What did the Home Guard do during ww2?
The Home Guard defended key targets like factories, explosive stores, beaches and sea fronts. At night they patrolled fields in which the enemy gliders or paratroops might land. No one expected them to beat well-trained German soldiers. Their job was to slow them down until the army arrived.
Did Home Guard ever fight?
Active military combat They are credited with shooting down numerous Luftwaffe aircraft and the V-1 flying bombs that followed them in the summer of 1944. The Home Guard’s first official kill was shot down on Tyneside in 1943. The Home Guard in Northern Ireland also took part in gun battles with the IRA.
What age were the Home Guard in ww2?
While the age for the volunteers was meant to be 17 to 65, this was not strongly enforced with many older soldiers joining. Members of the Local Defence Volunteers being taught simple German phrases. The initial Home Guard was a disorganized militia.
Who were the home guard and what did they do?
The Home Guard was originally formed as the Local Defence Volunteers in 1940 and was responsible for guarding coastal areas and factories from invasion. It was disbanded in 1945. Most Home Guard records are still with the Ministry of Defence.
Who joined the Home Guard in ww2?
During the Second World War in Britain, individuals who were exempt from normal military service could volunteer instead with the Home Guard – an armed civilian militia prepared to defend the country in the event of a German invasion. At its peak, the Home Guard had 1.7 million members.
What was the age limit for the Home Guard?
17 to 65
What was the age limit in the HG? The age limit for members of the Home Guard was officially 17 to 65.
Was the Home Guard paid?
Members of the Home Guard still did their regular jobs and then drilled and patrolled around their work. They were not paid.
Were the Home Guard trained?
Training in guerilla warfare for the Home Guard volunteers started within 20 minutes of arrival and in the first three months Wintringham and his men had trained 5,000 volunteers. They were simply taught what they needed to know. The fame of Osterley Park was such that journalists from America did reports on it.
What weapons did the Home Guard use?
What weapons did the Home Guard use? Weapons were initially scarce for the Home Guard. Shotguns were prized, as well as any old hunting guns and trophy weapons from previous conflicts. Many Home Guard volunteers paraded with knives tied to broomhandles or with agricultural implements such as scythes.
Who were the Home Guard in ww2?
During the Second World War in Britain, individuals who were exempt from normal military service could volunteer instead with the Home Guard – an armed civilian militia prepared to defend the country in the event of a German invasion.
What rifle did the Home Guard use?
.303 rifles
The Home Guard had . 303 rifles, that was the standard equipment for everybody. They had the Sten guns, which was the small automatic weapons.
What was the role of the Home Guard in WWII?
The Home Guard was considered the last line of defense for Britain during WWII. The idea of an armed and organized volunteer army ready to repel an invasion seems sound, but the reality was far from it. Many of the chaotic undertones of the show Dad’s Army had moorings in the real history of the force.
How many men made up the Home Guard in WW1?
Over the course of the war, the Home Guard would gradually become a better equipped and better-trained army of 1.7 million men. The image of the Home Guard is commonly linked to the British TV show Dad’s Army.
Are Home Guard soldiers prisoners of war in the UK?
Nevertheless, the British Government consistently maintained that as Home Guard service was strictly to be undertaken only in approved uniform. Uniformed volunteers would be lawful combatants within the Geneva Conventions and so would be ” prisoners of war ” if captured.
What kind of weapons did the Home Guard have in WW2?
The regular army had to take precedence, but the supply situation had improved by the end of 1941. Nonetheless, the Home Guard retained a reputation for nonstandard and improvized weaponry, such as the Sten Gun, the Northover Projector, and pikes (bayonets welded to steel tubes).
