No. 162 Squadron RCAF was a unit of Royal Canadian Air Force Eastern Air Command. Formed as a bomber reconnaissance squadron at

RCAF Station Yarmouth Yarmouth Airport is a registered aerodrome located in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It began as a World War II Royal Air Force training base. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on 19 May 1942 with Canso A aircraft, the squadron spent an uneventful eighteen months on east coast anti-submarine duty. In January 1944, it was seconded to

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

and moved to

RAF Reykjavik Royal Air Force Station Reykjavik or more simply RAF Reykjavik is a former Royal Air Force station, at Reykjavík Airport, Iceland. Beginnings The station was built in 1940 by the British Army and used by the Royal Air Force from March 1941 a ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

to cover the mid-ocean portion of the North Atlantic shipping route. On April 17, Flying Officer T. C. Cooke and his crew attacked and sank U-342 while on a meteorological flight west of Iceland. In May 1944, a large detachment of the squadron moved east to

RAF Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

to support the invasion of Normandy. Its task was to intercept

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s operating from Norwegian ports. While in Scotland, No. 162 sank four German submarines and shared in the sinking of a fifth that tried to break through the North Transit Area to attack the Allied D-Day invasion fleet. These engagements took place in the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea ( no, Norskehavet; is, Noregshaf; fo, Norskahavið) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to ...

roughly 200 miles north of the

Shetland Islands Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

, for example at .

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

(F/L) D.E. Hornell won the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for attacking and sinking U-1225 on June 24, 1944, despite withering anti-aircraft fire from the

. No. 162 left

for Camp Maple Leaf at

in August, and remained there until it returned to Canada in June 1945. It was the RCAF's most successful anti-submarine squadron during the Second World War with five U-boats destroyed, one shared sinking and one U-boat damaged. The squadron flew the

Canso The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is a representative body of companies that provide air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). CANSO members are responsible for supporting ov ...

during its entire operational lifetime. From the beginning of operations until the end of the war, the squadron flew 2,100 sorties and lost 6 aircraft and 34 crew on operations, with a further 3 aircraft and 8 crew lost non-operationally. The squadron was disbanded at Sydney, Nova Scotia on August 7, 1945. A Canso at the

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display. Displayed is a co ...

is restored in the markings and colors of No. 162 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. The museum is located in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

Honours and awards

(VC) - 1 *

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO) - 2 *

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) - 2 *

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 to other ranks, of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countri ...

(DFC) - 16 *

Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross (AFC) is a military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. It is granted for "an a ...

(AFC) - 3 *

Distinguished Flying Medal The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, and formerly to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "exceptional va ...

(DFM) - 4 *

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...

(BEM) - 1 *

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

(MiD)- 21

References

External links

uboat.net - The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

*http://www.canso11062.mikeharvey.ca 162 Squadron's Canso 11062 crash information {{DEFAULTSORT:No. 162 Squadron Rcaf Military history of Canada Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons (disbanded) Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations of Canada in World War II