The 114th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (114th LAA Rgt), was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery during World War II.

It landed on D-Day and saw action throughout the campaign in North West Europe, defending the vital port of Antwerp against Parachute mines and V-1 flying bombs.

The searchlights were deployed in clusters, but towards the end of 1941 this arrangement was changed, and the lights in Northern Ireland were redeployed singly to form a 'killer belt' to assist night-fighters.

This was not part of AA Command but one of the mobile formations in Home Forces training for the planned invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord).

Each battery of a mobile LAA regiment consisted of three Troops equipped with six towed Bofors 40 mm guns using 'Stiffkey Stick' sights.

[3][14][15] The regiment established its HQ at Arthurlie Barracks at Barrhead in Scotland in July, to which it returned after periodic training exercises simulating assault landings on a hostile shore.

In December 1943–January 1944 it carried out user trials at No 16 AA Practice Camp at Clacton-on-Sea on self-propelled (SP) Bofors 40 mm guns mounted on Crusader tank chassis.

The assault group also included elements of 93rd LAA Rgt equipped with the new 20 mm Polsten gun in triple mountings on Crusader tank chassis towing equipment trailers, and part of 86th (Honourable Artillery Company) Heavy AA Rgt equipped with towed 3.7-inch guns:[16][18][19][20] O AA Assault Group 375/114 LAA Bty was assigned to the neighbouring 'P' AA Assault Group under RHQ of 86th HAA Rgt landing at Nan Sector.

Having reported to 375 LAA Bty HQ, he then returned under fire with orders to bring H troop round to Nan White where the guns were successfully landed.

He treated casualties on the beach for 48 hours continuously, often under fire, and was the first to take help to a gun crew that took a direct hit next to his dressing station.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hoare's command was as follows:[18][20][24] 114 LAA Regimental Group At 02.30 on 9 June (D+4), an enemy aircraft dropped a number of anti-personnel bombs on a Bofors site of G Trp at the junction of Nan White and Green beaches.

The first bomb severely wounded the gun's No 2 while the No 4, Gunner Douglas Taylor, was hit in the leg, though the crew continued to engage the aircraft until it had passed.

[16] As the build-up in the Normandy beachhead grew during June and July 1944, 80th AA Bde was tasked with protecting Juno and Sword beaches, the small port of Ouistreham, and the River Orne and Caen Canal bridges.

[17][24] Although Luftwaffe attacks over the beachhead were generally sporadic, they concentrated on the bridges, while Sword Beach and the whole Eastern Sector remained under mortar and artillery fire.

[16] At the end of August, 21st Army Group broke out from the Normandy beachhead and began to pursue the defeated German troops across Northern France.

The planners envisaged a large AA Gun Defence Area (GDA) to deal not only with conventional air raids but also the threat of V-1 flying bombs (codenamed 'Divers').

114th LAA Regiment provided some of the personnel and equipment for No 2 Local Warning (Radar) Troop formed by 80 AA Bde for this purpose.

The Antwerp X deployment, including 114th LAA Rgt, took its full form in December 1944, in time for the peak in V-1 attacks that lasted into February 1945.

Conventional air attacks were rare, except on 1 January 1945, when the Luftwaffe launched Operation Bodenplatte against Allied airfields on support of the Ardennes offensive, and German aircraft approaching the city were heavily engaged by the AA guns.