438 "City of Montreal" Tactical Helicopter Squadron (French: ) is a unit of the

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 ...

. The squadron operates the

CH-146 Griffon The Bell CH-146 Griffon is a multi-role utility helicopter designed by Bell Helicopter Textron as a variant of the Bell 412EP for the Canadian Armed Forces. The CH-146 is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaiss ...

tactical helicopter from the Hartland de Montarville Molson Hangar of CFB St. Hubert in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...

, Canada. Its tasks include armed and unarmed tactical utility transport, training

aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...

personnel in basic and advanced aviation tactics, technical training of

groundcrew In all forms of aviation, ground crew (also known as ground operations in civilian aviation) are personnel that service aircraft while on the ground, during routine turn-around; as opposed to aircrew, who operate all aspects of an aircraft whilst ...

personnel and flight engineers and the periodic maintenance of CH-146 fleet aircraft. They also include as residual capabilities

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishe ...

and support to federal, provincial and local law enforcement agencies. A "total force" unit composed of members of the

Regular Force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, career ...

, and both full time and part time

reservists A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is ...

, the squadron is part of 1 Wing at

CFB Kingston Canadian Forces Base Kingston (also CFB Kingston) is a Canadian Forces Base operated by the Canadian Army located in Kingston, Ontario. History The Barriefield Military Camp, commonly called Camp Barriefield, was established as a military ba ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The motto ''Going Down'' was adopted during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

when operating on

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon is a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems were encountered and i ...

fighter bombers over occupied Europe. This was the flight leader's instruction to begin diving attacks with bombs, cannons or both. The unit badge is the

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

and described in heraldic terms as: d'Argent, the head of a wildcat affront Gules, langued Azure. The wildcat was chosen as the emblem as it represents the squadron's nickname.

Pre-war

Formation

The formation of the Squadron is due to the sustained efforts of Adélard Raymond, Montreal businessman and veteran pilot of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and La Presse journalist Lionel Saint-Jean who was the president of the Quebec Aviation League. These men worked closely together from May 1934 onwards to formulate a formal request aimed at the formation of a

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...

aviation squadron attached to the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non- professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of ...

, like the already existing ones in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anc ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

, and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. T ...

, but composed of francophones. This official request was presented on 18 June 1934 in the form of a letter to

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

W.W.P. Gibsone, commander of Military District 4 and included the signatures of several local businessmen and politicians. It contained (translated from the original text in French): “''We are particularly proud to declare that the group we represent is

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

. We, French-speaking Canadians, want to affirm once again our patriotism towards our country. We want this squadron to be made up of French Canadians ...''” On 27 July,

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank ...

G.M. Croil, senior officer of the RCAF, met with Mr. St-Jean and a dozen other signatories. From a list of 31 qualified pilots, including several veterans of 1914–18, he selected 14 who would form the initial nucleus of the new unit. It was on 1 September 1934 that the unit was authorized in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

as No. 18 Bomber Squadron (Auxiliary). It will initially have an authorized strength of 66 members and will be under the temporary administrative command of

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

C.E. Trudeau, a regular member personally recommended by Brigadier-General Gibsone.

First flights

Following the recruitment and training of the cadre personnel forming the basic structure of the Squadron, flight training operations began in May 1936 from

St-Hubert St-Hubert BBQ Ltd is a chain of Canadian casual dining restaurants best known for its rotisserie chicken. St-Hubert is most popular in Quebec, and in other French-Canadian areas such as Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. St-Hubert is the 16th ...

on the south shore of

following the reception of the first two of four de Havilland DH.60 Moths.

Squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Marcel Dubuc, a veteran pilot with recognized qualities, was appointed its first commanding officer in May 1936. The unit was renumbered No. 118 (Bomber) Squadron on November 17, 1937 as part of a restructuring of RCAF squadrons. Two additional aircraft arrived in 1938 and the size of the squadron was increased to 114 members.

