No. 652 Squadron RAF

No. 652 Squadron RAF
Active	1 May 1942 - 1957
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Air Observation Post Squadron
Motto	Latin: Sive aere sive campo (Translation: "In the air and in the field")[1]
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	In front of wings conjoined in base, a gun barrel fesswise[1]
Identification symbol	XM (Sep 1946 - 1951)[2][3]
Aircraft flown
Reconnaissance	de Havilland Tiger Moth Taylorcraft Auster Auster AOP.6

No. 652 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of these squadrons, 664, 665 and 666, were AOP units of the Royal Canadian Air Force manned by Canadian and British personnel. Their duties and squadron numbers were transferred to the Army with the formation of the Army Air Corps on 1 September 1957.^[1][4]

History

A postwar restored DH-82A Tiger Moth.

No. 652 Squadron was formed at RAF Old Sarum, Wiltshire, on 1 May 1942 and went into action in Normandy on 7 June 1944 in support of the British Second Army and the Operation Overlord landings. Most of its pilots and observers came from the British Army, while maintenance was carried out by RAF personnel. The squadron moved with the Second Army through France and the Netherlands into Germany, and after the German surrender it remained as part of the British Air Forces of Occupation, later of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, until September 1957, when it was merged into the Army Air Corps. 'C' Flight, No. 652 Squadron RAF has been credited with firing the last British shots of the war in Europe while directing artillery fire at the siege of Dunkirk on 7 May, 1945, sharing in this action with No. 665 Squadron RCAF. The original squadron is represented today by 652 Squadron of 1 Regiment, Army Air Corps

Aircraft operated

Auster AOP.6 silhouette.

Aircraft operated by 652 Squadron^[1][5]

From	To	Aircraft	Variant
May 1942	November 1942	de Havilland Tiger Moth	Mk.II
October 1942	March 1943	Auster	Mk.I
March 1943	March 1944	Auster	Mk.III
February 1944	August 1946	Auster	Mk.IV
December 1944	September 1946	Auster	Mk.V
September 1946	September 1957	Auster	AOP.6

Notable squadron members

• Peter W. Wilkinson

See also

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Halley 1988, p. 445.
2. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 114.
3. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 160.
4. ^ Jefford 2001, pp. 102–105.
5. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 103.

Bibliography

• Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
• Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF(Retd.). 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., 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

• Squadron histories for nos. 651-670 squadron on RAFWeb
• Elite UK Forces

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