406 "City of Saskatoon" Maritime Operational Training Squadron is a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

(RCAF) unit of the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. Based at 12 Wing Shearwater since 1972, it is responsible for crew training on the

Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone The Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone is a twin-engine, multi-role shipboard helicopter developed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation for the Canadian Armed Forces. A military variant of the Sikorsky S-92, the CH-148 is designed for shipboard operations ...

since summer of 2016. The squadron was formed during World War II as part of

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

History

The squadron was formed as No. 406 Squadron RCAF at

RAF Acklington Royal Air Force Acklington, simply known as RAF Acklington, is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station located south west of Amble, Northumberland and north east of Morpeth, Northumberland. The airfield was operational initia ...

on 5 May 1941, as part of No. 12 Group of Fighter Command to operate as

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

s. The squadron was equipped with Blenheim Mk.IF heavy fighters, re-equipping with the improved Beaufighter Mk.IIF the next month. They operated out of several airfields in the United Kingdom, changing to the Beaufighter Mk.VIF in mid-1942, and receiving the Mosquito Mk.XII night-fighter during April 1944. They upgraded to the Mosquito Mk.XXX in July 1944, and operated this aircraft for the remainder of the war. In November 1944 it was renamed No. 406 (Intruder) Squadron to carry out daylight offensive operations over mainland Europe. In June 1945 the squadron was posted to

RAF Predannack Predannack Airfield is an aerodrome near Mullion on The Lizard peninsula of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The runways are operated by the Royal Navy and today it is a satellite airfield and relief landing ground for nearby RNAS Culdrose. ...

in Cornwall, where it disbanded in August 1945. The unit was reformed as a reserve unit, 406 Tactical Bomber Squadron (Auxiliary) on 1 April 1947 at

RCAF Station Saskatoon RCAF Station Saskatoon was a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) base operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). It was located North of the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. World War II (1940-5) On 16 Septemb ...

. It flew

B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

light bombers, and also

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and T-33 Silver Star aircraft for army co-operation duties. It was redesignated 406 (Light Bomber) Squadron on 1 April 1949, and adopted the title ''City of Saskatoon'' in September 1952. In March 1958 under the name 406 Squadron, it was re-equipped with

C-45 Expeditor The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November ...

and CSR-123 Otter aircraft, and assigned to a light transport and emergency rescue role. The squadron was disbanded again on 1 April 1964. The squadron was reformed for a third time at

CFB Shearwater Canadian Forces Base Shearwater , commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater and formerly named HMCS ''Shearwater'', is a Canadian Forces facility located east southeast of Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the Hali ...

on 12 July 1972 as the 406 Maritime Operational Training Squadron, operating the

CH-124 Sea King The Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King is a twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed for shipboard use by Canadian naval forces, based on the US Navy's Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, SH-3. It served with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and ...

helicopter and the CP-121 Tracker ASW aircraft. In mid-1981, the operational Tracker squadron, 880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron, was transferred

CFB Summerside Canadian Forces Base Summerside (CFB Summerside) was an air force base located in St. Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada, now part of the city of Summerside. RCAF Station Summerside World War II The airfield was constructed by the Royal Ca ...

, which left 406 Squadron only responsible for Sea King training. It currently provides trained air and ground crews for 423 and

443 __NOTOC__ Year 443 ( CDXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Paterius (or, less frequently, year 1196 ' ...

Maritime Helicopter squadrons. Around 200 to 300 students graduate from 406 Squadron courses each year.

References

External links

* (Official history of RCAF operations, 1944) * (Official history of RCAF operations, 1945) * (Account by a radar technician of life in 406 Sqn, 1941–45.) {{Canadian Forces Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons RCAF training units Military units and formations established in 1972