Second World War

Coastal Artillery Cooperation

The unit was redesignated No.118 ( Coast Artillery Cooperation) Squadron on 1 September 1939, activated for voluntary wartime service on 3 September, and moved to

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

on 28 October. 117 (Aux) Sqn from St-John N.B. was simultaneously absorbed into the unit along with personnel transferred in from No. 2 (AC) Sqn with their

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geogra ...

aircraft. These reinforcements formed a new A flight that would operate out of Halifax airport until 31 March 1940 when they moved to RCAF Station Dartmouth. The squadron was reequipped with Westland Lysanders and Blackburn Sharks better suited to this new role which consisted of patrolling the coast for enemy naval activity and directing coastal artillery batteries when/if required.

Westland Wapiti The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general-purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service. First flying in 1927, the Wa ...

aircraft borrowed from No.10 (B) Sqn were also used for a few months until more Atlases became available. After nearly a year of coastal sweeps, the occasional patrol for convoys close inshore, dive-bombing exercises with army batteries and naval anti-aircraft gunners, air gunnery training and aerial photographic duties, the squadron was temporarily deactivated on 27 September 1940 pending redesignation and the arrival of more modern aircraft.

Fighter - Atlantic Coast

The squadron was reactivated at Rockliffe, Ontario on 13 January 1941 with the new designation No.118 (Fighter) Squadron and reequipped with the

Canadian Car and Foundry Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F), also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry" or more familiarly as "Can Car", was a manufacturer of buses, railway rolling stock, forestry equipment, and later aircraft for the Canadian market. CC&F history g ...

Grumman Goblin. The unit moved to Dartmouth,

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 E ...

in July being at that time, the sole fighter squadron available for East Coast defense. Modernisation came in October 1941 in the form of the more capable Curtiss Kittyhawk replacing the obsolete Gobblin. The RCAF was facing a serious shortage of frontline fighters, having sent its earlier Hawker Hurricanes off to the UK with No. 1 (F) Squadron, it was having a hard time procuring additional fighters to meet its needs. For these reasons, 50 Canadian built Sea Hurricanes destined for the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

were retained in Canada. All were placed on strength of 118 Sqn in November 1941. These brand new fighters were test flown by 118 squadron pilots upon arrival or reassembly. Many were put in temporary storage, the few others still leaving with the RAF were also test flown by 118 pilots prior to fitting to catapult equipped merchant vessels. 118 Sqn formed a “Hurricane Flight” and more than a dozen were regularly flown by squadron personnel. 118 was thus operating a full complement of Kittyhawks, Sea Hurricanes, and a few Harvards, and was still flying its Gobblins well into January 1942. These catapult spool and

arrestor hook A tailhook, arresting hook, or arrester hook is a device attached to the empennage (rear) of some military fixed-wing aircraft. The hook is used to achieve rapid deceleration during routine landings aboard aircraft carrier flight decks at sea, ...

equipped Sea Hurricanes were painted in

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

paint scheme of dark greys with ROYAL NAVY painted on the fuselage, looking oddly out of place on an RCAF ramp. On 27 April 1942, the Sea Hurricanes, many of which with their naval modifications now removed, along with many 118 Sqn personnel from the “Hurricane Flight” formed the nucleus of the newly formed 126 (F) Sqn also at Dartmouth. This new unit would be temporarily under the command of

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 ...

Arthur Yuile who had previously been in charge of the flight. A noteworthy event took place on January 16, 1942, when two 118 Squadron Kittyhawks spotted and attacked a surfaced German

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 rol ...

approximately 10 miles off the coast between Halifax and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountai ...

. Flying Officer W.P. Roberts in Kittyhawk AK851 was able to fire six bursts and obtain a number of hits around the conning tower before the submersible dove underwater and disappeared from sight. The squadron code displayed on all unit aircraft was "RE" from January 1941 to May 1942 when it changed to "VW".

Fighter - Pacific Coast

With the entry of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

into the war following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the Canadian Government of Prime Minister

Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A ...

offered military naval and air support to the then limited American capabilities facing Japanese expansion in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

. Two fighter and light bomber wings were formed for service on the Pacific coast, X and Y Wings composed of Kittyhawk fighters and Bolinbroke

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to d ...

s under the RCAF Western Air Command. 118 Sqn would join 115 Sqn forming Y Wing. For this historic cross-continent flight, 118 would be led by the soon-to-be promoted Flight Lieutenant Yuile.

Molson, 118 Sqn commanding officer, veteran Hurricane pilot of the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended ...

