No. 51 Squadron

Group
4 Group
Home station
RAF Snaith

About

No. 51 Squadron reformed in 1937 as a night-bomber unit and spent the Second World War in No. 4 Group. Flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, it was in action from the very first night of the war, dropping leaflets over Hamburg, and after a spell loaned to Coastal Command for anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay it returned to the bomber offensive.

In February 1942 the squadron’s Whitleys, led by Wing Commander Percy Pickard, carried the airborne troops of the Bruneval raid to the French coast, where they seized vital components from a German Würzburg radar and brought them back to Britain — one of the war’s most successful combined operations. Later that year the squadron re-equipped with the Handley Page Halifax and moved to RAF Snaith in Yorkshire, flying the four-engined heavy through the strategic campaign over Germany. It had earlier operated from RAF Dishforth.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Four Prop — 51 Squadron and Wikipedia: No. 51 Squadron RAF. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.

Photographs

Specially painted Nimrod R1 aircraft at Royal Air Force Waddington, the home of 51 Squadron. The Nimrod R1 XV249 has been painted especially to commemorate the final flight of the Nimrod with the RAF Waddington station crest and the 51 Sqn Goose. The Nimrod R1 has been in operation since 1974, flying from RAF Waddington since 1995. These pictures depict the aircraft in it's current role with the Aircrew going about their day to day taskings onboard the Nimrod during a ground run mission on January 13th 2011. *Organization: RAF *Object Name: WAD-11-0036-OUT-UNC-012(E) *Supplemental Categories: Aircraft, Surveillance *Keywords: Nimrod R1, Nimrod, 51 Sqn, Aircrew, Mission, Aircraft, Lincolnshire, Lincoln, Royal air Force Waddington, RAF Waddington, Waddington, Royal Air Force, RAF, Equipment, Surveillance *Country: United Kingdom
ⓘ licence & creditSAC Ben Stevenson / OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Specially_Painted_Nimrod_R1_Aircraft_at_RAF_Waddington_MOD_45152318.jpgView source & full licence →
There are only two of these left and along with it seems everything else in the RAF they'll be retired too. This one is wearing special markings as can be seen. If it has to go back to warmer climes thenit will have these removed.
ⓘ licence & creditJerry Gunner / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nimrod_R1_XV249_of_51_Sqdn_on_approach_to_its_base,_RAF_Waddington.jpgView source & full licence →
Nimrod R1 from 51 Sqn RAF Waddington doing a fly past at the RAF Waddington Air show July 4th 2009.
ⓘ licence & creditcooldudeandy01 / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nimrod_R1_Waddington_airshow_2009.jpgView source & full licence →
To be retired at the end of the month, this will likely be one of the last chances to see one of these on the go. RAF Waddington this morning.
ⓘ licence & creditJerry Gunner / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nimrod_R1_on_one_of_its_last_days_out_this_morning.jpgView source & full licence →
Nimrod R1 of 51 Sqn, RAF Waddington lands during Waddington airshow 2010
ⓘ licence & creditDan Davison from Rochford, England / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nimrod_R1_of_51_Sqn,_RAF_Waddington_lands_during_Waddington_airshow_2010.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Handley Page Halifax B Mark II Series 1A, HR952 'MH-X', of No. 51 Squadron RAF receiving a mixed load of 500-lb MC bombs and incendiaries in its dispersal at Snaith, Yorkshire, for a night raid on Germany.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH11622.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. The crew of a Handley Page Halifax of No 51 Squadron RAF hand in their parachutes at Snaith, Yorkshire on their return from a bombing raid on the Ruhr, Germany.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH10293.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. The Station Commander at Snaith, Yorkshire, Group Captain N H Fresson, is joined by other officers on the balcony of the control tower as they await the return of Handley Page Halifaxes of No. 51 Squadron RAF from a night raid on Nuremberg. Note the ambulance and crash tenders with their crews standing by below the tower, and the searchlight beam pointing skywards to show the cloud base. Five aircraft failed to return to Snaith on this night, and a sixth crashed on landing.
ⓘ licence & creditClark N S (F/O), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH12601.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Trolleys loaded with 500-lb GP and MC bombs, and their attendant armourers, are towed by tractors from the Bomb Store at Snaith, Yorkshire, towards aircraft dispersals on the northern side of the airfield, and the awaiting Handley Page Halifaxes of No. 51 Squadron RAF which were operating in support of the Allied Armies in Normandy.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH13407.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Squadron Leader Peter Hill, briefs crews of No. 51 Squadron RAF on the forthcoming raid to Nuremberg, Germany in the Operations Room at Snaith, Yorkshire. The Station Commander, Group Captain N H Fresson, sits third from the left in the front row. No. 51 Squadron lost six Handley Page Halifaxes that night (30/31 March 1944), suffering 35 men killed (including Sqn Ldr Hill) and seven made prisoners-of-war. Sqn Ldr Frederick Peter Hill (Service Number: 60532) is buried in Section 4, Row D, Grave 16 at Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany. GPS Location of the Cemetery is:- N 47° 46' 42" E 11° 44' 0.7"
ⓘ licence & creditClark N S (F/O), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH12598.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. The Officer of the Watch in the Watch Office at Snaith, Yorkshire, guiding Handley Page Halifaxes of No. 51 Squadron RAF back to base after a night raid on Nuremberg. The Station Commander of Snaith, Group Captain N H Fresson, can be seen waiting outside on the balcony of the Control Tower.
ⓘ licence & creditClark N S (Fg Off), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH18743.jpgView source & full licence →
ⓘ licence & creditIan S / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memorial_to_51_Squadron_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4918546.jpgView source & full licence →
ⓘ licence & creditIan S / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memorial_to_51_Squadron_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4918543.jpgView source & full licence →
RAF NIMROD AND AWAC AIRCRAFT Formation of No 51 Squadron Nimrod R1 and Sentry AEW1 of No 8/23 Squadron, both based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. *Organization: RAF *Supplemental Categories: Equipment, Aircraft, ISTAR, Sentry *Keywords: RAF, AIRCRAFT, JET, NIMROD, AWAC, Royal Air Force, Equipment, Surveillance, Sentry, E3D, R1
ⓘ licence & creditRAF IMAGE / OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Formation_of_No_51_Squadron_Nimrod_R1_and_Sentry_AEW1_of_No_8-23_Squadron.10-04-2000_MOD_45137400.jpgView source & full licence →
Airseeker - RAF Mildenhall
ⓘ licence & creditAirwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Airseeker_-_RAF_Mildenhall_(26469151982).jpgView source & full licence →
Ex RAF de Havilland Comet 2
ⓘ licence & creditCopyright ©1987-2009 K. Krallis, SV1XV / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:19870830-Duxford-XK695.jpgView source & full licence →

Operations flown

Aircraft (6)

SerialCodeTypeFate
LV777 MH-F Handley Page Halifax Lost on operations
LV822 MH-Z Handley Page Halifax Lost on operations
LV857 MH-H Handley Page Halifax Lost on operations
LW537 MH-C Handley Page Halifax Lost on operations
LW544 MH-Q Handley Page Halifax Lost on operations
LW579 MH-V Handley Page Halifax Lost on operations

No service records linked to this squadron yet. Aircraft, crews and sorties will appear here soon.

Further reading & sources

External sites — facts only are reused here; their text and images remain their authors'.