History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military Series
Edited by J. R. M. Butler
The Defence of the United Kingdom
By Basil Collier
London
1957
HMSO
The authors of the Military Histories have been given full access to official documents. They and the editor are alone responsible for the statements made and the views expressed.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Retrenchment and Air Defence, 1918–1932
Chapter 2: Disarmament and Rearmament, 1930–1938
Chapter 3: Maritime Defence, 1918–1939
Chapter 4: The Eve of War, 1938–1939
Chapter 5: The Opening Phase, September 1939–May 1940
Chapter 6: Norway to Dunkirk, April–May 1940
Chapter 7: The Stocktaking, May 1940
Chapter 8: After Dunkirk, June–August 1940
Chapter 9: The Battle of Britain: The Prelude, June–July 1940
Chapter 10: The Battle of Britain: The Preliminary Phase, July–August 1940
Chapter 11: Operation SEALION, July–September 1940
Chapter 12: The Battle of Britain: The First Phase, 13th–23rd August 1940
Chapter 13: The Battle of Britain: The Second Phase, 24th August–6th September 1940
Chapter 14: The Invasion Risk: The Crisis and After, September 1940–June 1941
Chapter 15: The Battle of Britain: The Last Phase, 7th September–31st October 1940
Chapter 16: The Night Offensive Against London, 7th September–13th November 1940
Chapter 18: Blockade: Part One, October 1940–June 1941
Chapter 19: Blockade: Part Two, June 1941–October 1943
Chapter 20: The Dwindling Threat, The German Air Offensive 1942–1943
Chapter 21: The Watch on the Base, 1943–1944
Chapter 22: The Threat from Long-Range Weapons, 1939–1944
Chapter 23: The Flying Bomb: Part One, 1939–1944
Chapter 24: The Flying Bomb: Part Two, 1944–1945
Chapter 25: The Long-Range Rocket, 1944–1945
Appendix 1: British Naval Forces in Home Waters, 31st August 1939
Appendix 2: Equipment and Location of Coastal Command Squadrons, 31st August 1939
Appendix 3: Home Defences: Chain of Command, September 1939
Appendix 4: British Capital Ships, 1st June 1940
Appendix 5: British Naval Forces in Home Waters, 1st July 1940
Appendix 6: Organisation of the Air Defences, Summer 1940 441
Appendix 7: Equipment and Location of British Fighter Squadrons, 9th July 1940
Appendix 8: Equipment and Location of Balloon Squadrons, 31st July 1940
Appendix 9: Disposition of Anti-Aircraft Guns, 11th July 1940
Appendix 10: The Battle of Britain: the Preliminary Phase (Summary of Operations)
Appendix 12: Equipment and Location of British Fighter Squadrons, 8th August 1940
Appendix 13: The Battle of Britain: the First Phase (Summary of Operations)
Appendix 14: The Battle of Britain: the Second Phase (Summary of Operations)
Appendix 15: Night Attacks on Liverpool–Birkenhead, 28th–31st August 1940: German Statistics
Appendix 16: Coaching Mileage of the Four Main British Railway Companies, June–September 1940
Appendix 19: Fixed Artillery Defences of Home Ports, November 1940
Appendix 20: Equipment and Location of British Fighter Squadrons, 7th September 1940
Appendix 21: Equipment and Location of Balloon Squadrons, 31st August 1940
Appendix 22: Disposition of Anti-Aircraft Guns, 21st August and 11th September 1940
Appendix 23: Some Problems and Achievements of Anti-Aircraft Gunnery during the Battle of Britain
Appendix 24: The Battle of Britain: the last Phase (Summary of Operations)
Appendix 26: Night Attacks on London, 7th September–13th November 1940: German Statistics
Appendix 29: Equipment and Location of British Night-Fighter Squadrons, September–November, 1940
Appendix 30: Notable Night Attacks on United Kingdom Cities, 14th November 1940–16th May 1941
Appendix 33: Equipment and Location of British Night-Fighter Squadrons, November 1940–May 1941
Appendix 34: Analysis of British Night-Fighter Effort, January–May 1941
Appendix 35: The Air War against British Coastal Shipping, November 1940–December 1941
Appendix 36: The Führer’s Order for the ‘Baedeker’ Offensive
Appendix 37: Principal German Night Attacks 1942
Appendix 38: Principal German Night Attacks 1943
Appendix 39: Notable Day Attacks by German Fighter-Bombers 1943
Appendix 40: Angriffsführer England: Units under Command, 30th April 1943
Appendix 41: Angriffsführer England: Operational Bomber and Fighter-Bomber Units under Command, 20th January 1944
Appendix 43: The A-4 Rocket: Technical Details
Appendix 45: The Flying-Bomb Offensive
Appendix 49: The Long-Range Rocket Offensive
