The history of No. 51 Squadron goes back to 1947 when it was formed at
RAF Celle near the
Lüneburg Heath in
Germany by the redesignation of
No. 2713 Squadron RAF Regiment. Its initial role was as a rifle squadron, protecting RAF facilities from ground attack. In 1955 it changed to the light anti-aircraft role which it retained until disbanded in 1957. In 1964 the squadron reformed, switching back to the rifle role, at the
RAF Regiment Depot. The first assignments of the unit after reforming were overseas to
Cyprus and
Aden where it undertook internal security roles. After
Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 it was sent to
Africa to protect
Gloster Javelin aircraft which were deployed in
Zambia. After returning to
Catterick the unit's next deployment was back to Aden
in the immediate period before the British withdrawal from there in 1967. Its service in Aden was mainly spent at the many isolated airfields dotting that colony. The squadron was on FP duties at Camp Bastion when the
Taliban launched an attack on the base popularly known as "
The Battle of Bastion". This involved squadron personnel actively engaging and repelling enemy forces as part of a wider force including other UK forces and the
US Marines. Some weeks after the attack, controversy raged when images of 51 squadron personnel were released showing them kneeling next to dead Taliban fighters with their thumbs up. Most recently, 20 personnel from the Regiment deployed in support of
Operation Shader. In 2016, the squadron celebrated its 75th anniversary with a parade at their home base of RAF Lossiemouth. Whilst the squadron was formed in 1940, it did not become an official RAF Defence Squadron until 1941. In April 2021 51 Sqn was highlighted for potential disbandment under new forces cuts. ==References==