Elizabethan times; these beacon-lighters were recruited from the local population and were organised and paid for by the County Sheriff, to care for and light the warning beacons in the event of approaching danger. The motto of the Royal Observer Corps is: "Forewarned is Forearmed"

With the passing of years, the political situation in Europe deteriorated and in January 1935, the Boyd Committee recommended that the Observer Corps should expand in four stages. It was in 1936 that the Corps became part of the newly formed Fighter Command under Lord Dowding and moved its headquarters to RAF Bentley Priory, Stanmore, Middlesex. From this time until the start of World War ll, new Observer Corps Groups were rapidly formed and on 24 August 1939, when the Corps was mobilised, the greater part of the country was covered by Observer Corps posts.

The Corps won its spurs during the Battle of Britain and in his despatch, Lord Dowding said, “ It is important to note that, at this time the Observer Corps constituted the whole means of tracking enemy raids once they had crossed the coastline, their work throughout was quite invaluable, without it, air raid warning systems could not have been operated and inland interceptions would rarely have been made. 

Because the RDF of 1940 was useless once the Luftwaffe had crossed the coast, all inland sightings were passed from a network of Observer Corps posts to their group control centre, thence to the Filter Room and Control Room. Plots were triangulated before being passed up the chain to Fighter Command via RAF sector controls. In recognition of the invaluable work done by the Observer Corps, an announcement was made in the House of Commons on 9 April 1941 that, His Majesty King George Vl had granted the Corps the title “Royal”. It was the only organisation so honoured during the war years. 

On Saturday 10 May 1941, ROC posts in the Durham, Galashiels and Glasgow Groups were responsible for tracking and reporting what transpired to be the arrival of Rudolph Hess. The aircraft was first heard and reported by Durham post A2 Embleton, it was then seen as a silhouette in the moonlight by post A3 Chatton and correctly identified as a ME110. The controller at No 13 Group Fighter Command refused to accept that it was a ME110 because of its limited range and suggested that it must be a Dornier 17. The aircraft continued on its westerly course and was seen briefly by the observers at F2 Jedburgh and G1 Ashkirk who reported it as a ME110, the track was lost for a time over the unobserved forest of Ettrick. The aircraft was next seen and reported by post G3 West Kilbride as a ME110, a few minutes later post H2 Eaglesham reported seeing someone bale out, the aircraft crashed close to the Eaglesham post and the rest is history.

In September 1941, due to the increased call-up of manpower, women were admitted to the Corps, as in all other branches of the Services they did sterling work and acquitted themselves with distinction.

In addition to reporting all aircraft flying over land, or the sea belt adjoining the coastline, ROC personnel on duty also assisted aircraft that were lost or in distress. To achieve this, personnel at selected observation posts were issued with TR9D HF short-range radio sets (code named Darky) and on receipt of an aircraft distress call, they would if possible make contact and give the ROC post location. If the aircraft required to land immediately, the observers would advise a course to steer to the nearest airfield or landing ground. Other selected ROCposts located near mountainous terrain would light red flares to warn aircraft if they were in danger of flying into high ground, the code name for this operation was (Granite). The combined efforts of Darky and Granite saved a great many allied aircraft and their crews.

During the final stages of hostilities, concern was expressed at the number of friendly aircraft being shot down by the Royal Naval anti-aircraft gunners and as a result, a call went out for volunteers from the ROC to man the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS) to identify aircraft during the D-Day Landings. The scheme was known as ‘SEABORNE’ and the volunteers temporarily joined the Royal Navy with the rank of Petty Officer/Aircraft Identifier. These volunteers continued to wear ROC uniform, but wore SEABORNE shoulder flashes and a Royal Navy brassard with the letters RN. Twenty two Seaborne observers survived their ships being sunk, two lost their lives and a number were injured. The Seaborne adventure was an unqualified success and in recognition of this, His Majesty King George Vl approved the wearing of the SEABORNE flash as a permanent feature of the uniform; in addition, ten Seaborne members were mentioned in despatches. Today there is a Seaborne Observers’ Association, of which Air Vice-Marshal G P Black CB OBE AFC RAF (Rtd) is the honorary President.

At the cessation of hostilities, the ROCwas stood down in May 1945."

http://www.rocassoc.org/open/national/roca/hist_ng2.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Observer_Corps
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/battle-of-britain/the-observer-corps/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/16/a4282616.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/54/a8470154.shtml

http://cyclopstv.co.uk/productions/sentinels-of-britain/ .

https://youtu.be/0NbJ7HqLPRU?t=12m9s .

