No. 151 Wing RAF

No. 151 Wing RAF
No. 151 Wing Royal Air Force Operations in Russia, September–November 1941 (CR38)
Active	7 September 1941 – 22 October 1941 10 March 1944 – 1 June 1946 1 October 1959 – 9 September 1964
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Size	Wing
Commanders
Notable commanders	Wing Commander Henry Neville Gynes Ramsbottom-Isherwood (1941)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Hawker Hurricane (1941)

No 151 Wing Royal Air Force was a British unit which fought alongside the Soviet forces on the Kola Peninsula during the first months of Operation Barbarossa during World War II. The 1941 expedition to Murmansk achieved three objectives from the point of view of the British government: it provided vital aid to the Soviet Union at a critical moment; it introduced the Soviet forces to the use of modern technology, control systems, and fighter tactics; and it showed the Finns that offensive action against the Soviet Union would result in direct military confrontation with the Western Allies.

The delay in starting the Finnish-German offensive from northern Finland gave the British an opportunity to intervene. Within days of the German Invasion starting, Britain and the USSR entered into a formal military alliance. Finland's Army command was disturbed by the possibilities of intelligence activities by the numerically large British military and Consular representation in Finland. Finland suggested restrictions on the British Helsinki legation in late July 1941. The British were anxious to offer immediate support to their new ally and British submarines, mine layers and aircraft carriers quickly put in an appearance off the north coast of Finland. On 31 July 1941, carrier-borne aircraft from Furious attacked the harbour at the Finnish town of Petsamo. The British lost three aircraft and inflicted only minor damage on a small freighter and harbour facilities. In a further attempt to hinder naval traffic in the area, the Royal Navy mined the approaches to Petsamo.

The British undertook to provide air support in the Murmansk area and to train Soviet pilots for the Hawker Hurricane fighters which were to be sent to the Soviet Union. No. 151 Wing was formed for this purpose, composed of the reinforced No. 81 and No. 134 squadrons of the RAF and operating under the code name of "Force Benedict". The Wing was commanded by Wing Commander H.N.G. Ramsbottom-Isherwood of the Royal Air Force. The first elements of 151 Wing, consisting of 24 Hawker Hurricane IIB aircraft, arrived at Vaenga airfield (renamed Severomorsk in 1941; about 10 km (6.2 mi) north-east from Murmansk) on 7 September 1941 after flying from the carrier Argus. These were reinforced by aircraft, equipment and personnel transported by merchant ship to Arkhangelsk and assembled there.