ABSTRACT
The 'ideal' scheme had been conceived as a sufficient defence against the scale of attack which the German bomber force would be capable. The basis of any air defence system must always be an effective technique for obtaining raid intelligence and it could be fairly claimed, British science led the world. The War Office programme first detailed the searchlight defences that were needed. The second part of the programme, that dealing with future requirements, demanded no less than 1,144 guns, or a similar number of UP projectors, a weapon under development at this time over and above the 1,584 guns recommended in the first part of the War Office programme. Prior to the latest additions to the air defences the army formations had been organised in one corps of five divisions, and Sir Hugh Dowding had found it a great advantage to be able to work with a corps commander who was responsible for all the ground troops in ADGB.
