Still working on that - for the record, I never wrote that there was
just one infantry company at RAF Lympne at the the end of Sept., IIRC I wrote "
at least one company".
To be fair -
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0#p1834410
In WO 166/1214 (War Diary of HQ Home Counties Area) it is mentioned that as of 22 Nov. 1940 A Coy of the 6th Bn. The Buffs would take over the defence of Lympne Aerodrome (V.P. 121), “relieving Fd Force Tps. at present there and Det “D” Coy 6th Buffs.”
Another company from the same battalion was at Hawkinge in Sept.
It would have been very strange indeed if Lympne, so close to the coast and to ports (Dover and Folkestone) that the Germans would likely try to capture, had been left undefended. Even the small airfield at Penshurst (a few miles SW of Tonbridge), which contrary to Lympne was REALLY not in use (according to Ken Delve: The Military Airfields of Britain – Southern England, no military aircraft landed there before 1941), was guarded by a company of the RWK Regt, and a number of airfields in Kent rated two companies, plus an “Immediate Assistance Column”.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 8#p1873708
On the subject of the "immediate assistance columns" that were assigned to all RAF airfields, certainly in directly threatened areas like Kent, I haven't quite figured that out yet for Lympne, but according to the operational plan of 2 London Brigade dated 10 July (as quoted in a history of the 1st Bn Kensington Regiment) RAF Hawkinge next door would be defended by 1 company each of the 6th (HD) Buffs and the 1st (Battalion) London Rifle Brigade, together with the 1 LRB mobile column. The 1st LRB (HQ in Lyminge) was to carry out a coordinated counterattack supported by artillery if the airfield was taken.
The HQ of 2 London Brigade was in Postling, about as far from Lympne as from Hawkinge, or a even bit closer, so I would assume similar arrangements were in place for Lympne.
At least, that seems a more logical assumption than that the British intended to hand an airfield to the invader free of charge, as some people seem to believe.
...etc., etc.., if you search on "company Lympne" in the forum search function.
You've made lots of assumptions that the Army defence
had to be the same as other airfields - but didn't ever say "
at least one company".
In fact, what you DID say was...
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 9#p1873309
Army presence: as discussed before, a couple of Bofors guns and infantry in about company strength, as far as can be determined. There would also have been a “relief column” not too far away.
The normal complement for a Class I airfield was two companies, Taylor recommended a dedicated army garrison of 300 men, that would make 2 companies plus some AA gunners.
Yes, we know what Taylor
recommended; the question is -
how fast was it acted upon, and
was it acted on across the board...
The information about Hawkinge - where no squadrons were stationed either, although it seems to have been rather busier than Lympne -in the same time frame is fairly complete.
According to various sources, during the BoB period this airfield was defended by:
- seven 3in guns (Royal Marine AA Regiment in 3 or 4 battery postions nearby),
- four Bofors (army, 55 LAA Regt),
- three 20 mm Hispano guns, and eight Lewis MG's (RAF).
To be equally fair - Hawkinge was a hugely different airfield to Lympne, both in size and facilities - such as its
underground hangars!......and its "value" to the RAF as Britain's "premier" fighter station.
The important part of the above is
"three 20 mm Hispano guns, and eight Lewis MG's (RAF)" - important because it indicates that
Hawkinge received more than the establishment figure of LAA in the end, enough for
eleven AA positions, as opposed to the establishment figure of eight. But we don't
know what the situation was for Lympne.
For Lympne, as before info is hard to pin down. From fragmentary evidence it seems likely that another one of the 6 companies of the 6th (Home Defence) Buffs (HQ in Folkestone) was assigned to Lympne. at the end of Sept. .
And once again - only an assumption.
As we have seen, D Coy of the 6th SLI was also nearby behind the RMC and may have been tasked to provide the "immediate assistance column" - although if Sea Lion had gone off going to the assistance of the rest of the battalion on the coast might have been a higher priority
One
would have thought that their war diary would have said so...
But if German plans didn't gone awry in the first minute...the FJ landing immediately south of the RMC would actually have drawn the SLI on the line of the RMC into combat
very early on the morning of S-Day.
Meanwhile, depending on how effective the defence right on the coast was
between positions like the SAS at Hythe, Dymchurch Redoubt, Fortress Dymchurch etc...as we've seen, German forces landing
between more heavily defended positions on the coast were to turn towards the RMC once inland. Depending on how fast the more northerly of these forces cover the only 2-3 miles between their beaches and the RMC - they could also be in contact with the SLI on the Royal Military Canal
before the attack on Lympne ever takes place mid-morning
As evidence that two infantry companies was the norm (at least for Class I airfields) I might quote WO 166/1214 (HQ Home Counties Area):
Extract from letter from Brigadier J.S. Davenport, Commander Home Counties Area, to HQ XII Corps, of 21 Oct. 1940:
“When the 11th Bn. E. Surrey Regiment leave this Area the immediate operational effect will be: –
1. The strength of the Army ground defence personnel at BROOKLANDS, GATWICK and BIGGIN HILL Aerodromes will necessarily be reduced from two Coys to one Coy in each case.
2. Immediate assistance columns will no longer be available for either BIGGIN HILL, GATWICK or REDHILL Aerodromes.”
I would have thought that you could have appreciated the difference between one well-trashed airfield in Care&Maintenance...and a major Bomber Command airfield, an airfield where the Army garrison
was also protecting TWO of the country's most importantr aircraft factories, and one of Fighter Command's frontline
Sector stations...
...rather continue to tease out an assumption.
In fact - if anything...
This WD further mentions that as of 22 Nov. 1940 A Coy of the 6th Bn. The Buffs would take over the defence of Lympne Aerodrome (V.P. 121), “relieving Fd Force Tps. at present there and Det “D” Coy 6th Buffs.”
Another company from the same battalion was at Hawkinge in Sept. as noted, and A and F companies at Dover.
...the fact that the Army defence of RAF Lympne was
before their arrival made up of an unnamed posting of troops, and a
detachment of a company, that doesn't bode well for assuming there were
two full companies!
As a curiosity, since the "Young Soldier" battalions have been mentioned, the National Army Museum has among its artefacts an "Ashtray, trench art, nd; inscribed '70th Batt. The Buffs Lympne 24.3.41' with Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) dragon. From the collection of the former Buffs Regimental Museum."
Curiosity, yes; relevant...?
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