(Royal) Observer Corps I can see for miles and miles ....

"On a clear day, you can see for miles and miles and miles.

The old saying turns out to be just about true. For a six-foot tall person, the horizon is a little more than 3 miles (5 km) away.

Geometry tells us that the distance of the horizon – i.e. the farthest point the eye can see before Earth curves out beneath our view – depends simply on the height of the observer. For example, if you stood atop Mount Everest (which is 29,029 feet, or 8,848 meters tall), the horizon would be about 230 miles (370 km) away."

http://www.livescience.com/32111-how-far-away-is-the-horizon.html

"Dust, water vapour and pollution in the air will rarely let you see more than 20 kilometres (12 miles), even on a clear day. Often, the curvature of the Earth gets in the way first – eg at sea level, the horizon is only 4.8 kilometres (2.9 miles) away. On the top of Mt Everest, you could theoretically see for 339 kilometres (211 miles), but in practice cloud gets in the way. For a truly unobstructed view though, look up. On a clear night, you can see the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye, which is 2.25 million light years away."

http://www.howitworksdaily.com/what-is-the-maximum-distance-the-human-eye-can-see-if-unobstructed/

"The short answer is that a person of average height can see almost three miles at sea level, actually 2.8 miles to be exact. However, that answer assumes that the person's eyes are at six feet above sea level and the conditions are near perfect.

For a more thorough, you might want to look at what John Rousmaniere has written in his very useful tome, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, but I'll summarize that here. In his chapter on navigation aids, he explains two ranges of visibility. One he terms the "nominal range of visibility," and the other the "geographic range of visibility." The former, says Rousmaniere, relates to the visibility of the light from a lighthouse, for instance. A light from a lighthouse may be bright enough to have a nominal range of visibility that measures 13 miles, but its geographic range of visibility—the distance at which you can actually see the lighthouse—would be much smaller. You can find a standard table of distances listed in Rousmaniere's book on page 214, with references to the height off the water required to see those distances.

The kind of visibility that you're asking about—geographical visibility—refers to the distance at which any object can be seen. This distance is limited by the curvature of the earth, and it's greatly influenced by height. Of course atmospheric conditions will also influence this distance, but for the purposes of this explanation let's just assume they are perfectly clear: no clouds, no haze, no smog. Let's say same the same hypothetical lighthouse is 50 feet tall. According to Rousmaniere's table, it would only be visible for 8.1 miles. Now, if you were standing on deck aboard a medium-sized sailboat and you were of average height, that would put your eyes about 10 feet off the water. From that vantage point, you should be able see 3.6 nautical miles, but you could see the light house at a distance of 11.7 n.m. (According to Rousmaniere's table, the 50-foot-high lighthouse is visible for 8.1 n.m. Combine that with your geographic range of visibility at 10 feet above sea level [3.6 n.m.] and you get a distance of 11.7 n.m.)

So whoever told you that you should be able to see the horizon from the shore 13 miles away was mistaken. If you could climb a 130-foot tower, then yes, you could see 13.1 miles out to sea. Or if the object at sea was 125 feet off the water, then you should be able to see it from a shoreline 13 miles away (125 feet added to your own five-or-so feet of height)."

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising-articles/20525-sea-level-visibility.html . 

Post Plotting Instrument & Micklethwait Height Corrector

'‘The Observer Instrument Mk 2A, designed by an Engineer named Captain Ball of Hampshire. Part of the instrument comprised ‘The Micklethwait Height Correction Attachment’, which allowed for heights to be corrected between two posts plotting the same aircraft.

The Correction Height Procedure was as follows :-

1. An observer estimated the height of an aircraft and set the height on the height bar.
2. The aircraft was sighted and the grid position shown by the instrument pointer was reported to the Ops Room. It should be noted that the aircraft grid position was only as accurate as the accuracy of the estimated height. It was necessary for at least one other post to carryout this procedure as well.
3. Using cross plotting the Ops Room plotter could ascertain the true position of the aircraft and he would quickly inform the posts of this grid position.
4. The post observer would then slide the Micklethwait cranked pointer on to the true grid position and read off the true height of the aircraft on the Micklethwait Height bar. This would then be set on the instrument height bar for all subsequent plots.

http://www.rocassoc.org/open/items/09/mickle.htm
http://www.roc-heritage.co.uk/post-instrument.html
http://www.roc-heritage.co.uk/uploads/7/6/8/9/7689271/use_of_post_instrument.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Instrument

http://www.roc-heritage.co.uk/operations-centre-clock.html
http://www.roc-heritage.co.uk/aircraft-recognition.html

OC New Forest
https://youtu.be/0NbJ7HqLPRU?t=12m9s . 