, would remain in Dartmouth to assume command of 126 (F) Sqn. The Squadron thus left Dartmouth on the morning of 6 June 1942 for their epic 4,000-mile trip to

Annette Island Annette Island or ''Taak'w Aan'' (Tlingit) is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land a ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U. ...

. Refuelling stops were Penfield Ridge,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) 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. It is the only province with both English an ...

, Saint-Hubert,

, North Bay,

, Porquis Junction,

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Da ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Terr ...

, and Prince George,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

. They arrived on 21 June with A Flight being armed and refuelled ready for action within 15 minutes of landing. The crossing of the North American continent in those days of quite limited navigational aids and support facilities is worthy of inclusion into the annals of Canadian military aviation. The squadron moved to Sea Island

on 20 August 1943 and would remain there until ordered overseas. Five pilots perished in non-combat-related crashes during this period of home defense.

Fighter Bomber - Europe

Leaving their Kittyhawks behind, the 142 strong squadron crossed Canada by rail embarking on 2 November 1943 in Halifax for the sea voyage to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and No ...

. The squadron was once again redesignated, this time as No.438 (Fighter Bomber) Squadron upon arriving at Royal Air Force Station Digby,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

on 18 November. RCAF squadrons were renumbered between 400 and 449 to avoid confusion with other

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts ...

units also operating from the

. Its new squadron code was "F3", it would retain it to the end of hostilities in Europe. The squadron moved to RAF Station Ayr

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

on 10 January 1944 learning to fly the

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

easing their upcoming conversion to the powerful

. 438 Squadron was now one of 3 RCAF Typhoon squadrons forming No. 143 Wing RCAF, itself part of the

2nd Tactical Air Force The RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces ...

. In mid March, 438 squadron began cross channel offensive operations against pre-invasion targets from

RAF Hurn Royal Air Force Hurn or more simply RAF Hurn is a former Royal Air Force station located approximately north west of Christchurch, Dorset, England Opened in 1941, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force ...

and RAF Funtington in the UK. After

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

, its main task was close support to allied ground forces by dive-bombing and strafing enemy strong-points, bridges, rail and road traffic. The front lines moving further inland, on 27 June the squadron moved to forward airfield B-9 Lantheuil in France. This base was still well within the range of German artillery and on 15 July Flying Officer Ross Johnson, a young 21 year old squadron pilot was killed during a barrage directed at his motor transport. The Wildcats moved from airfield to airfield following the front lines ever deeper within the European Continent. B.24 St André on 31 August, B.48 Glisy on 3 September, B.58 Melsbroek on 6 September just in time to participate in

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

. It moved into the airfield at

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Neth ...

on 26 September. The base had just been recently vacated by the enemy as a result of the operation. There they lost their new Commanding Officer

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad ...

Peter Wilson on the very day he took command, 1 January 1945, during the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

's Operation Bodenplatte against allied airfields. On 19 March 1945, after nearly 6 months in Eindhoven, with the end of the war in sight, the squadron was pulled from combat operations and sent back to

RAF Warmwell Royal Air Force Warmwell or more simply RAF Warmwell is a former Royal Air Force station near Warmwell in Dorset, England from 1937 to 1946, located about 5 miles east-southeast of Dorchester; 100 miles southwest of London. During the Seco ...

for rocket firing training, ironic considering the RCAF Typhoon squadrons did not use this weapon in combat preferring bombs earning them the nickname "Bombphoons". It is during this Armament Practice Camp that their latest CO, Squadron Leader James Easson Hogg DFC, a seasoned veteran, failed to pull out of a dive and crashed into the channel dying instantly. The squadron returned to the fight on 3 April in Germany proper this time to B.100

Goch Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog, Dutch: Gogh) is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated close to the border with the Siebengewald in Netherlands, approx. south of Kleve, and southeast of Nijmegen. Hi ...

