97th (The London Scottish) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed during the period of international tension leading up to the outbreak of World War II.

The unit defended London during The Blitz and then served in Sicily and Italy, both in the anti-aircraft (AA) and medium artillery roles.

On 9 September an afternoon raid coming in over the South Coast was heavily attacked by the RAF, but some bombers came over Surrey to London to be engaged by 48 AA Bde.

Between 11 and 15 September, massed daylight aids approached London, but running battles with RAF fighters broke up most of the raids before they reached the IAZ.

[1][17][18] [19] The Blitz ended in mid-May 1941 when Luftwaffe units were transferred for the German invasion of Russia (Operation Barbarossa), but AA Command continued to expand.

[25] 97th HAA Regiment was not in the assault waves for the landings on Sicily (Operation Husky) on 10 July, but came ashore soon afterwards to reinforce 2 AA Bde in the south-east of the island, where Syracuse harbour and the captured airfields at Pachino and Cassibile were suffering dive-bombing and strafing attacks by day, and high level bombing by night and day.

[26] After the remaining Axis forces evacuated Sicily, Eighth Army regrouped to invade mainland Italy.

The opening phase was Operation Baytown, an assault crossing of the Strait of Messina by XIII Corps supported by 2 AA Bde.

The crossing was to be made with a variety of landing craft and these required AA protection as did the assembly and embarkation points and supply dumps.

[27] Three Beach groups or 'bricks' (Nos 32–34) were allocated to control the landings, and 2 AA Bde allotted one troop (4 x 3.7-inch guns) of 97th HAA Rgt to each brick.

There was only one raid of importance on Reggio, when four Focke-Wulf Fw 190s bombed the harbour and attacked the AA positions: 319/97 HAA Bty had a command post destroyed, suffering nine dead and eight wounded.

XIII Corps worked cautiously and methodically through Calabria, 2 AA Bde following up to cover the small harbours and airfields, and being rejoined by 298/97 HAA Bty from Messina.

In late September the brigade was warned to concentrate for a long move across Italy to defend the captured Foggia Airfield Complex.

Not only were the RAF and Royal Artillery radar stations blinded, but communications broke down between the two services and defensive fire only began as the first bombs fell.

The bombers had been aided by the port working under full lighting, and the damage to shipping and stores was increased by the explosion of an ammunition vessel.

[28][29] As the campaign progressed the Luftwaffe grew weaker and AA defence requirements diminished, freeing the versatile 3.7-inch HAA guns for other roles.

In the spring of 1944, 97th HAA Rgt was sent to reinforce 12 AA Bde with XIII Corps in Fifth Army for the crossing of the Rapido river and the advance up the Liri valley along Highway 6.

Then on 13 February 1945 it was redesignated 610 (London Scottish) Infantry Regiment, RA, with A–E Btys, serving in various roles until the end of the war.