No. 251 Squadron was a Royal Air Force Squadron which operated during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Squadron was disbanded in 1945 and remains inactive.

History

No. 251 Squadron RAF was first formed in August 1918 from Nos. 504, 505, 506 and 510 (Special Duty) Flights based at Hornsea but operating from

Atwick __NOTOC__ Atwick is a village and civil parish in Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the ...

, RAF Greenland Top/Stallingborough) and

Owthorne Owthorne is an area of the town of Withernsea, on the Holderness coast in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Owthorne was originally a separate town to the north of Withernsea, one of many settlements that have been lost to coastal erosion. ...

. The Squadron flew anti-submarine patrols on the coast of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

for the remainder of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was then disbanded on 30 June 1919. No. 251 Squadron was then reborn after No. 1407 (Meteorological) Flight, stationed at Reykjavík, was renumbered for air-sea rescues on 1 August 1944. 1407 Flight was formed in October 1941, receiving Lockheed Hudson aircraft in April 1942. The number of aircraft was expanded in November with more Hudsons and a few Handley Page Hampdens. The latter were replaced with

Lockheed Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...

s in 1943. The new Squadron also operated as

Meteorological Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

until it was finally disbanded in October 1945.Air of Authority
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Aircraft Used

During its first time in operation, the Squadron flew: *

Airco DH.6 The Airco DH.6 was a British military Trainer (aircraft), trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Clutching hand" and "Skyhook", many survived to be used as a civil ligh ...

. During its second time in operation, the Squadron flew: *

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...

(August 1944 - October 1945) *

(August 1944 - October 1944) * Lockheed Hudson (August 1944 - August 1945) * Boeing Fortress II (March 1945 - October 1945) * Vickers Warwick (August 1945 - October 1945)

References

External links

{{Royal Air Force 251 Squadron

History

Aircraft Used

See also

References

External links