, to B.150 Hustedt on 21 April and finally to B.166

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of ...

on 29 May, the squadron was disbanded there on 26 August. A typical squadron action in 1944: "''September 10 produced four missions. At 1520 hours S/L Beirnes led nine Typhoons to the area of Turnhout-Venlo-Eindhoven to strafe four trains, each with 10-20 cars. In each case the locomotive was destroyed. The flight landed at 1630 and was off again at 1930, this time with 500-pounders to blast shipping at Hoedekenskerke. All bombs were on target, hitting either ships or docks. One ship, apparently carrying ammunition, blew up in spectacular fashion and another vessel was left smoking.''" In its sixteen months of front line combat service from March 1944 to May 1945, 438 Squadron flew 4022 sorties, dropped 2070 tons of bombs and is credited with 430 rail cuts, 184 vehicles destroyed (+169 damaged), 12 tanks destroyed (+3 damaged), 5 locomotives destroyed (+73 damaged), 101 rail cars destroyed (+532 damaged), 1 barge sunk (+38 damaged), and 5 bridges destroyed. The cost for these successes was high, during the same timeframe, the squadron lost 38 aircraft, 31 pilots, of whom 17 were killed, 5 missing, 6 were captured by the enemy after bailing out and 3 successfully evaded capture after abandoning their aircraft.

The Disney connection

On February 10, 1944, 438 Squadron pilot and veteran of Alaska, Flight Lieutenant Ross Reid DFC, wrote a letter to

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film pr ...

requesting a squadron emblem design that could adorn their aircraft. While serving at Annette Island alongside his

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

colleagues, Reid had noticed the many American military aircraft bearing such intricate designs. Reid received a letter from the Disney Studios dated March 30, 1944 containing the design below that was immediately adopted and painted on the side of the squadron's Typhoons with the addition of a maple leaf as a background. At the end of the war while at Flensburg, Germany awaiting repatriation, squadron members commissioned a unit pin from a local jeweler based on the Disney design (see photo below). The popular Disney design was once again chosen to adorn both aircraft and uniforms of squadron personnel in 1981 following a series of crests worn through the decades. A special

nose panel also bears the crest, to be used for special occasions. It is still the emblem of choice for the Wildcats.

Post-war

Reformation in the auxiliaries

438 Squadron was reformed at Montreal on April 15, 1946 as an Auxiliary (reserve) unit once again operating from its old base at St-Hubert. It was equipped with

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air force ...

trainers. Its main task was the retention of flying qualifications for newly repatriated aircrew and the training of new personnel. The important population of the greater Montreal area offered a great number of new potential recruits and also attracted a large number of veteran pilots wishing to remain in uniform, albeit on a part-time basis. The new squadron commander, Wing Commander Claude Hébert, D.F.C. managed to bring in many World War 2 combat veterans to fill the ranks. As a result, like in some other newly reformed auxiliary squadrons, a great percentage of the early post-war period pilots were some of the most highly decorated wartime members of the RCAF. The new squadron identifier code is "BQ".

The jet age

On April 1, 1947, 438 Squadron regained its wartime designation as 438 (Fighter) Squadron in preparation for its soon-to-arrive new aircraft. The Wildcats became one of the first units to be operational on jet fighters when they began operations on the British designed and built

de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by a ...

in April 1948. October 1949, the Wildcats of 438 Squadron, alongside their colleagues of 401 Squadron also on Vampires, participated in OP METROPOLIS, a large scale joint

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signa ...

/ RCAF air exercise where the 2 RCAF jet fighter squadrons, with the assistance of No.1 RCAF mobile radar unit were to defend the greater New York area from bomber formations composed of American B-26 bomber squadrons. On May 1, 1950, the squadron designation was once again amended, this time to include "City of Montreal" making it 438 "City of Montreal" (Fighter) Squadron. This was in recognition of the wartime sponsorship of the Wildcats by the city. The Squadron also received the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of Montreal on October 1st of the same year to officialize the event with a large parade on the Field of Mars. 1954 saw the arrival of the

Canadair CT-133 Silver Star The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (company model number CL-30) is the Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33 jet trainer aircraft, in service from the 1950s to 2005. The Canadian version was powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbo ...

, the most modern jet trainer of the era, replacing the Vampires. The "T-birds" as they were commonly called by RCAF personnel, were retained until September 1958 and were used to train new pilots converting to jets, more precisely the Sabre which began arriving at the squadron in October 1956. The Wildcats would keep flying fighters until November 1958 when the role of the auxiliary units was once again reviewed and amended.

