73rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was a West Midlands-based volunteer air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) raised in 1937.

Wood, MC, TD, formed part of 34th (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade based at Coventry in 4 AA Division,[4][7][10] but in November 1939 it deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force.

[11][12] When the Battle of France began in May 1940, 73rd HAA Rgt was part of 12 AA Bde defending the airfields of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) with semi-mobile 3-inch guns of 1918 pattern.

Soon the AASF had to send depleted squadrons back to the UK, and reorganise as a mobile force to withdraw in front of the advancing Germans, while its bombers continued to attack enemy communications.

[17][18][19][20][21] The German Blitzkrieg attack soon cut off the bulk of the BEF's fighting formations and forced them to withdraw to Dunkirk for evacuation to England.

12 AA Brigade set off to join this new concentration, its regiments 'trundling their old 3-inch guns at their maximum speed of 10 to 12 mph, though Vendôme, Le Mans and Rennes on the long haul westwards'.

[22][23][24] However, the situation in France was beyond remedy, and the British government decided to evacuate its remaining troops from the Atlantic ports between 15 and 17 June (Operation Aerial).

Personnel embarked under attack by the Luftwaffe and the RMS Lancastria, with some parties of 73rd HAA Rgt aboard, was sunk off Saint-Nazaire with heavy loss of life.

However, 2nd Panzer Division was already in Abbeville blocking the way, and the battery had to fight a rearguard action with enemy ground troops to get to the coast at Boulogne.

[28][29] AA units evacuated from France were rapidly reinforced, re-equipped where possible, and redeployed for future integration into existing defence plans.

In early 1943 its 24 3.7-inch guns were deployed under 18 AA Bde in Eighth Army defending Alexandria, Aboukir, Matruh and the landing grounds of the Desert Air Force.

The HAA Troops were equipped with a new GL radar system, the No 3 Mark III, or 'Baby Maggie', which had its transmitter, receiver, aerial array and operating display all carried in a two-wheeled trailer towed by a 3-ton truck.

More importantly, radio communications with the AA HQ ship broke down for the first 48 hours after landing, and defensive fire was reduced to crude 'barrage' methods.

[27][40][41] While the Eighth Army invaded mainland Italy in September (Operation Baytown), 73rd HAA Rgt remained at Syracuse waiting to join it.

[43][44] By now, the Allied forces in Italy were suffering an acute manpower shortage, and surplus AA units were being disbanded in increasing numbers.