Two men of the Royal Observer Corps on a cliff top near Dover, 1943.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Territorial Army, Reserved Occupations, 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, BEF

Territorial Army | Reserved Occupations | 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division | BEF

Up The Terriers Aka Territorial Army Recruiting (1939)

The Class Z Reserve was a Reserve contingent of the British Army consisting of previously enlisted soldiers, now discharged.

The first Z Reserve was authorised by an Army Order of 3 December 1918. When expected problems with violations of the Armistice with Germany did not eventuate, the Z Reserve was abolished on 31 March 1920

Following the Second World War, a new Z Reserve of soldiers and officers who had served between 3 September 1939 and 31 December 1948 were available for recall if under 45 years of age.
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The Army Reserve (previously known as the Territorial Force, Territorial Army (TA) and the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) from 1920 to 2014) was created as the Territorial Force in 1908 by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane, when the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 combined the previously civilian-administered Volunteer Force, with the mounted Yeomanry (at the same time the Militia was renamed the Special Reserve). Most Volunteer infantry units had unique identities, but lost these in the reorganisation, becoming Territorial battalions of Regular Army infantry regiments. Only one infantry unit, the London Regiment, has maintained a separate identity.

During periods of total war, the Army Reserve is incorporated by the Royal Prerogative into Regular Service under one code of Military Law for the duration of hostilities or until de-activation is decided upon. After the Second World War, for example, the Army Reserve - or Territorial Army as it was known then - was not demobilised until 1947.

New recruiting started in early 1920, and the Territorial Force was reconstituted on 7 February 1920. ... As part of the post-war "Geddes Axe" financial cuts, the TA was further reduced in size in 1922: artillery batteries lost two of their six guns, the established size of infantry battalions was cut and ancillary medical, veterinary, signals and Royal Army Service Corps units were either reduced in size or abolished. The bounty was also reduced to £3 for trained men and £2.10s 0d for recruits, which resulted in finding £1,175,000 of the total savings required from the army as a whole. An innovation in 1922 was the creation of two Air Defence Brigades to provide anti-aircraft defence for London.

On 29 March 1939, it was announced that the size of the TA was to be doubled by the reforming of the 2nd line units. The total strength of the TA was to be 440,000: the field force of the Territorial Army was to rise from 130,000 to 340,000, organised in 26 divisions, while an additional 100,000 all ranks would form the anti-aircraft section. When the 2nd Line was reformed, they were a little different from their First World War predecessors. They had slightly different names and the regiments assigned were different. After VJ Day in August 1945, the Territorial Army was significantly reduced, with all 2nd Line and several 1st Line Divisions once again disbanded.
In 1938, a Schedule of Reserved Occupations was created with the goal of exempting skilled workers from being conscripted into service. This idea was drawn up because of lessons learned during World War I when many skilled labourers were drawn into service, which created problems where positions needed filling. Examples of reserved occupations in the Second World War included coal mining, ship building, and many engineering-related trades. The idea was constantly reviewed throughout the war, as women, again, began to work more in industries such as munitions. This meant that men were free to join other organisations such as the Special Constabulary, the Home Guard or the ARP.

It also allowed for men to join up and give them responsibilities towards the war effort, as well as allowing for them to be less stressed about not being able to directly be involved in the action. Also, many pacifists and conscientious objectors worked in reserved occupations as a compromise or to avoid call-up. Harper Adams Agricultural College saw a huge demand for places during the Second World War, as both agricultural students and farmers were exempt from conscription.
In the UK, coal mining was not a reserved occupation at the start of the war, and there was a great shortage of coal miners. Consequently, starting in December 1943, one in ten men conscripted was chosen at random to work in the mines. These men became known as "Bevin Boys" after the creator of the scheme, Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour and National Service.

