Some questions regarding Anti-Aircraft terms

Discussion in 'General' started by RRTB, Aug 30, 2016.

  1. RRTB

    RRTB 145 Fd Regt (Berkshire Yeomanry) RA

    My father was involved with 423/126 HAA Regt in 1942/43. In his service book and his service record there are a few things which I would like to understand a little better, so I am coming as usual to the experts here for help.

    I have included photographs of the relevant sections of the records for clarity. My questions are under each picture.
    P1010158.JPG
    The first line says "Passed T.O: E.T. A/O and the date. I think the T is "Training" but I could be wrong.
    P1010166.JPG
    Could someone please explain to me what the terms Predictor No., Gun No. and Plotter are about? P1010163.JPG P1010164.JPG
    The first picture is taken from the Training Record (anti-aircraft) sheet which shows also that Dad was trained on all gun numbers. The second picture is taken from the operational record (anti-aircraft) sheet. The two pictures above contain the phrase "No 2 S????????" I cannot read the word in either of these pictures, nor is it clear in the first image below the Passed T.O: E.T . bit. There is also a list of Gun Numbers (3 + 5, 7, 8 except 4&5) What are these about, and why would the number 5 be both 'in' and 'out', particularly if he had been trained on all gun no.s?

    Finally, you'll see a thumbnail below which for some reason didn't post as a full picture! However, I am interested to know what P.A.D. and N.F.S. mean.

    Thank you for your help,

    RRTB
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    Here's some links they may help you out with some information:
    ATS Remembered - History Gunners
    The above gives a general description of some of the equipment and tasks of AA Gunners. BTW the S????? word you can't make out is Sperry which was a type of American designed predictor (lots of detail on that piece of equipment here: http://web.mit.edu/STS.035/www/PDFs/sperry.pdf)

    Some more description of tasks, equipment here:
    BBC - WW2 People's War - Life On The Anti-Aircraft Gun-sites WW2
    The life of an ATS 'Ack Ack' Girl - WWII Today

    If you're looking for a quick inexpensive overview in book form, Osprey has a book by Alfred Price called Britain's Air Defences 1939 to 1945 which covers AA guns and their operations

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Britains-A...4_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZFCDNS0QXR0NHVWRMBVM
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2016
  3. bofors

    bofors Senior Member

    Hi

    If you look on the right hand side of the main forum, under NEW Resources, there is a heading of Abbreviations and Acronyms, you should find your abbreviations there.
    regards

    Robert
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  5. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    If I read it correctly the last document says that he is trained as Nos 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 on the Sperry predictor and as gun number 4 and 5.

    PAD is Passive Air Defence.

    Mike
     
  6. RRTB

    RRTB 145 Fd Regt (Berkshire Yeomanry) RA

    Gentlemen, thank you so much for your input.

    Orwell, you've probably given me my bedtime reading for the next week! Thank you. Also, thanks for deciphering the Sperry word. I have never heard of it, which is why although I thought the word indeed looked like 'Sperry' I never thought to actually look it up. Silly me.

    Robert: thanks for the direction to find the Acronym list. I've a huge load of them myself but none contained the ones I posted here. Perhaps they are in the "New Resources" one - I will check later and copy those I may not have.

    Owen: I have been trying to find that one for a long time, so thanks for sorting it out for me. I was taking TOET in two halves as there appears to be a colon between the O and the E, which is probably why I couldn't find the answer.

    Mike: I'll have to follow up on the Sperry Predictor so as to understand what the different numbers refer to. As for Gun Number 4 and 5: I do know what men/position/job these refer to but at least now I know that the two sets of numbers refer to two separate things.

    Thanks also for the interpretation of PAD. I guess it makes sense when the rest of the sheet is to do with triple-A!

    RRTB
     
  7. idler

    idler GeneralList

    My first reaction to NFS would be 'National Fire Service'. If he'd been a fireman for 2 years before being called up, that might explain the entry against PAD?
     
  8. RRTB

    RRTB 145 Fd Regt (Berkshire Yeomanry) RA

    Thank you, Idler. Dad was in the insurance world but yes, he was in the Auxiliary Fire Service as I have the AFS badge here. Great, that's another one struck of the list.

    RRTB
     
  9. HAARA

    HAARA Well-Known Member

    Thought this might add to the thread:

    The Vickers A.A. guns were each manned by a gun crew of up to ten men, or of women or mixed crews later in the War, under the command of a commissioned Gun Position Officer (G.P.O) and a Gun Position Officer Assistant (G.P.O.A.). At the outset of the war the troops operating the gun in an A.A. role were frequently divided as follows:

    No.1 Commander (N.C.O.)
    No.2 Gun layer for line.
    No.3 Gun layer for elevation.
    No.4 Fuze setter.
    No.5 Breech operator.
    No.6 Rammer.
    No.7 Loader.
    No.8 Loader.
    No.9 Fuze setter operator.
    No.10 Ammunition supplier.

    When the gun, Mk. III, was used in a field role from 1944 onwards, the gun crew was commonly:

    No.1 Commander (N.C.O.)
    No.2 Gun layer for line.
    No.3 Gun layer for elevation.
    No.4 Fuze setter.
    No.5 loading and firing.
    No.6 loading and firing.
    No.7 not used.
    No.8 not used.
    No.9 Calling corrected fuze (omitted if 208 fuze being used).
     
    Owen and RCG like this.
  10. RRTB

    RRTB 145 Fd Regt (Berkshire Yeomanry) RA

    Excellent stuff, HAARA. Thanks for this.

    RRTB.
     

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