Number 51 Squadron is a squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. Since 2014 it has operated the Boeing RC-135W Airseeker R.1, more commonly referred to as the Rivet Joint, from

RAF Waddington Royal Air Force Waddington otherwise known as RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located beside the village of Waddington, south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire in England. The station is the RAF's Intelligence Surveillance Target ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

. It had previously flown the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1 from 1974 until 2011."Nimrod R1 makes final flight"
''Defence Management Journal'', 28 June 2011. Retrieved: 28 June 2011. Following the Nimrod's retirement, crews from No. 51 Squadron trained alongside the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

on the RC-135W Rivet Joint, which was being acquired by the RAF under the Airseeker project.

History

World War I

51 Squadron Royal Flying Corps flew

B.E.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

and B.E.12 aircraft; the squadron formed at

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24, ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, before moving its headquarters to the airfield that later became RAF Marham. The squadron's primary role 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 ...

was defence of the UK against

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

raids. It also used the

Avro 504K The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

to give night flying training to new pilots. The squadron disbanded in 1919.

Interwar years

The squadron was reborn when 'B' Flight of 58 Squadron was renumbered as 51 Squadron at Driffield in March 1937, flying

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

s and

Anson Anson may refer to: People * Anson (name), a give name and surname ** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname Place names ;United States * Anson, Indiana * Anson, Kansas * Anson, Maine ** Anson (CDP), Maine * Anson, Missour ...

s. At this time the squadron badge was being chosen and a

goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

was chosen as a play on words: the squadron was flying the Anson and the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for goose is ''Anser''. It was also appropriate for a bomber unit to have a heavy wild fowl to represent it.

World War II

Bombing up 51 Squadron Halifax at RAF Snaith WWII IWM CH 11622

51 Squadron Halifax crew return from Ruhr WWII IWM CH 10293

51 Squadron dropped leaflets over Germany on the very first night of 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 opposi ...

, using the Whitley aircraft. In February 1942, led by the legendary Percy Pickard, 51 Squadron carried 119 paratroops and an RAF flight sergeant skilled in electronics to

Bruneval Saint-Jouin-Bruneval is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A farming village in the Pays de Caux, situated some north of Le Havre, at the junction of the D940, D139 and D111 roads. ...

, France, in converted Whitleys. The men then carried out a very successful raid on a German radar installation, removing parts of a new type known as a

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

, which they took back to Britain. A brief period as part of

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

patrolling against the U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay preceded the re-equipment with the Halifax in 1942. 51 spent the rest of the war in Europe flying as part of No. 4 Group RAF, RAF Bomber Command's strategic bombing offensive against the Nazis, operating from

RAF Snaith Royal Air Force Snaith or RAF Snaith is a former Royal Air Force station which was located south west of Goole, Yorkshire, England and close to the village of Pollington. The airfield opened 1941 before closing in 1946. Based units The airfi ...

in East Yorkshire.

Postwar

The squadron became part of

Transport Command RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967. ...

with

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

s and later

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

s following the end of the European war, transporting men and material to India and the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. The squadron disbanded in 1950, after taking part in the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...

. The squadron again reformed in the 'Special Duties' role when No. 192 Squadron RAF was renumbered at

RAF Watton Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England. Opened in 1937 it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) d ...

on 21 August 1958, moving to nearby Wyton in April 1963.Lake 2001, p. 130–131. It was only following the end of the Cold War that the signals intelligence role of the squadron was publicly recognised. Signals intelligence encompasses both Electronic Intelligence (Elint) and Communications Intelligence (Comint). The squadron flew this role using

de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four ...

s. The Comets were replaced by a modified version of the

Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a retired maritime patrol aircraft developed and operated by the United Kingdom. It was an extensive modification of the de Havilland Comet, the world's first operational jet airliner. It was originally designed ...

in 1974.

First Rivet Joint Aircraft Lands at RAF Waddington MOD 45156408

One of the three Nimrods on strength was retired at the end of November 2009 with the other two remaining in service until June 2011. The Nimrods were replaced by three Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft. In January 2011 personnel from 51 Squadron began training at Offutt Air Force Base in the US for conversion to the RC-135. Crews were to be deployed on joint missions with the USAF 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron until the new aircraft became available. The first RC135W (ZZ664) was delivered to the Royal Air Force on 12 November 2013, and entered operational service in 2014, taking part in

Operation Shader Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The operation involves the British Army providing ground s ...

against

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

in Iraq and Syria.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated have included: *

* B.E.12 * FE2b * Martinsyde G.100 *

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the ...

Vickers Virginia The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy. Design and development Work on the Virginia was started in 1920, as a replacement for the Vimy. Two prototypes were ordered on 13 ...

Mk10 *

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 (RCA ...

Mk1 *

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was a British medium bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was one of three twin-engined, front line medium bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the outbreak of the Second World ...

Mk 2–5 *

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its orig ...

Mk B2 and B3 * Short Stirling Mk5 * Avro York *

Mk2R *

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...

B2 *

Handley Page Hastings The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, ...

C1 * Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R1 * Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Ford, Keith S. ''Snaith days: Life with 51 Squadron, 1942–45''. Warrington, Cheshire, UK: Compaid Graphics, 1993. . *Ford, Keith S. ''Swift and Sure: Eighty Years of 51 Squadron RAF (York's Own Squadron)''. Preston, Lancashire, UK: Compaid Graphics, 1997. . * *Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britai (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Lake, Jon. "Wyton's Cold War spyplanes: No 51 Squadron's Canberras". ''International Air Power Review''. Volume 1, 2001. Norwalk, Connecticut, USA: AIRtime Publishing. pp. 130–137. . ISSN 1473-9917. *Moyes, Philip J.R. ''Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (Revised edition 1976). *Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . *Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (Revised edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . *Ward, Chris. ''Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles, Number 16: 51 Squadron – Swift and Sure''. Berkshire, UK: Ward Publishing, 1998.

External links

51 SquadronSquadron website51 Squadron
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 51 Squadron Raf 051 Squadron 051 Squadron Signals intelligence units and formations Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Falklands War 1916 establishments in the United Kingdom