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No. 651 Squadron AAC

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]

No. 651 Squadron AAC
No. 651 Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Active1 Aug 1941 – 1 Sept 1957 (RAF)
1957 – present
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeFlying squadron
Part of1 Regiment
Motto(s)Dirige (Latin for 'Direct') – as in "direct towards/pointing the way"[1]
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA seashell fired[1]
Squadron codesMA (1944 – 45, HQ Flight)[2]
MB (1944 – 45, 'A' Flight)[2]
MC (1944 – 45, 'B' Flight)[2]
MD (1944 – 45, 'C' Flight)[2]

History

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An Auster AOP.5

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

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Aircraft operated by no. 651 Squadron RAF, data from[1][14]
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

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UK[14]
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
North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Libya)[14]
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
Italy and Austria[14]
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
Middle East[14]
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
RAF 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.
Back in the UK[14]
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

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Halley 1988, p. 445.
  2. ^ a b c d Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 89.
  3. ^ Munro, Ronald Lyell. Above the Battle: An Air Observation Post Pilot at War (Kindle ed.). Pen and Sword. p. Kindle location 307–313.
  4. ^ Halley 1988, p. 444.
  5. ^ Jefford 2001, pp. 102–105.
  6. ^ Lake 1999, p. 100.
  7. ^ "651 Squadron Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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)
  11. ^ "Farewell Islander/Defender". Scramble. Dutch Aviation Society. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  12. ^ "British Army Retires Final Defender, Islander Aircraft". Key.Aero. Key Publishing. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  13. ^ 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)
  14. ^ a b c d e f Jefford 2001, pp. 102–103.

Bibliography

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  • 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

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 651 Squadron RAF.
  • Warner, Guy (2011). First in the Field: 651 Squadron Army Air Corps. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1848842632.
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