103 Anti-Aircraft Brigade

103 Anti-Aircraft Brigade was re-designated from 39 Anti-Aircraft Brigade in May 1943. It became a Mobile Brigade but still retained a commitment to AA Command. Therefore some of its units were part of the Field Force while others were from AA Command. The Brigade went to France in September 1944 to defend Le Havre. It subsequently moved to Dieppe & Boulogne, then Calais and finally Antwerp. In April 1945, 103 Anti-Aircraft Brigade was converted to an Infantry Brigade performing occupation duties.

Illustrations of the formation badges under which a unit served or supported are given. This is no guarantee that the unit used this formations badge.

May 43Re-designated from 39 Anti-Aircraft Brigade
East Anglia
GHQ Reserve
Jun 43Cornwall – Part Field Force part AA CommandAnti-Aircraft Command 103 Anti-Aircraft Brigade3 Anti-Aircraft Group
Dec 43Weymouth, Dorset21 Army Group21 Army Group
Jun 44Southend, Essex – Diver deployment21 Army Group21 Army Group
Sep 44Le Havre, France21 Army Group21 Army Group
Oct 44Dieppe & Boulogne21 Army Group21 Army Group
Dec 44Calais21 Army Group 103 Anti-Aircraft Brigade21 Army Group
Mar 45Antwerp21 Army Group 103 Anti-Aircraft Brigade21 Army Group
Apr 45Converted to 103 Infantry Brigade

Order of Battle May-June 1943

109 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (342, 343, 344 Batteries)
161 (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (447, 448, 593 (M) Batteries)
121 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (142, 396, 397, 399 Batteries)
123 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (405, 408, 409 Batteries)
469 Light Anti-Aircraft Battery from 138 LAA Regiment
425 Searchlight Battery from 58 Searchlight Regiment
188 Independent Z Battery

Order of Battle June-December 1943

Field Force units
12 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (4, 18, 203 Batteries)
110 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (345, 346, 354 Batteries)
176 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (595, 597, 599 Batteries)
198 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (634, 635, 636 Batteries)
50 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (58, 93, 245 Batteries) – Left July 1943
139 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (94, 177, 230 Batteries) – Joined September 1943
150 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (504, 505, 506 Batteries) – Joined July left September 1943
Anti-Aircraft Command units
177 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (596, 598, 600 Batteries) – Left July 1943
137 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (326, 376, 462, 468 Batteries & 450 attached)
381 Light Anti-Aircraft Battery from 98 LAA Regiment – Left July 1943
313 Searchlight Battery attached from 29 Searchlight Regiment – Left July 1943
382 Searchlight Battery attached from 46 Searchlight Regiment – Left July 1943
318 Gun Operations Room Falmouth
209 Sector Operations Room Portreath

Order of Battle April-September 1944

110 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (345, 346, 354 Batteries)
176 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (595, 597, 599 Batteries)
20 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment – RHQ only
1 LAA/Searchlight Battery
2 LAA/Searchlight Battery
4 LAA/Searchlight Battery – Joined August 1944
5 LAA/Searchlight Battery – Joined August 1944
557 Independent Searchlight Battery
1 Mobile Searchlight Troop Royal Canadian Artillery
161 AA Operations Room
202 Fixed Defences
13 Fire Command Post
30 Coast Observer Detachment

Order of Battle October 1944

Dieppe
103 AA Brigade HQ
110 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
176 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
139 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
3 LAA/Searchlight Battery
161 AA Operations Room = main body
Boulogne
103 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
320 Light Anti-Aircraft Battery from 93 LAA Regiment with Triple Polstens
395 Light Anti-Aircraft Battery from 120 LAA Regiment
161 AA Operations Room – sub-operations room

Order of Battle March-April 1945

110 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
155 (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
183 (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
93 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
114 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
139 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
161 AA Operations Room
21 AA Workshop Company REME
806, 845, 846 Smoke Companies Pioneer Corps
Under Operational Control
465 Battery from 146 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
10 & part of 7 Batteries from 4 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
218 Battery from 73 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
7 Battery from 1 Searchlight Regiment
411 Battery from 54 Searchlight Regiment
No 4 Detachment, No 1 Local Warning (Radar) Troop
159 Balloon Wing, RAF
601 AAA Gun Battalion, US Army
Two Batteries 787 AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion, US Army
Two Batteries 789 AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion, US Army
24 Chemical Smoke Generator Battalion, US Army
The Royal Artillery 1939-45