The territorial division, by now designated as the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, was mobilized on 3 September 1939 on the outbreak of the Second World War. Initially in Southern and then Eastern Commands, the division, under the command of Major-General Edmund Osborne, was sent overseas where it joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France and Belgium on 1 April 1940, and was assigned to III Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Ronald Forbes Adam. It took part in the Battle of St Omer-La Bassée (23–29 May) during the retreat to Dunkirk. At the end of May 1940 they were evacuated at Dunkirk after the German Army threatened to cut off and destroy the entire BEF from the French Army during the battles of France and Belgium.

After returning to England the division, much reduced in manpower and woefully short of equipment, and now under the command of Major-General Arthur Percival (who had taken command in late June 1940, until late March the following year), spent the next nearly two years on home defence, anticipating a German invasion which never arrived, travelling variously through the counties of Kent and Sussex and serving under I and XII Corps.

On 29 May 1942, the division, now under the control of the War Office and commanded by Major-General Ivor Hughes, departed the United Kingdom to take part in the North African Campaign. It arrived in Cairo, Egypt on 24 July – the long sea journey being due to transiting via the Cape of Good Hope.

Less than three weeks after its arrival, however, the division was soon ordered by General Sir Harold Alexander (replacing General Sir Claude Auchinleck on 13 August), the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), Middle East, to be sent forward to join the British Eighth Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery, at El Alamein. The 44th Division, serving under XIII Corps under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks (a former commander of the division between June 1941 and March 1942), fought at the Battle of Alam el Halfa (30 August–7 September) where the 132nd Brigade was temporarily detached to the 2nd New Zealand Division and suffered heavily, with just under 700 casualties being sustained.

On 8 September, the 133rd Brigade was detached from the division. It was briefly assigned to the 8th Armoured Division before being assigned to the 10th Armoured Division on 29 September as a lorried infantry unit. Therefore, as a result of this change, the division started the Battle of El Alamein (23 October–4 November) with just two brigades. It was still assigned to XIII Corps,[59] alongside the 7th Armoured and 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Divisions. The Corps was on the southern flank with the task of tying down enemy reserves while the main thrust was made in the north with XXX and X Corps. The division was further reduced when the 131st Brigade was also detached. It joined the 7th Armoured Division on 1 November, likewise as a lorried infantry brigade, as its original brigade (the 7th Motor) had been transferred to the 1st Armoured Division.

The Battle of El Alamein was the 44th Division's last action; it was disbanded on 31 January 1943. The 132nd and 133rd Brigade were dispersed, with the battalions ending up as British battalions in British Indian Army brigades. The 131st Brigade continued to serve with the 7th Armoured Division for the rest of the war, taking part in the rest of the North African Campaign, culminating in May 1943 with the surrender of almost 250,000 Axis soldiers as prisoners of war, the Allied invasion of Italy from September–November 1943, and in the campaign in North-West Europe from June 1944 until Victory in Europe Day in May 1945.


Men were expected to do basic training at their local Drill Hall, usually one or two nights a week, for which they received small expenses, and to attend an annual camp, when they were paid as full time soldiers. They also received a Bounty for regular attendance.

The TF was created for home defence but were asked to volunteer to serve abroad. Battalions garrisoned Malta and Gibraltar in September 1914 and the East Lancashire Division went to Egypt.

The first TF infantry sent to France were 14th battalion, London Regiment (London Scottish), who fought at Messines on 31st October 1914. The TF had their own port and base camp at Rouen and other units were gradually transferred to bolster the Expeditionary Force. TF Divisions fought on many fronts during the war.
After WW1 the TF was disbanded as the army reorganised on a peacetime basis, but in 1920 was reconstituted as The Territorial Army. In a long period of defence cuts the TA was an easy target and suffered from lack of money.

They continued to recruit and maintain a basic strength, holding their annual camps (which continued to be a draw for many men, promising a fortnight’s full army pay, good army food and the adventure of military training in the open). To aid recruiting some units added bars, billiard and reading rooms to their Drill Halls.

As WW2 loomed the Bounty and travelling expenses were increased and more allowances paid. By the summer of 1938, buoyed by new recruits, the TA was bigger than at any time after 1920. They were even beginning to see new equipment though, as ever, the Regulars took priority.

Most Yeomanry units replaced their horses with armoured cars. Other units retrained as searchlight and anti-aircraft units. The Munich Crisis of September 1938 saw 58,000 Territorials called up to man anti-aircraft guns around London and thousands more men were recruited. TA units trained alongside Regular Army units at their summer camps in 1938 and 1939.
On the outbreak of WW2 the Government formally incorporated the TA into the British Army. By early 1940 three former Territorial Divisions were in France, the 48th (South Midland), 50th (Northumbrian) and 51st (Highland). At Dunkirk 50th Division fought until their ammunition ran out to allow the maximum number of men to evacuate.

