No. 511 Squadron RAF
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| No. 511 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942-1946 1946-1958 1959-1976 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Motto | Surely and Quickly |
No. 511 Squadron was a Royal Air Force transport squadron.
Contents |
[edit] History
Formed on 14 October 1942 No. 511 Squadron was formed from No. 1425 Flight at RAF Lyneham. The squadron continued the work of the Flight operating regular transport schedules to Gibraltar using the Consolidated Liberators. To extend the route from Gibraltar to Malta the squadron also operated the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle. As the Second World War progressed then 511 Squadron expanded its long-range transport role and it was the first squadron to operate the Avro York transport (transport based on the Avro Lancaster). At first the Liberators and Yorks were operated as separate Flights but the Liberator Flight became 246 Squadron in 1944. The Squadron continued to fly trooping flight particlarly between the United Kingdom and India . The squadron was disbanded on 7 October 1946.
Within a few days (16 October 1946) the squadron was formed again as a Avro York operator. It continued to fly the long-distance rutes to India and the Far East until like a lot of transport squadrons became involved in the Berlin Airlift. The squadron then re-equipped with the Handley Page Hastings and in 1957 the squadron moved to join other operators of the Hastings at RAF Colerne. A year later was disbanded on 1 September 1958 when it was re-numbered as 36 Squadron.
Formed again at RAF Lyneham on the 15 December 1959 as the second squadron to operate the Bristol Britannia on long-range trooping flights. It moved out of RAF Lyneham for RAF Brize Norton in June 1970 as Lyneham became the base for the new Lockheed Hercules. The squadron was disbanded on 6 January 1976 when it was decided to withdraw the Britannia from service.
[edit] Aircraft operated
- 1942-1944 Consolidated Liberator I & II
- 1942-1944 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle I
- 1942 Handley Page Halifax II
- 1943-1944 Douglas Dakota
- 1943-1946 Avro York
- 1944 Consolidated Liberator VII
- 1945-1946 Avro Lancastrian C2
- 1946-1949 Avro York C1
- 1949-1958 Handley Page Hastings C1
- 1951-1958 Handley Page Hastings C2
- 1959-1975 Bristol Britannia C1
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- G G Jefford, RAF Squadrons, second edition 2001, Airlife Publishing, UK, ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, (Part Work 1982-1985), Orbis Publishing
