Home Guard Ww2

Britain s world war ii defence corps were more of a lad s army than a dad s army and were drilled and trained relentlessly to combat the threat of german invasion.

Home guard ww2. Operational from 1940 to 1944 the home guard had 1 5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service such as those who were too young or too old to join the regular armed services regular military service was restricted to those aged. In our new video we rack up the top 5 facts about the real dad s army. The home guard was considered the last line of defense for britain during wwii.

They were originally called the local defence volunteers. The home guard had a number of purposes. The home guard initially local defence volunteers or ldv was an armed citizen militia supporting the british army during the second world war.

May 14 1940 is considered the day the home guard started. Why was the home guard formed. On friday 10 may 1940 the germans had started their attack on belgium and the netherlands using soldiers dropped by parachutes.

Many of the chaotic undertones of the show dad s army had moorings in the real history of the force. The home guard were volunteers who defended the five thousand miles of britain coastline in the event of an invasion by germany. Men between 17 and 65 years could join it.

The home guard was not simply for older men past conscription age. Those young enough to be conscripted but who did not pass the military s medicals could join the home guard. They made those in it feel as if they were doing something constructive in the war effort.