Op SEELOWE

[MOzanne]

Iirc, some 15,000 rounds of AP were issued to the 3.7” heavy AA guns emplaced in the invasion areas along with large stocks of HE for direct fire missions.

"
Preparations were made by all A.A. defences to assume a secondary ground defence;
Bofors were provided with A/T ammunition, and sited to cover approaches to aerodromes,
V.Ps, &c. Certain 3.7-inch guns suitably sited were given an anti-ship role and preparations
were made for barrages to be put on certain beaches. Under the immediate threat of invasion
in May 1940, mobile columns of A.A. troops were formed, but these troops reverted to their
A.A. role before the Battle of Britain began"

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR HUGH C. T. DOWDING... Chelmsford 20/8/1941

 

[robinrocket111]

Whilst not challenging the authenticity of this interesting photograph, I am surprised by the very 1960s style office building on the skyline. It appears quite incongruous; but I don’t know lowest off very well (actually, not at all!).

The missus spoke to friends, it seems Hamilton House was built in 1933 for the Pryces family as a warehouse for their Hardware business.
During the war, there was a 40 mm Bofers mounted on the roof.

 

[PhotEx]

There she is, Hamilton House in 1943

Officers of the Motor Gunboats. Left to right: Lieut C A Burke, RCNVR, Sub Lieut H W Keenan, RNVR, Lieut J S Price, RNVR, Sub Lieut Tyrwhitt-Drake, RNVR, Lieut C V Dale, RNVR.

AN EMPIRE "PARTY": BRITISH MGB'S ROUT E-BOATS. LOWESTOFT, IN THE EARLY HOURS OF 8 MARCH 1943, MOTOR GUNBOATS OF THE ROYAL NAVY ENGAGED A GROUP OF E BOATS IN THE NORTH SEA. ONE OF THE E-BOATS WAS DESTROYED, THE OTHERS FLED. AMONG OFFICERS WHO TOOK PART IN THE ACTION WERE MEN FROM BRITAIN, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND CANADA.

More Lowestoft stuff


Search objects | Imperial War Museums

 

[robinrocket111]

That's a great photo.

 

[ugly]

The difference post WWII is that the US insisted the UK decolonise in return for loans and easing repayments.

We were actively seeking a reduced Empire in the 1920's it just didn't happen because we were skint and needed Imperial support for our markets.

 

[PhotEx]

People seem to be getting a bit excited about the possibilities of German paratroops…
as usual, the Time Machine is ramped up to bring tactics and equipment from later in the war back to 1940.

First off; their parachutes

THEY WERE SHIT!!!!!

You couldn't jump with a load, and you had to do a fancy forward roll when you landed thanks to its crude back harness. They couldn't be steered, and Ballet while landing in the tree and rock wall strewn small fields of England and Ireland might not be the best landing tactics

This meant your Falchirmjeager jumped into war very light with a pistol and a pair of hand grenades

Ah! But all his personal weapons were dropped too?

Yes, separately. 14 containers per platoon with all their small arms, ammunition and food.

Yes, this is a great plan, as long as the plane dropping the containers drop them where the other 3 planes dropped the Fallies waiting for their drop containers. Que'lle surprise, they often didn't.

Heavy weapons?

Nah, they had a cut down 81mm mortar, presuming the containers with them and the bombs arrived in the same place as the Fallies. Que'lle surprise, they often didn't.

Lessons learned by the Allies about using Paras

They needed to drop fully kitted out to fight from the minute you hit the ground, as the guys on the ground already tooled up might unsportingly kill you while you went on your weapons container hunt - see nasty Australians on Crete spraying the landing zones while Fallies desperately tried to find something other than a Luger to shoot back with.

 

[robinrocket111]

PhotEx, thanks for that link to IWM. Some fantastic pictures of the Stone Frigate HMS Europa. While looking through, I found Bristol Beaufighter ll's operated by the FAA out of Gibraltar. Never knew they had the Beaufighter.

 

[PhotEx]

PhotEx, thanks for that link to IWM. Some fantastic pictures of the Stone Frigate HMS Europa. While looking through, I found Bristol Beaufighter ll's operated by the FAA out of Gibraltar. Never knew they had the Beaufighter.

120 transferred from the RAF

 

[Crash]

We were actively seeking a reduced Empire in the 1920's it just didn't happen because we were skint and needed Imperial support for our markets.

Were we? Yes, there was an imperative to reduce the cost of Imperial policing but what other attempts were made to reduce the size of the Empire - which increased with the acquisition of LoN Mandates?

 

[ugly]

Were we? Yes, there was an imperative to reduce the cost of Imperial policing but what other attempts were made to reduce the size of the Empire - which increased with the acquisition of LoN Mandates?

Exactly the bonus bits we picked up from winning WW1 complicated matters and if WW1 hadn't happened we would have waved off India by about 1930 I think. There was a lecture on wartime imperial support a the IWM which discussed this.
The idea of a commonwealth was started just after Queen Victoria passed.
It also cropped up in Ian Smiths Biography.

 

[PhotEx]

Well they kept that quiet!

 

[Goldbricker]

The difference post WWII is that the US insisted the UK decolonise in return for loans and easing repayments.

The terms of the Anglo-American loan mention nothing about decolonization.

 

[Crash]

The terms of the Anglo-American loan mention nothing about decolonization.

There are numerous references in State Department papers requiring the UK to decolonise as rapidly as possible.

 

[Crash]

"
Preparations were made by all A.A. defences to assume a secondary ground defence;
Bofors were provided with A/T ammunition, and sited to cover approaches to aerodromes,
V.Ps, &c. Certain 3.7-inch guns suitably sited were given an anti-ship role and preparations
were made for barrages to be put on certain beaches. Under the immediate threat of invasion
in May 1940, mobile columns of A.A. troops were formed, but these troops reverted to their
A.A. role before the Battle of Britain began"

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR HUGH C. T. DOWDING... Chelmsford 20/8/1941

This begs the question why the 3.7” AA gun wasn’t used in the AT role in the Westen Desert - as it was a match to the ‘mighty 88’.

 

[oldsoak]

@Crash - believe its something to do with the mounts. They weren't designed for low angles of elevation and the recoil forces would damage them after repeat firing.

 

[PhotEx]

@Crash 3.38 watch the field mount buck like a mule

 

[Listy]

This begs the question why the 3.7” AA gun wasn’t used in the AT role in the Westen Desert - as it was a match to the ‘mighty 88’.

It was. But Generally it was doing the whole "shooting down of German Aircraft" role, you know the one it was designed for. As we had a plethora of smaller and vastly better anti-tank guns it was largely rendered unneeded.

 

[Crash]

@Crash 3.38 watch the field mount buck like a mule

Thanks for posting this film. Really interesting. Also intrigued to see a Bren gun coaxially mounted on the bofors.

 

[PhotEx]

Thanks for posting this film. Really interesting. Also intrigued to see a Bren gun coaxially mounted on the bofors.

I
I found that quite ingenious too. Never seen it before.

ETA: the official way to make an extemporised AT round for 3.7’s that found themselves facing tanks was to fire an AA round set to SAFE so it acted like solid shot.

 

[Gravelbelly]

ETA: the official way to make an extemporised AT round for 3.7’s that found themselves facing tanks was to fire an AA round set to SAFE so it acted like solid shot.

If you're mostly facing is PzKfw II and PzKfw III, then that should handily overmatch (i.e. f***ing shred) 20-50mm of armour*...

Yes, the bulk of German tanks in the French campaign had armour not much better than a BMP-1...