A pinky’s memories

There seems to be a definite lack of information on the activities of 51 Sqdn so here goes with some details culled from my notebook

During 1972 there were 6 Canberra detatchments, all to Germany
1/2 to 25/2 WT301 & WJ768 Wildenwrath & Laarbruch
6/3 to 17/3 WT305 & WJ775 Laarbruch
10/4 to 28/4 WJ768 & WJ775 Laarbruch
5/6 to 22/6 WT301 & WJ768 Laarbruch
6/10 to 27/10 WT301 & WJ775 Laarbruch
30/11 to 15/12 WT301 & WT305 Laarbruch

The A/C did not, as far as I recall, fly together on operations. They often had different electronic fits for different types of signals of interest. Invariably a detachment would involve flying at specific times on specific days with a specific fit. On landing, the fit would often change for the next operation.
In the bomb bay were two large crates. The rear crate had 6, 10 channel VHF receivers (TR1984, TR1985, TR1986 series). A roll change would often mean replacing some or all of the 60 crystals and retuning the sets. The forward crate contained an X447, 14 channel reel to reel tape recorder. Pre flight a new tape had to be fitted and after flight it had to be removed and passed to the Spec Op..
The Spec op had the 6 controllers for the VHFs at his position and could monitor and record anything of interest. (Some Spec Ops were linguists) The remaining X447 channels recorded the APR9/R216 radio (manually tuned HF Receiver), the real time clock, the L, S, C, & X band guard receivers, and the Spec Ops voice over. (giving pulse width, pulse repetition frequency, aerial rotation speed and bearing of a target radar). There was also an input from the tail warning radar receiver known as the IFD.
Apart from the aforementioned VHFs and the R216 the spec op also operated the APA11A pulse analyzer, The ALA6 PPI indicator (Bearing and Aerial rotation) The mixer (PRF) and the tail warner IFD.
Prior to 1972 the Canberras also did detachments to Akrotiri. In 1967 one of them returned late from an op and was met at the end of the runway by an airframe fitter with a ladder and canvas patch to cover a bullet hole. As this was before I joined the sqdn I have no idea whether this was picked up along the Egyptian/Libyan coast or over the Bospheros