Light transport & utility

On November 1, 1958, 438 Squadron lost its "Fighter" role and received the simpler new designation 438 Squadron. With changing times causing increases in the cost of modern weapons, the complexity of their upkeep, technical advances and new air defense doctrines, Auxiliary squadrons were assigned to mostly secondary support roles. Now equipped with the Beechcraft Expeditor MK.III and relegated to light utility transport, most remaining fighter pilots simply left the service in protest giving the unit a completely new look with a membership of reserve air and ground crews mostly borne from the civilian airline and local aircraft industries. On May 5, 1961, the unit received its Squadron Standard for 25 years of service from the Queen's representative, the

Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Gaspard Fauteux,

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; French (masculine): ''Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec'', or (feminine): ''Lieutenante-gouverneure du Québec'') is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the , who operates distinctly within the province ...

. This most noteworthy of events in the life of a squadron was done with a large solemn parade on the ramp at the St-Hubert airbase. The Expeditor would be retained in squadron service until March 1964. For a few years beginning in September 1960, it would share the load with the latest aircraft type assigned to the Wildcats, the sturdy Canadian designed and built

de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, short take-off and landing ( STOL) aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and ...

. To the utility transport role was added

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

with this new slow but stable platform that could operate from short fields and from bodies of water when fitted with floats. On February 1, 1968 the squadron was integrated into the new now unified Canadian Arned Forces. On January 1, 1969 it was once again redesignated, this time as 438 Air Reserve Squadron. The squadron was heavily involved in air operations and airspace security over the greater Montreal area during the 1976 Olympic games. The main Air Operations Center was located within the unit's main hangar and under the command of Colonel Al Gamble, the ex-commanding officer of 438 Squadron. Squadron personnel also serviced multiple fighter aircraft and helicopters also involved in security operations.

Light observation helicopter

438 Squadron's role radically changed when its first 4 CH-136 Kiowa light observation helicopters (LOH) arrived in January 1981. The last 438 Squadron Otter was retired in February and helicopter conversion training began in earnest. The squadron would receive a further 5 Kiowas by September of that year, this number would eventually grow to 13 in 1991 with the redistribution of 444 Squadron's aircraft following its deactivation in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. Tactical helicopters working in close relation with the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, the squadron now mostly flew operations in support of the ground forces and as such, regularly trained with them in yearly

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

and divisional level exercises such as "Rendez-Vous" (RV) or "Noble Lion". Under the overall command of 10 Tactical Air Group and flying the same aircraft as the many

squadrons under the same command structure, 438 reserve personnel were now poised to offer an ever-increasing domestic and operationally deployed support to these units. Wildcats, both aircrew and groundcrew deployed to Egypt, Honduras, and Haiti as augmentees. These opportunities to serve full time at home and abroad for predetermined time periods would multiply exponentially over the coming years. Another visible change at the squadron was the application of the term " tactical", the unit had to be mobile and operate away from base. A fleet of specialised vehicles soon arrived and all personnel had to familiarize themselves with them and get used to working in the field away from its main infrastructures. These skills were developed and honed during the many exercises alongside the ground forces. Interestingly, the unit was only officially redesignated 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron on April 1, 1993.

Recent history

Arrival of the Griffon

1995 brought the new CH146 Griffon with its increased capabilities. Squadron cadre aircrews and technicians were sent to the Bell Training Academy in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

to get qualified on this new platform. This training has since been received at 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron. The Wildcats began receiving their nine aircraft one at a time over the summer months. 1996 brought the biggest changes to date. No.1 Tactical Aviation Support Squadron, an air maintenance unit co-located in St-Hubert, was absorbed by 438 Squadron, as was 401 Squadron which had been the CH-136 Kiowa

Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force Operational Training Units (OTUs) were training units that prepared aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. OTUs ; No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (1 OTU): The Unit was formed in ...

