406 "City of Saskatoon" Maritime Operational Training Squadron is a
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) unit of the
Canadian Armed Forces
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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
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 ...
since 1972, it is responsible for crew training on the
Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone since summer of 2016. The squadron was formed during World War II as part of
RAF Fighter Command.
History
The squadron was formed as No. 406 Squadron RCAF at
RAF Acklington on 5 May 1941, as part of
No. 12 Group of Fighter Command to operate as
night fighters. 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 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.
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 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 on 12 July 1972 as the 406 Maritime Operational Training Squadron, operating the
CH-124 Sea King helicopter
and the
CP-121 Tracker ASW ASW, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to:
* an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW) in the state of California
* High-temperature insulation wool#alumino silicate wool
*Asynchronous SpaceWarp, a framerate smoothing technique used on the Ocul ...
aircraft. In mid-1981, the operational Tracker squadron,
880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron, was transferred
CFB Summerside, which left 406 Squadron only responsible for Sea King training. It currently provides trained air and ground crews for
423
__NOTOC__
Year 423 (Roman numerals, CDXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marinianus and Asclepiodotus (or, less fr ...
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