ABSTRACT
DEFENCE (SEAD) SEAD grew in corresponding importance to the value of ak support for ground operations. Early attempts were made in 1940 by the BEF to conduct what were known as Counter Flak missions, but these were small and soon collapsed. By the Battle of Keren in Eritrea in February 1941, however, the need for effective Counter Flak had been recognized sufficiently for one field regiment to be permanently assigned to the task. Counter Flak (known as ‘Apple Pie’) missions became standard for the British Army in Italy in 1943 as the role of air bombardment grew, and procedures became more elaborate in North-West Europe in 1944-45 (1).
