British Defences

[Dpalme01]

Just yesterday, I was reading about how the british were preparing their island for an invasion. Some of the defenses they used were rather interesting. Those underground pipelines which spewed oil to light any enemy ships on fire sounded rather eco- unfriendly but they would do the job extremely well.
Those sea forts were also amazing. The thing is that there is so much said on the German defences (hedge hogs, rommel's asparagus etc.) but not a whole lot about the allies. Does anyone know any more about this?

Thanks

[spidge]

Originally posted by Dpalme01@Jun 20 2005, 11:15 PM
Just yesterday, I was reading about how the british were preparing their island for an invasion.X Some of the defenses they used were rather interesting.X Those underground pipelines which spewed oil to light any enemy ships on fire sounded rather eco- unfriendlyX X but they would do the job extremely well.
Those sea forts were also amazing.X The thing is that there is so much said on the German defences (hedge hogs, rommel's asparagus etc.) but not a whole lot about the allies.X Does anyone know any more about this?

Thanks

Quoted post

Hi Dalme01,

Besides 18,000 pillboxes (huge number) many others can be seen at the following site.

www.britarch.ac.uk/projects/dob/

Link Fixed Gnomey

[angie999]

I am sure that many local anti-invasion defences, now long gone, are unrecorded, except perhaps in some dusty town hall archives if they have not been thrown out.

For instance, I remember there being a pillbox at the rear of our local railway station which was not part of any obvious line of defence and some anti-tank obstacles in another part of the town, again not part of any larger network of defences.

Finally, I think this topic belongs on UK Home Front, so I moved it. Any objections?

[Kiwiwriter]

Try "The Last Ditch," by David Lampe, and "Operation Sea Lion" by Peter Fleming, for more on Britain's defenses. They were pretty ingenious and desperate -- they even pulled pikes off of HMS Victory.

[halfyank]

I can recall reading about some interesting Home Guard devices or tactics. One was the "pike" that was nothing more than a bayonet welded to a piece of pipe to make it about as long as a rifle with bayonet. Another was the anti-tank team that was supposed to jam a piece of railroad track into the sprocket on a tank, to disable it. Then another team member threw a blanket over the engine. Finally a third threw a bucket of petrol onto the blanket, while another team member ignited it. Pretty imaginative, if possibly not very effective.

[angie999]

Thames estuary forts:

http://www.project-redsand.com/history.htm

and Portsmoth:

http://www.hgs-online.org.uk/pfolly.htm

and Brean Down on the Bristol Channel:

http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/breandown.shtml

[morse1001]

they even pulled pikes off of HMS Victory.

That story has always interested me, because my father joined the Home guard in may 1940 and was made "tommy Gunner". he did mention that some men had brought weapons that they had kept since WW1.


he used to tell the story of September 15th 1940 when the invasion was sounded. he and two others were sent to a local piece of marsh land known as the Moss.

The two other were veterans of the first war and they set up a checkpoint on a path. around about midnight, they saw a shadowy figure coming down the path towards them. With the confidence which can only come from youth, my father shouted to the figure, "Halt! Who goes there? Friend or Foe?" A voice from the darkness shouted "jesus, Mary and Joseph"! To which one of the others shouted back "Pass the Holy Family"!!!!
[attachmentid=810]

[jamesicus]

In Burnley -- in 1939 -- there were not enough truncheons to equip the Special Police and Air Raid Wardens. Local Billiard Halls (Mechanics Institute, Weavers Institute, Burtons, et al.) contributed billiard cues which were cut down so that they were about two feet long (butt) and a leather wrist strap was attached via a hole drilled through the small end.

[jamesicus]

..... they even pulled pikes off of HMS Victory.

This British 9ft long naval boarding pike was regulation from 1800 to 1815. The square section iron head was reinforced with langets -- as was the staff tip -- which also strengthened and protected the ash staff. Pikes were used extensively for defense against boarding actions and were also used in offensive actions. Very few have survived with their original staffs intact -- they were usually sawn off at a suitable length for crossed pair displays on the walls of naval service clubs, Admiralty offices, etc.


British naval boarding pike (fore shortened view)


Showing iron tip -- unaltered British naval boarding pike

2005 -- two hundred anniversary year of the Battle of Trafalgar

[sapper]

The British defences were absolute rubbish. had the Germans invaded they would have been in London by mid-day.

After the fall of France we had one Division that was fully armed....just one. That was my old Division. Monty's Div, Third British Infantry.

They cobbled together enough arms to make it viable, but we had nothing else, The div was supposed to return to France to continue the fight, but before that could take place, France capitulated.

The Home Guard was armed with Pikes from the British Museum! Sticky bombs. Molotov cocktails and first world war rifles.

I was in the Home Guard at that time, and was sent out at night to defend the flyover bridge that led into Southampton, we were issued with two rounds for our rifles!
One was accidently fired, so I had to defend that bridge from incoming German Para's with one rifle bullet!

Sounds almost farcical now...Then? it was exactly like that.
Sapper