The 103rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (103rd HAA Rgt) was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery during World War II. It saw action during the Liverpool Blitz, landed on D-Day and served throughout the subsequent campaign in North West Europe and defended the cities of Belgium against V-1 flying bombs.
Origin
Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) was formed on 20 May 1940 at 211th AA Training Regiment (AATR) at Park Hall Camp, Oswestry, and the regiment comprised 322, 323 and 324 HAA Batteries, formed at 206th ("Arborfield), 210th (Oswestry) and 211th AATRs respectively. Although formally part of the Territorial Army (TA) – it was the first new TA HAA unit formed after the outbreak of war – it had no territorial affiliation.
Acting Lt-Col J.R.W. Curtois was appointed to command the regiment on 4 July. John Ralph Willoughby Curtois (1897–1970) had been commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1915 and won a Military Cross during World War I. He was a major when war broke out, and was promoted to the substantive rank of Lt-Col on 15 June 1942.
The regiment was assigned to 33rd (Western) Anti-Aircraft Brigade in Liverpool, forming part of 4th AA Division. After attending practice camps, the batteries moved to Liverpool to take over gun sites from other regiments, including 93rd (3rd West Lancashire) HAA Rgt, which also transferred some of its men to the 103rd. These sites were variously equipped with static 4.5-inch, mobile or static 3.7-inch, or old 3-inch guns. RHQ was established at Gateacre, then at Woolton Park, and later at Croxteth Hall. The regiment's guns became operational on the night of 15/16 July, guarding against enemy aircraft laying Parachute mines in the Mersey, scoring its first 'kill' on 23/24 July.
The Blitz
During the summer of 1940, while the Battle of Britain raged over the skies of Southern England by day, there were also night raids on industrial cities. Liverpool was heavily attacked for four nights in a row from 28 August, and the regiment was in action almost nightly thereafter, firing almost 2000 rounds during a heavy attack on the night of 28/29 November.
In mid-November the regiment provided a cadre of experienced men to 211th AATR to form a new 390 Bty for the neighbouring 107th HAA Rgt. 93rd, 103rd and 107th HAA Rgts in 33rd AA Bde regularly exchanged gun sites around Liverpool and Birkenhead.
The night raids continued into the following Spring, during which period the city and its docks along the Mersey became the most heavily bombed area of Britain outside London. The campaign became known as the Liverpool Blitz, with particularly heavy attacks in December 1940 (the Christmas Blitz) when the regiment's ammunition expenditure rose to almost 3800 rounds per night; in April 1941; and again the following month (the May Blitz).
Mobile training
In May 1941 the regiment began to reorganise as a mobile unit, with additional vehicles. It began mobile training in August and then took part in large scale exercises before returning to the Mersey sites in the autumn, where it was regularly in action again.
In the autumn of 1940 the regiment had sent a cadre to 210th AATR at Oswestry to provide the basis for a new 390 Bty; this was formed on 14 November 1940 and later joined 107th HAA Rgt. Shortly afterwards, 107th HAA Rgt supplied a cadre to 207th AATR at Devizes, which was formed on 10 April 1941 and was regimented with 103rd HAA Rgt on 7 July, immediately taking over some gun sites. Although the regiment remained under AA Command, it was now assigned to the War Office Reserve, ready to be transferred to a mobile field force. The regiment now formed A3 (Heavy) AA Signal Detachment RA, which went to 1st Artillery Signal Section Training Regiment for instruction.
In February 1942 the Mersey received its first daylight air raid for over a year. The regiment remained in 33rd AA Bde until April 1942, when it transferred to 55th AA Bde in 8th AA Division in Cornwall. RHQ and 323 Btys were established at St Ives, 322 Bty at Truro and 324 Bty at Penzance. 420 Bty transferred to a new 140 HAA Rgt on 19 April.
In West Cornwall the main threat was from low level 'hit and run' raids by single-engined Luftwaffe aircraft (such as attacks by pairs of Focke-Wulf Fw 190s on St Ives on 28 August and Truro on 7 September), which were difficult for HAA guns to engage. Night raids on Truro on 24 September and on Penzance two nights later were engaged by the regiment with both HAA and light machine guns.