In the 1941 Syrian campaign the Cheshire Yeomanry became the last British unit to go into battle on horseback, crossing the frontier with swords, cap badges and stirrup irons blackened. Other TA units retrained as tank battalions and former TA units fought in the desert, in Italy, at D-Day and on into Germany.
A soldier emerges from the 'mud bath' during training at the 44th Division's battle school near Tonbridge in Kent, 22 April 1942.

Phoney war and Blitzkrieg: the territorial army in 1939–1940
At the ‘outbreak of war in 1939, the Regular army was augmented by Territorials and militia to make up the British Expeditionary Force. By May 1940, they had suffered serious defeats which, given that the Territorials had theoretically been training for years, raised worrying questions. Here Peter Caddick‐Adams explores why the TA was in fact so unprepared for war, tracing back from its initial deployment the roots the problems encountered in. out of date equipment, training, recruitment and leadership, highlighting the dichotomy’ between peacetime and wartime ‘needs. These shortcomings were exacerbated by a lack of understanding of German strength and tactics, which contributed to the defeats encountered in Belgium. After considering the credible performance of the TA against the odds, Captain Caddick‐Adams discusses the poor financing and lack of commitment on the part of the authorities during, the 1930s. Despite these difficulties, TA units performed credibly, and with increasing importance and ability throughout the war. While the TA may be much better integrated into toddy's military capabilities the author concludes that current feelings of under‐ funding and undervalue still prevail and need to be countered if today's TA is not to be taken for granted.

In the late 1930s neither the regular army nor the TA were getting enough recruits. In 1937-8 the regular army, with an establishment of about 200,000 was some 20,000 under strength, and took only 50,000 recruits compared to 70,000 in 1932. However, in April 1939 the Secretary of State for War announced the regular army's total strength as 224,000. The increasing threat of war was gaining recruits, particularly those who wanted to be sure of serving in the regiment or corps of their choice. Most TA units were well under strength, and in the 1930s their reduced establishment was only about 60% of war strength, but totaled some 436,000 including officers. TA artillery regiments had a regular army adjutant, regimental sergeant major and a small number of senior NCOs as 'permanent staff'.

According to the League of Nations Yearbook, there were about 140,000 reservists, although this figure excluded some 40,000 Supplementary Reservists mostly tradesmen whose civilian jobs were directly relevant to the army. However, most reservists were those completing their 12 years of service or had volunteered for reserve service after 12 years. There were three sections of these regular other-rank reservists, excluding the Supplementary:
A - Volunteers enrolled for 1 year at a time who agreed to be called out without Proclamation when 'warlike operations were in preparation or progress' (the Supplementary Reserve was also on this basis).
B - Men completing their 12 years of service.
C - Men who had completed 12 years service and volunteered for a further 4 years reserve service.
B and C were liable to call-out by Proclamation when there was 'imminent national danger', this also extended the service of regular soldiers due to complete their service with the colours. All three sections were liable for annual training but in practice this seldom if ever happened. All this left a substantial number of ex-regular soldiers who had not completed 21 years service and were not part of the Reserve.

There were also only 14,000 regular and 19,000 TA serving officers for the entire army. Regular officers who retired before the compulsory retiring age were liable for service in the Regular Army Reserve of Officers until they reached retiring age. There were also a few thousand reserve TA officers. Of course there were also many thousands of men in their 40s who had been officers in WW1 but were not officially reservists. To put all this in perspective nearly a quarter of a million army Emergency Commissions were granted in WW2.

Artillery strengths were:
31 Dec 1939 - 14,202 Officers, 312,309 Other ranks
31 Dec 1940 - 22,882 Officers, 443,457 Other ranks
31 Dec 1941 - 36,548 Officers, 642,188 Other ranks
Peak strength was reached in about June 1943 when all-rank totals for the British Army's arms were:
Royal Armoured Corps - 120,433
Royal Artillery - 699,993
Royal Engineers - 231,985
Royal Signals - 133,920
Infantry - 551,742
Of the RA totals about 40% was field artillery with about 7% officers, however, AA had only some 5% and Coast 3% officers.

sī vīs pācem, parā bellum

igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum    therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...