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The British defence planOn the 27th of May 1940, General 'Tiny' Ironside took charge of the anti-invasion defence plan for Britain. At this time, nearly the entire army, known as the British Expeditionary Force, was fighting against the Germans in Europe. As Commander in Chief of Britain's Home Forces, Ironside had only one badly equipped armoured division and fifteen under-manned infantry divisions to protect all of Britain. Before May 1940, defence measures were minimal and mainly located in the South of England. There was, however, over 400 miles of British coastline suitable for landing enemy troops and tanks. This coastline needed protection from invasion. With so few men at his disposal, Ironside concentrated on building a large scheme of coastal and inland anti-invasion defences. The purpose of these defences was to slow down an enemy invasion, giving time for his overstretched army to position and counter-attack. Another key threat to the defence of Britain was attack from the air. Anti-aircraft defences were established, including specialised artillery and radar for tracking enemy planes. The creation of a volunteer force called the Home Guard supported the military. They took the role of defending their local area and often manned anti invasion defences. |