No. 651 Squadron AAC No. 651 Squadron RAF | |
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Active | 1 Aug 1941 – 1 Sept 1957 (RAF) 1957 – present |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Flying squadron |
Part of | 1 Regiment |
Motto(s) | Dirige (Latin for 'Direct') – as in "direct towards/pointing the way"[1] |
Insignia | |
Squadron badge heraldry | A seashell fired[1] |
Squadron codes | MA (1944 – 45, HQ Flight)[2] MB (1944 – 45, 'A' Flight)[2] MC (1944 – 45, 'B' Flight)[2] MD (1944 – 45, 'C' Flight)[2] |
No. 651 Squadron Army Air Corps, is an aircraft squadron of the British Army, originally formed as No. 651 Squadron Royal Air Force in Italy and North Africa during the Second World War, and afterwards in Egypt. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were air observation post units which had both Army and RAF personnel. The pilots, drivers and signallers were in the Royal Artillery whilst the adjutants, technical staff and equipment officers came from the RAF. Air observation posts were used primarily for artillery spotting, but occasionally for liaison and other duties.[3] Their duties and squadron numbers were transferred to the Army with the formation of the Army Air Corps on 1 September 1957.[4][5]
History
[edit]![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Auster.aop9.tw511.arp.jpg/220px-Auster.aop9.tw511.arp.jpg)
No 651 Squadron was formed at RAF Old Sarum, Wiltshire, on 1 August 1941. It went into action in November 1942, during Operation Torch in North Africa. It later served in North Africa, Italy and finally Egypt from 1945 where it remained until 1 November 1955. On that same day, No. 657 Squadron RAF was re-numbered to 651 Squadron at RAF Middle Wallop, it now flew Sycamore helicopters as well as Austers.
No. 1908 Independent Air Observation Post Flight was formed within 651 Squadron previously 'A' Flight along with No. 1909 Air Observation Post Flight which was formed within 651 Squadron previously 'B' Flight.[6]
On 1 September 1957, the squadron was transferred to the Army Air Corps and became No. 651 Squadron AAC.[7]
On 1 April 2019, 651 Squadron and its aircraft, the Britten-Norman Defender and Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, were transferred to the Royal Air Force as part of ISTAR Force in No. 1 Group based at RAF Waddington.[8][9][10] 651 Squadron continued to operate the aircraft until they were retired from service on 30 June 2021.[8][11][12] On 1 August 2021, 651 Squadron transferred back to the Army as part of 1 Regiment AAC.[13]
Aircraft operated
[edit]From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
---|---|---|---|
August 1941 | July 1942 | Taylorcraft | Plus C |
September 1941 | October 1941 | Taylorcraft | Plus D |
October 1941 | December 1941 | Stinson Vigilant | Mk.I |
February 1942 | September 1942 | Taylorcraft | Plus C.2 |
July 1942 | October 1943 | Auster | Mk.I |
August 1943 | December 1944 | Auster | Mk.III |
May 1944 | October 1945 | Auster | Mk.IV |
December 1944 | June 1947 | Auster | Mk.V |
November 1949 | February 1952 | Auster | Mk.V |
March 1947 | October 1955 | Auster | AOP.6 |
November 1949 | March 1952 | Auster | AOP.5 |
November 1955 | September 1957 | Bristol Sycamore | HC.11 |
November 1955 | September 1957 | Auster | AOP.6 |
Airfields used
[edit]Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RAF Old Sarum | 1 August 1941 | Formed | RAF Dumfries | 31 July 1942 | RAF Kidsdale | 11 August 1942 | Gourock | 30 October 1942 | En route to North Africa |
Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algiers | 13 November 1942 | Bone | Béja | Souk el Arba | |||||||
Medjez el Bab | 19 April 1943 | La Marsa | Sfax | Sousse | |||||||
RAF Castel Benito | 4 June 1943 | Sousse |
Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Syracuse | 19 July 1943 | Lentinti | 3727N 1500E | Lentinti | |||||||
Scordia | 1 September 1943 | Vibo Valentine | Firmo | Gioia del Colle | |||||||
Altamura | 27 September 1943 | Canosa | San Severo | Torremaggiore | |||||||
Serracapriola | 1 November 1943 | Vastro | Bari | Paglieta | |||||||
San Vito | 9 June 1944 | Roseto degli Abruzzi | Torre de Palme | Fermo | |||||||
Recanati | 3 July 1944 | San Bernadino | Monte Marciano | Fabriano | |||||||
Pergola | 25 August 1944 | Fissinbribe | Morciano | Serravalle | |||||||
4402N 1230E | 4 October 1944 | Santa Arcangelo | Cesena | Forlì | |||||||
Porto San Elpidio | 24 January 1945 | Forlì | Villa Broochi | 4428N 1214E | |||||||
4424N 1202E | 12 April 1945 | 4431N 1204E | Montesanto | Ferrara | |||||||
Padua | 1 May 1945 | Udine | 4 May 1945 | Italy | Klagenfurt | 10 May 1945 | Austria |
Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gorizia | 7 October 1945 | Italy | Aboukir | Egypt | Ismailia | Egypt | Ramleh | Israel | |||
Petah Tiqva | 10 July 1946 | Israel | Qastina | Mandatory Palestine | Petah Tiqva | Israel | Sarafand | Mandatory Palestine | |||
RAF Fayid | 12 May 1948 | Egypt | RAF Idris | Libya | Ismailia | 15 November 1951 | Egypt. Disbanded - 1 November 1955. |
Base | Arrival | Notes | Next Base | Arrival | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
RAF Middle Wallop | 1 November 1955 | Reformed | RAF Feltwell | 4 April 1957 | Disbanded - 1 September 1957. |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Halley 1988, p. 445.
- ^ a b c d Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 89.
- ^ Munro, Ronald Lyell. Above the Battle: An Air Observation Post Pilot at War (Kindle ed.). Pen and Sword. p. Kindle location 307–313.
- ^ Halley 1988, p. 444.
- ^ Jefford 2001, pp. 102–105.
- ^ Lake 1999, p. 100.
- ^ "651 Squadron Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
- ^ a b Jennings, Gareth (2 April 2019). "UK transfers Defender and Islander special mission aircraft from AAC to RAF". Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Hay, Air Cdre Nick (2019). Michell, Simon (ed.). "ISTAR evolution". Air & Space Power 2019 Multi-Domain Operations for the Next Generation Air Force. Essex: Global Media Partners: 75. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group [@@HarvSmyth] (1 April 2019). "Handover of Fixed Wing Manned Aerial Surveillance from Army to RAF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Farewell Islander/Defender". Scramble. Dutch Aviation Society. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "British Army Retires Final Defender, Islander Aircraft". Key.Aero. Key Publishing. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ 1 Regiment Army Air Corps [@@1_Regt_AAC] (1 August 2021). "651 Sqn AAC moves to 1 Regt AAC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f Jefford 2001, pp. 102–103.
Bibliography
[edit]- Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Lake, Alan (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
Further reading
[edit]- Warner, Guy (2011). First in the Field: 651 Squadron Army Air Corps. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1848842632.