No. 652 Squadron AAC

No. 652 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps (AAC). It was previously No. 652 Squadron RAF, 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 British 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.

History Royal Air Force

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, Belgium and the Netherlands into Germany.

The squadron's motto was Latin: Sive aere sive campo(Translation: "In the air and in the field"), for an identification symbol it had "In front of wings conjoined in base, a gun barrel fesswise" and for an identification symbol it used XM (Sep 1946–1951)

Claim to fame '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.

Post war service After the German surrender it remained as part of the British Air Forces of Occupation, later of the 2nd Tactical Air Force.

The following flights operated in conjunction with the squadron: No. 1902 Air Observation Post Flight was formed within 652 Squadron previously 'A' Flight No. 1903 Air Observation Post Flight which was formed within 652 Squadron previously 'B' Flight No. 1904 Air Observation Post Flight was formed within 652 Squadron previously 'C' Flight No. 1905 Air Observation Post Flight was formed within 652 Squadron

The unit was disbanded in September 1957, when it was merged into the Army Air Corps.

+Aircraft operated by No. 652 Squadron RAF From To Aircraft Variant May 1942 November 1942 de Havilland Tiger Moth Mk.II August 1942 March 1943 Taylorcraft Plus C.2 October 1942 March 1943 Auster Mk.I March 1943 March 1944 Auster Mk.III February 1944 August 1946 Auster Mk.IV December 1944 December 1953 Auster Mk.V September 1946 September 1957 Auster AOP.6 January 1956 September 1957 Auster AOP.9

+Bases and airfields used by No. 652 Squadron RAF, data from From To Base Remark1 May 1942 15 June 1942 RAF Old Sarum, Wiltshire 15 June 1942 11 August 1942 RAF Bottisham, Cambridgeshire 11 August 1942 31 December 1942 RAF Westley, Suffolk 31 December 1942 20 February 1943 RAF Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland 20 February 1943 28 March 1943 RAF Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire 28 March 1943 2 July 1943 RAF Methven, Perth and Kinross, Scotland 2 July 1943 7 November 1943 RAF Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland 7 November 1943 25 March 1944 RAF Ipswich, Suffolk 25 March 1944 29 April 1944 RAF Denham, Buckinghamshire 29 April 1944 7 June 1944 RAF Cobham, Surrey 6 June 1944 7 June 1944 Bény-sur-Mer, Calvados, France Advance Party 7 June 1944 8 July 1944 Plumetot, Calvados, France 8 July 1944 1 August 1944 Reviers, Calvados, France 1 August 1944 13 August 1944 Blainville-sur-Orne, Calvados, France 13 August 1944 17 August 1944 Grentheville, Calvados, France 17 August 1944 23 August 1944 St-Pierre-sur-Dives, Calvados, France 23 August 1944 26 August 1944 Lisieux, Calvados, France 26 August 1944 3 September 1944 49 13'N 00 29'E, Calvados, France 3 September 1944 4 September 1944 Foucart, Seine-Maritime, France 4 September 1944 14 September 1944 Angerville-l'Orcher, Seine-Maritime, France 14 September 1944 17 September 1944 Héricourt-en-Caux, Seine-Maritime, France 17 September 1944 23 September 1944 Parfondeval, Seine-Maritime, France 23 September 1944 27 September 1944 Buken, Flemish Brabant, Belgium 27 September 1944 5 October 1944 Zoersel, Antwerp, Belgium 5 October 1944 13 October 1944 Het Geheul, Antwerp, Belgium 13 October 1944 19 October 1944 Turnhout, Antwerp, Belgium 19 October 1944 23 October 1944 51 17'N 04 39'E, Antwerp, Belgium 23 October 1944 1 November 1944 Maria ter Heide, Antwerp, Belgium 1 November 1944 4 November 1944 Brasschaat, Antwerp, Belgium 4 November 1944 10 November 1944 Roosendaal, North Brabant, Netherlands 10 November 1944 31 December 1944 Brasschaat, Antwerp, Belgium 31 December 1944 1 April 1945 Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands 1 April 1945 3 April 1945 Kleve, Westphalia, Allied-occupied Germany 3 April 1945 30 April 1945 Zutphen, Gelderland, Netherlands 1 May 1945 14 June 1945 Rhede, Westphalia, Allied-occupied Germany 14 June 1945 16 November 1945 Deilinghofen, Westphalia, Allied-occupied Germany 16 November 1945 29 April 1946 RAF Hoya, Province of Hanover, British Zone of Occupation 29 April 1946 1 December 1947 B.118/RAF Celle, Lower Saxony, British Zone of Occupation Nos. 1902, 1903 & 1904 Flts. 1 December 1947 1 May 1949 B.156/RAF Luneburg, Lower Saxony, British Zone of Occupation Nos. 1902, 1903, 1904 & 1905 Flts. 1 May 1949 1 September 1957 RAF Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany Nos. 1901, 1904, 1905 & 1909 Flts.

Army Air Corps

The squadron was transferred to the Army on 1 September 1957 while the unit was in Germany. Between 1966 and October 1969 the unit was employed as 1 Division Army Aviation HQ.

During the Cold War, the squadron was part of No. 2 Regiment AAC (along with 662 Sqn), the two squadrons were at different locations, 662 Sqn was at Münster, and 652 was at Bünde. About 1984, as a result of changing the structure of AAC Regiments, 2 Regiment was disbanded and 652 Sqn became part of 1 Regiment AAC at Hildesheim, Germany – each regiment now consisting of three squadrons and a HQ Troop. Sometime after 1990, 1 Regiment moved to Gutersloh, Germany.

Deployments Between September 1984 and February 1985, the unit deployed to the Falkland Islands being split between Goose Green and Port Stanley. Between September 2004 and October 2007, the unit deployed two times to Iraq (Operation Telic) with Westland Lynx's. Between September 2009 and January 2012, 652 Sqn deployed to Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) with Lynx AH.9's. Between January 1974 and May 1974 the Squadron was deployed to Northern Ireland (Operation Banner) operating six Westland Scouts from Long Kesh army base. Between November 1975 and March 1976 the Squadron was deployed to Northern Ireland (Operation Banner) operating six Westland Scouts from Longkesh army base.

Present day

The unit converted to the AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 and moved to RNAS Yeovilton becoming the Wildcat Fielding Squadron, training aircrews.

No. 652 Squadron AAC

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