References to Unpublished Documents
Maps
1. The Steel-Bartholomew Plan of Air Defence (1923)
2. The Fifty-Two Squadron Scheme of Air Defence (1924)
3. The Reorientation Scheme of Air Defence (1935)
4. Organisation for Maritime Defence 1939
5. Disposition of Home Forces, 1st May 1940
6. Disposition of Eastern Command and G.H.Q,. Reserves, 31st May 1940
7. G.H.Q. Line covering the principal Production Centres, June–July 1940
8. Coastal Command Anti-Invasion Patrols, 16th July 1940
9. Organisation for Home Defence, Summer 1940
10. The Radar Chain and Observer Corps Network, July 1940
11. Organisation of Luftwaffe Commands for the Battle of Britain, Summer 1940
12. Disposition of British Fighter Forces, 9th July 1940
13. The Revised SEALION Plan, September 1940
14. Action on the Morning of 13th August 1940
15. Action on the Afternoon of 13th August 1940
16. Actions of the Tyne-Tees and the Humber, 15th August 1940
17. Disposition of Home Forces, 11th September 1940
18. Photographic Reproduction of German Intelligence Map showing supposed Disposition of Home Forces, 20th September 1940
19. Coastal Command Anti-Invasion Patrols, 26th September 1940
20. Disposition of Home Forces, May 1941
21. Coastal Command Scheme of Anti-Shipping and General Reconnaissance Patrols, 20th December 1940
22. Disposition of British Fighter Forces airborne at 5 p.m., 7th September 1940
23. Disposition of British Fighter Forces airborne at 11.30 a.m., 15th September 1940
24. Fighter Command Groups and Sectors, Spring 1941
25. The Bombing of London, Night of 29th December 1940
26. Distribution of Major Night Attacks on British Cities (1940–1941)
27. Disposition of Home Forces, Spring 1942
28. The Bombing of Exeter, Night of 3rd May 1942
29. The V-1 Organisation, June–September 1944
30. Proposed V-2 Organisation, June 1944
31. V-2 Launching Areas used for the Bombardment of the United Kingdom, September 1944–March 1945
32. General Map of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Illustrations
(Imperial War Museum)
1. Air attack on British Warships in the Firth of Forth, 16th October 1939
2. Preparing to fire a 3.7-inch Mark II Anti-Aircraft Gun (Static Mounting)
3. Beach Defences on the Coast of Kent: a Concealed Machine-Gun Point at Dymchurch
4. Coast Defence Gunners preparing to fire a Practice Round from a 9.2-inch Gun
5. Obstructions to prevent the landing of Gliders or Troop-Carrying Aircraft on a Bypass Road in Surrey
6. A Camouflaged Strong Point in Northern Command
7. Hudson Aircraft of Coastal Command on Patrol over the North Sea
8. Destroyers on Patrol off the East Coast
9. General Sir Edmund Ironside, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Home Forces, May-July 1940
10. General Sir Alan Brooke, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Home Forces, July 1940-December 1941
11. Spitfires of a Fighter Command Squadron
12. Air attack on a British Convoy in the English Channel, 14th July 1940
13. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command 1936–1940
14. Air Vice-Marshal K. R. Park, Air Officer Commanding. No. 11 Group, Fighter Command, April–December 1940
15. An Observer Corps (later Royal Observer Corps) Post at Work
16. A Barrage-Balloon Close-Hauled
17. German Bombers above the Thames near Woolwich, 7th September 1940
18. Polish Pilots of Fighter Command at Readiness in their Dispersal Hut
19. A 25-pounder Field Gun in Action during a Practice Shoot
20. An Anti-Aircraft Rocket Projector in Action (3-inch U.P. Single Projector)
21. The City of London on the morrow of 29th December 1940
22. The Guildhall, York, during the ‘Baedeker’ Raid on the night of 28th April 1942
23. Air Marshal R. M. (later Sir Roderic) Hill, Air Marshal Commanding, Air Defence of Great Britain 1943–1944, and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command 1944–1945
24. Lieutenant-General (later General) Sir Frederick Pile, Bt., General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Anti-Aircraft Command 1939–1945
25. German Flying Bomb immediately after Launching
26. German Long-Range Rocket A-4 in process of elevation to Firing Position
27. German Flying Bomb about to descend near Drury Lane in London
28. German Flying Bomb engaged and brought down at Night by Anti-Aircraft Fire
29. German Flying Bomb Storage Depot at Saint-Leu-d’Esserent
Reproduction of Bilingual Notice prepared by the Germans for use after Invasion of this Country