92nd (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
Encyclopedia
The 92nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was a British Army
mobile light anti-aircraft regiment active during the Second World War.
The 92nd (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
was created in November 1941 from the 7th Battalion of The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire). Most of the men in the unit came from Liverpool
and other areas of Merseyside. In 1942 the regiment became the 3rd Infantry Division's divisional light anti-aircraft regiment. After anti-invasion duties in several parts of England, the regiment moved to Castle Douglas
, Kirkcudbrightshire
, in the spring of 1943 to begin training with the 3rd Division for the invasion of Europe. On D-Day
, 6 June, 1944, the regiment's F Troop landed on Sword Beach
near La Breche d'Hermanville, in Normandy, as part of 3rd Division's assault forces. The troop's task was to protect the vital bridges over the River Orne
and Caen Canal
, which had been captured earlier that day during Operation Deadstick
by glider-borne troops of the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
, led by Major John Howard. F Troop deployed around the bridges and for five days fought off repeated enemy air attacks, shooting down 17 German planes despite being deprived of its reinforcements, which had been sunk in the English Channel
. The bridges were later renamed Pegasus Bridge
and Horsa Bridge. The 92nd fought with distinction throughout the rest of the campaign in North West Europe, ending the war in Bremen
. The regiment was formally disbanded in February 1946.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
mobile light anti-aircraft regiment active during the Second World War.
The 92nd (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
was created in November 1941 from the 7th Battalion of The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire). Most of the men in the unit came from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and other areas of Merseyside. In 1942 the regiment became the 3rd Infantry Division's divisional light anti-aircraft regiment. After anti-invasion duties in several parts of England, the regiment moved to Castle Douglas
Castle Douglas
Castle Douglas , a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, lies in the eastern part of Galloway known as the Stewartry, between the towns of Dalbeattie and Gatehouse of Fleet.-History:...
, Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
, in the spring of 1943 to begin training with the 3rd Division for the invasion of Europe. On D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, 6 June, 1944, the regiment's F Troop landed on Sword Beach
Sword Beach
Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord; the Allied invasion of German-occupied France that commenced on 6 June 1944...
near La Breche d'Hermanville, in Normandy, as part of 3rd Division's assault forces. The troop's task was to protect the vital bridges over the River Orne
Orne River
The Orne is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées...
and Caen Canal
Canal de Caen à la Mer
Canal de Caen à la Mer also called the "Caen Canal") is a short canal in the department of Calvados, France, connecting the Port of Caen, in the city of Caen, downstream to the town of Ouistreham and the English Channel....
, which had been captured earlier that day during Operation Deadstick
Operation Deadstick
Operation Deadstick was the codename for an airborne forces operation by the British Army that took place on 6 June 1944 as part of the Normandy landings. The mission's objective was to capture intact two road bridges in Normandy across the River Orne and the Caen Canal providing the only exit...
by glider-borne troops of the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
, led by Major John Howard. F Troop deployed around the bridges and for five days fought off repeated enemy air attacks, shooting down 17 German planes despite being deprived of its reinforcements, which had been sunk in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. The bridges were later renamed Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge , built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham, in Normandy, France....
and Horsa Bridge. The 92nd fought with distinction throughout the rest of the campaign in North West Europe, ending the war in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. The regiment was formally disbanded in February 1946.