page_title: 85th (Tees) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
section_title: France
hierarchical_section_title: 85th (Tees) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery / France
caption_attribution_description: A British QF 3.7 inch anti-aircraft gun at RAF Duxford
context_page_description: 85th (Tees) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was a part-time unit of Britain's Territorial Army formed on Teesside just before the outbreak of World War II. Its service during the war included the Battle of France and Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain and Blitz, and the North African and Italian campaigns. It continued to serve in the air defence role until 1961.
context_section_description: Although the regiment was recently formed, its batteries were long-established units with many experienced TA soldiers, and it was selected to form part of the air defences for the British Expeditionary Force that had been sent to France in September 1939. The regiment was equipped for semi-mobile warfare, each battery equipped with eight of the latest 3.7-inch guns, and it crossed to France on 5 April 1940 under the command of Lt-Col Tortise. On arrival it joined 1 AA Bde.
  When the German offensive in the west opened on 10 May, the regiment was deployed in the area of Waziers and Douai, where B Troop under 2nd Lieutenant G.A. Coaker shot down a Heinkel He 111 and 10 minutes later A Troop shot down a Junkers Ju 88 – the BEF's first AA 'kills' in France. The BEF now advanced into Belgium in accordance with 'Plan D'. 1 AA Brigade's role was to cover Corps assembly areas and the routes used by the BEF, and 85 HAA Rgt moved right forward to Brussels and established itself at Dilbeek. Here guns of 220 Bty under 2/Lt A.B. Carter shot down an He 111 at night with searchlight illumination, using only nine rounds, and captured the crew members who had parachuted clear.
  The regiment was then ordered to defend I Corps HQ near Camphin. However, the German Army had broken through the Ardennes to the east, which forced the BEF to withdraw again. On 17 May the regiment withdrew to Oudenaarde, on 18 to Gheluvelt, and then to the Escaut defences. On 19 May, at Orchies and Pecq, A Troop of 174 Bty received casualties from enemy field gun fire. By 21 May the regiment was at Ploegsteert. Then on 23 May it received orders to move quickly to defend Dunkirk, which had been selected for the evacuation of the BEF (Operation Dynamo).
  Outside Dunkirk, 174 Bty was deployed at Téteghem and 175 Bty at Leffrinckoucke, while 220 Bty was at Wavrin, south-west of Lille, all under the command of 2 AA Bde. Dunkirk was heavily bombed and machine-gunned from 24 May onwards, but only 28 rounds of 3.7-inch ammunition were available until more arrived by sea on 26 May and again on 31 May. The AA guns were ordered to remain in action while the BEF passed through them, until forced to withdraw themselves after direct contact with enemy ground forces. All non-essentials were sent off, and RHQ was established  on the sand dunes east of Dunkirk. All the regiment's transport was destroyed on 27 May.
  By 30 May, the air defence of the northern sector of the bridgehead comprised 174 and 175 Btys together with a few Light AA Btys, under the command of Brigadier E.W. Chadwick of 2 AA Bde. By now some 127,000 British troops had been evacuated, but there were still 60,000 British and as many French to be got out. Many ships were lost under air attack, but the AA units were constantly in action and did their best to cover the shrinking Dunkirk 'pocket' until it was their turn to destroy their equipment and join the queues of men waiting to be taken aboard small boats back to England.
caption: 3.7-inch mobile HAA gun preserved at Imperial War Museum Duxford.
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