anti aircraft guns

[Guest chieftech]

searching for details of batteries using mobile ack ack guns

[gem22]

Chief

The History of the Royal Artillery Western Front makes no mention of mobile AA but lists the following sections and Batteries as AA in the OOB of 11/11/18:

GHQ troops Numbers 14 and 75 sections

First Army C, K, Y, and E(Cdn) batteries

Second Army H, J, R, T,U, batteries and 171,177 sections

Third Army L, M, N, O batteries

Fourth Army F, G, P, Q, Z batteries

Fifth Army A, B, D batteries

There were quite a few sections with the L.O.C troops as well.

Might be worth checking out the Machine Gun corps as well. I've seen pictures of machine guns mounted on flat bed wagons for use in an air defence role.

Garth

[Jacky Platteeuw]

An example of a Belgian AA. The caption says:

'Gun-revolver Anti-aircraft nicknamed 'PomPom'. I heard the name 'Pompom' very regularly and thought it was related to WW2.

Jacky

[Robert Dunlop]

The term 'Pom-Pom' even pre-dates WW1. There are references in the Boer War for example.

See http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac5/exhibit9.html for a picture of the Maxim-Nordenfeldt in action.

[michaeldr]

Many thanks for that link Robert and please excuse the deviation from the topic in hand, But was anyone else apart from Maxim-Nordenfeldt manufacturing a gun at this time [WWI] which might also have been referred to as a Pom-Pom? There are references to the Turks using one [or more?] Pom-Pom against those landing at V Beach, Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915. Has anyone ever seen mention made as to which type of Pom Pom the Turks had?

Regards

Michael D.R.

[jhill]

This photo, from the Canadian National Archives site, is captioned "British Anti-Aircraft , October 1916", or some such. There does seems to be an attempt to make these guns "mobile".

There is a better known photo of a Canadian Anti-Aircraft battery in 1918, with "turned up" 13 pounders" (I am not a guns expert!) mounted on mobile platforms.

[Geoff Parker]

Farndales book on the RA covering the Forgotten and Home fronts does have

some information on AA units. He also wrote a book in the series specifically

dealing with AA but only the first 28 pages cover the Great War, unfortunately I

dont have a copy so cant say what information included.

The British Army used both the Maxim 1pdr and Vickers 2pdr pom-poms,

for light anti-aircraft. I have seen a photgraph of a German pom-pom

in a captured trench, whether this was used for anti-aircraft defence or

to fire at attacking troops I'm not sure. Maxim, Nordenfeldt, Vickers, were the

primary designers/Manufacturers of the pom-pom, but many were made under

licence by other countries.

Geoff

[michaeldr]

I have seen a photgraph of a German pom-pom in a captured trench, whether this was used for anti-aircraft defence or to fire at attacking troops I'm not sure. Maxim, Nordenfeldt, Vickers, were the primary designers/Manufacturers of the pom-pom, but many were made under licence by other countries.

Geoff,

Many thanks for the extra info

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Guest token5577]

Have just received my Uncle's war service records and he served in the 6th Anti- Aircraft mobile battery. I believe that this battery was in II Corps,3rd Division, XL Brigade. however am waiting for confirmation of this.

token 5577