651 Sqn

WW II

The first Air Observation Post (AOP) Squadron, 651 was formed at RAF Old Sarum, Wiltshire, on 1 August 1941, equipped with Auster aircraft, under Squadron Leader E D Joyce. Major H C Bazeley, Royal Artillery, who was instrumental in the creation of the AOP Squadrons, assumed command on 4 October 1941. Having carried out numerous exercises in the south of England, the squadron moved to Dumfries on 31 July 1942. On 11 August 1942, to prepare for overseas mobilisation, the squadron moved to RAF Kidsdale, Dumfries And Galloway.

It first went into action in November 1942, during Operation Torch, in North Africa where the squadron, apart from 'A' Flight landed in Algiers. Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) during the North African Campaign. By January 1943 the whole Squadron were in action in North Africa. After consolidating in Algeria, the Allies struck into Tunisia. The 1st and 8th Armies attacked the Axis in April. Hard fighting followed, but the Allies cut off the Germans and Italians from support by naval and air forces between Tunisia and Sicily. On 6 May, as the culmination of Operation Vulcan, the British took Tunis, and American forces reached Bizerte. By 13 May, the Axis forces in Tunisia had surrendered, opening the way for the Allied invasion of Sicily. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis Powers (Italy and Nazi Germany). It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat which launched the Italian Campaign.

651 were the first AOP unit to cross the Straits of Messina from Sicily in support of the 8th British Army's invasion of Italy on 4 September 1943. By 17 May 1944 the Squadron had been reassigned to work with 654 (AOP) Sqn RAF in support of the 2nd Polish Corps during their capture of Monte Cassino. When the Polish 2nd Corps moved to the Monte Cassino sector, General Anders asked the British for aircraft to assist with the direction of artillery fire by Polish artillery officers. A Polish AOP squadron (663) was formed and, until operational, 651 and 654 AOP Squadrons flights were at the disposal of the Corps' command. 651 and 654 squadrons assisted during the Battle of Monte Cassino and also in the Adriatic campaign. In recognition of this, General Anders gave them the right to bear the Polish Corps' ensign: the Warsaw Siren/Sirena/Syrenka (Maid of Warsaw) on a red shield.

Post WW II - RAF

After WW II, the squadron was been based in Egypt but also operated in Palestine, Eritrea, Tunisia and Cyprus. On 1 November 1955, 651 Squadron seems to have disapppeared from Egypt and re-appeared at RAF Middle Wallop - effected by 657 Squadron being re-numbered to 651 Squadron, flying Sycamore helicopters as well as Austers.

Army Air Corps

Whatever happened during the previous twelve years, with the formation of the Army Air Corps in 1957, 651 AOP Squadron, RAF, was redesignated 651 Squadron, Army Air Corps, based at RAF Debden in Essex. The following year it moved back to Middle Wallop becoming the "Overseas/Middle East Squadron".