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POLICY REGARDING RESTORATION OF STATIC BALLOON BARRAGES IN AIR DEFENCE GREAT BRITAIN AFTER "DIVER" (V1) THREAT CEASES.

Report by the Sub-Committee for the allocation of active air defence.

In July 1944 the Government decided it had to produce a policy following a request by the Air Ministry on the Air Defence of Great Britain,( A.D.G.B. ) for guidance

on those static balloon barrages which should be re-instated and those barrages which should no longer be required, once the threat from the V1 Flying Bombs

had been eliminated.

The Flying Bombs were known among the balloon crews and others as "Divers", since the bomb flew until it was out of fuel and then dived down onto the ground.

The Air Staff were of the view that those air defence barrage balloons squadrons that were employed on "Anti-diver" duties were to be maintained until at least

31st December 1944 and beyond until the threat from Flying Bombs was eliminated. By making a decision on which barrages were to be eliminated meant that the

A.D.G.B. were then able to begin withdrawing huts,

installations to reuse for accommodation for the anti-diver barrage on a more permanent basis during the coming winter period.

It was proposed that the former static barrages be re-classified into three categories:

Category 1. This was where balloons were likely to be required at full barrage status and where all Headquarters, huts, installations and facilities

were to be left intact.

Category 2. This was where balloons were likely to be required on a token basis only and the Headquarters, huts etc., that were deemed surplus

to operational requirements

could be removed straightaway.

Category 3. This was where balloons were not likely to be required on a token basis only and the headquarters, huts etc. surplus to these requirements,

could be removed immediately.

The Chiefs of Staff Anti-aircraft Committee considered the latest assessment of the scale of ait attack on Britain and felt the re-categorisation was an

acceptable position with the provisos that in the case of :

(i) London, all headquarters, huts, installations and facilities were to be retained but the strength of

the re-instated barrage was to be more than the token barrage of 50 balloons and the final strength to be determined on the air situation at the time of re-instatement.

(ii) Scapa Flow, the huts and installations could be withdrawn and the need to replace the barrage was something that was to be reviewed at the end of September 1940.

(iii) A provision was needed for there to be a mobile reserve of balloons for despatch to any particular area at short notice if a attack threat was found to be credible.

(Here they suggested that the Germans might leave Western France and set up a stronghold in the Low countries from which they might launch attacks on the East coast.)

An estimate was made of the numbers of balloons needed countrywide once the V1 Flying Bomb attacks had been neutralised.

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