76th AA Brigade was formed on 1 December 1942 at Cradock Lines, South Camp, Blandford in Dorset, under the command of Brigadier Edward Riou Benson (1903–85).

[9][10] 76th AA Brigade HQ moved to Thorpe Bay in Essex and intensive training by units continued at firing camps and exercises around the country.

By now the brigade had been joined by Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) lorries to provide mobility:[11] The brigade's order of battle continued to expand in preparation for D-Day: 99th (London Welsh) and 146th HAA Rgts, 127th (Queen's) LAA Rgt, 62nd Battery of 20th LAA Rgt and 356th Independent S/L Bty all joined in April.

Light AA (LAA) defence was emphasised at the start of the operation, since low-level attack by Luftwaffe aircraft was considered the most likely threat.

By D+15, 99th and 146th HAA Rgts had arrived to strengthen the AA defences of Mulberry B and the important oil installations at Port-en-Bessin and to provide further ground fire.

At Port-en-Bessin, 146th HAA and 139th LAA Rgts were in action for 33 consecutive nights against high- and low-level bombing, employing visual, radar and barrage methods.

A subsidiary task for 112th and 146th HAA Rgts was to establish radar stations on the cliffs above Arromanches and Port-en-Bessin to track Luftwaffe minelaying aircraft and the fall of the Parachute mines so that they could be cleared by the Royal Navy.

[11][19] The headlong advance ended with the failure of Operation Market Garden at Arnhem, and emphasis shifted to bringing the port of Antwerp into use as a supply base.

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

[11][21] Once secure, the GDA covering the whole area of Antwerp and the estuary was established, with 76th AA Bde responsible for the Scheldt North zone.

The only enemy aircraft seen in this period were on reconnaissance missions, usually flying very high, but on 8 December the brigade scored its first 'kill' since arriving in the area, when A Trp of 362/113rd HAA Bty destroyed a Junkers Ju 188 picked up on radar and then illuminated by searchlight.

[23][24] After that, enemy air activity was sparse, but on 9 January, four Bofors of 411/124th LAA Bty hit and sank a German Biber midget submarine operating off South Beveland.

The brigade also cooperated with the Royal Navy, using GL Mk III gunlaying radar to direct landing craft making a raid on Schouwen on the night of 11/12 March.

In March and April, the brigade lent a platoon of its AEC Matador HAA gun tractors to 21st Army Group to assist in transporting engineering stores for the assault crossing of the Rhine (Operation Plunder).

This included towing Bren carriers full of stores, and heavy sledges normally moved by Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers.

[4][23] The brigade was ordered to cease fire on 3 May 1945 when a local truce came into effect to allow supplies to be sent to civilians in enemy-occupied Holland (Operation Manna).

Its units then returned to the mainland from the Scheldt islands and concentrated north of Antwerp before moving into Germany in June to garrison the Dortmund–Bochum area under I Corps.

Its remaining unit, 124th LAA Rgt, stayed on as part of British Army of the Rhine, but was placed in suspended animation later in the year.