| 440 Transport Squadron | |
|---|---|
 A 440 Squadron Twin Otter in Cambridge Bay | |
| Active | 1968-present[1] |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Part of | 17 Wing |
| Headquarters | Canadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters Yellowknife |
| Motto(s) |
Ka Ganawaitak Saguenay "He who protects the Saguenay" |
| Equipment | 4 CC-138 Twin Otters |
| Battle honours |
Fortress Europe 1944 France and Germany 1944-45 Normandy 1944 Arnhem Rhine Aleutians 1942-43 |
| Website | 440 Squadron |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | LCol Desmond Brophy |
No. 440 "City of Ottawa" Transport Squadron (Vampire) is a unit of the Canadian Forces under the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is part of 17 Wing and Joint Task Force North located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Based at Yellowknife Airport and operating throughout Northern Canada, the unit's primary role is to provide support to the Canadian Forces, including the Canadian Rangers and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, with search and rescue as a secondary role. The squadron operates four CC-138 DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft that can flown on tundra tires, skis or floats.[2][3][4][5]
The squadron was founded in the 1930s as an army cooperation squadron. It was for a time an air defence squadron from the start of the Second World War before moving to the UK. There it equipped as a fighter-bomber squadron under RAF operational control. It supported the ground campaign through Northwest Europe until the end of the war.
History[]
No. 440 Squadron RCAF was a Second World War Royal Canadian Air Force squadron that operated as part of the Royal Air Force in Europe with the Hawker Typhoon.[6]
The squadron was formed in Vancouver on 5 October 1932 as No. 11 (Army Co-Operation) Squadron' before being redesignated No. 111 (Coast Artillery Co-Operation) Squadron on 15 November 1937. At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron formed a detachment at Patricia Bay on Vancouver Island, now Victoria International, before being redesignated No. 111 (Fighter) Squadron on 1 July 1940. It was disbanded on 1 February 1941 and then reformed on 3 November 1941.[1][7] The squadron and took part in air defence operations in Western Canada and the Aleutian Islands Campaign under Western Air Command[7] before moving to RAF Ayr where it was redesignated No. 440 (Fighter Bomber) Squadron on 8 February 1944 as an Article XV squadron under the control of the British Royal Air Force.[8] It was the third Canadian Typhoon equipped squadron of 143 Wing. The squadron was equipped with the Hawker Hurricane for working up but changed to the Hawker Typhoon once they were delivered. After a period of training the squadron began operations in 30 March 1944 with the Typhoons from RAF Hurn in the fighter bomber role. Originally the Typhoons were fitted with 500 lb (230 kg) bombs but later were able to carry a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs under each wing.[8] The squadron supported and followed the allied armies through France, Netherlands and then into Germany. It was disbanded at Flensburg on 26 August 1945.[6][8]
In 1953 the squadron was reformed at RCAF Station Bagotville and equipped with the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck. From 1957 until 1962, when they were once again disbanded, the squadron, part of 3 Wing, was stationed at Zweibrücken Air Base, West Germany as part of Canada's commitment to NATO. The squadron was reactivated a final time 8 July 1968 at CFB Winnipeg as No. 440 Communications and Rescue Squadron with Douglas Dakotas and Vertol H-21 helicopters and redesignated as 440 Transport and Rescue Squadron in October. They later moved to CFB Namao just outside Edmonton where they operated de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo and CC-138 Twin Otters. At the time, two of the Twin Otters were stationed in Yellowknife, and in 1994 after CFB Namao closed the squadron moved north to be redesignated No. 440 Transport Squadron in 1995.[1][9]
No. 440 Squadron does not share a lineage with No. 11 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron.
Aircraft operated[]
440 Transport Squadron (left) and RCMP Air Division (right) base at Yellowknife Airport
| Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932-? | de Havilland DH.60 Moth | Single-engine, 2 seat biplane | |
| 1942–1944 | Curtiss P-40 Warhawk | Kittyhawk | Single-engined ground-attack aircraft |
| 1944 | Hawker Hurricane | IV | Single-engined fighter bomber |
| 1944–1945 | Hawker Typhoon | IB | Single-engined fighter bomber |
| 1953–1962 | Avro CF-100 Canuck | All-weather jet interceptor/fighter | |
| 1968-? | Douglas Dakotas | Transport, search and rescue | |
| 1968-? | Vertol H-21 helicopters | Tandem roter helicopter | |
| 1971-? | de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo | CC-115 | STOL transport aircraft |
| 1971–present | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | CC-138 | Light transport, STOL, bush airplane |
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 History
- ↑ Joint Task Force North - Units
- ↑ 440 Squadron Web Page - Canadian Forces Web Site
- ↑ CC-138 Twin Otter
- ↑ 17 Wing Squadron
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jefford 1988, page 92
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Volume 4: Operational Flying Squadrons
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Orbis 1985, p 4173
- ↑ Closed After Military Cutbacks, Alberta's Aviation Heritage
- References
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 1985.
- Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 440 Squadron RCAF. |
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Coordinates: 62°28′07″N 114°25′47″W / 62.46861°N 114.42972°W
The original article can be found at 440 Transport Squadron and the edit history here.