. Although only officially disbanded on 1 January 1998, 401 Squadron only remained active on paper. With 401 Squadron came the Field Tactical Training Flight, formerly the 3 Field Tactical Training Unit moved to St-Hubert from

CFB Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, and also known as Bagotville Airport or Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, is a Canadian Forces base located west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay. Located in the centre ...

the year before. This technical school currently located within the Ecole Nationale d'Aerotechnique also located on the St-Hubert airfield, offers all Griffon related technical training for technicians, maintenance managers, and flight engineers. All of these unit mergers changed the face of the squadron now composed of nearly as many members of the

. Simultaneously, 10 Tactical Air Group was also disbanded and all Tactical helicopter squadrons now found themselves under 1 Wing HQ at

Operations

Now flying the same aircraft as other 1 Wing units and able to rely on a greater number of full-time personnel, 438 Squadron was called upon to more actively participate in many domestic and international operations, not merely as augmentees but now also as a unit. Since operating on the Griffon, in addition to exercises and their normal duties to ground forces, the Wildcats have regularly flown domestically in support of drug enforcement agencies, in the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories a ...

from

CFS Alert ) , image_skyline = CFS Alert May 2016.jpg , image_caption = The station from the south, May 2016 , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_shield = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Canada Nunavut , pushpin_label_position = bottom , subd ...

, played a major role during the 1998 Ice Storm, in relief efforts following floods or forest fires in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

and the

Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

, in support of the 2002 royal visit to Canada, the G8 summit in

, and in Search and rescue support in

and

, among many other missions in support to the Canadian population. As early as 1997, 438 Squadron personnel were deployed to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, an ...

. 1998 saw the Wildcats begin arriving in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, a co-deployment with

430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron is a unit of the Canadian Forces under the Royal Canadian Air Force. It operates Bell CH-146 Griffons from CFB Valcartier, near Quebec City in Quebec, Canada. History No. 430 Squadron RCAF was a unit of the Roy ...

where the Wildcats led a few of the rotations, a first for the unit. Wildcats remained present in Bosnia and

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

until late 2001 either with 438 or as augmentees with other 1 Wing units.

Afghanistan

2002 saw the arrival of the CU-161 Sperwer

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

, a new capability within the RCAF. Cadre squadron personnel were trained in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The Wildcats would lead 2 rotations in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is border ...

on this reconnaissance platform and would send augmentees to other units during theirs. RCAF CH-146 Griffons and CH-147 Chinooks began operating in combat over

in support of ground troops in January 2009. Although not deployed operationally as a Griffon unit to this conflict, 438 Squadron provided both air and ground crews, operations, and logistical personnel during the entire length of operations of all three platforms. In fact, Wildcats were in theatre during 16 of the 17 rotations sent to Afghanistan in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acc ...

and

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ...

between 2003 and 2011. The aircraft maintenance echelon of 438 Squadron modified the twelve Griffons chosen for operations over Afghanistan during December 2008, prepared them for shipping, and loaded them on RCAF CC-177s for the long trip. They were also responsible for the heavy maintenance and the 60 periodic inspections required over the years to keep the CH-146 flying in theatre. Many unit reservists left their civilian jobs and accepted temporary full-time employment during this time period to ensure the unit met this demanding task with rigid timeframes. When taking into consideration the relatively small size of the unit, it is worthy of mention that even with personnel on duty abroad and domestic operations still running, that all deadlines were met. The end of operations in

brought all the Wildcats back home to their normal garrison duties in St-Hubert with returning personnel manning the now almost yearly domestic operations, such as drug enforcement, Arctic resupply, and flood relief.

Arctic rescue

On 25 June 2013, two 438 Squadron Griffons operating out of

Eureka, Nunavut Eureka is a small research base on Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Qikiqtaaluk Region, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is located on the north side of Slidre Fiord, which enters Eureka Sound farther west. It is the third-northernm ...

as part of Op Nevus, were diverted to assist in what would become one of the largest Arctic rescue missions in Canadian history. Two groups, the first composed of some twenty international tourists and guides, the second composed of eleven

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, ...

hunters, became stranded on an ice floe in Admiralty Inlet, near

Arctic Bay Arctic Bay (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᒃᐱᐊᕐᔪᒃ, ''Ikpiarjuk'' "the pocket") is an Inuit hamlet located in the northern part of the Borden Peninsula on Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. Arctic Bay is located in t ...

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

. Aware of the peril they were in, drifting erratically on a deteriorating ice raft, both groups independently triggered their

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

rescue beacons. The RCAF Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at

CFB Trenton Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the h ...

sprang into action launching a

CC-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

from 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron out of 8 Wing Trenton. A

CH-149 Cormorant The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the Canadian Forces designation for the AgustaWestland AW101 (formerly EH101), a helicopter used for air-sea rescue in Canada. Developed as a joint venture between Westland Aircraft in the UK and Agusta ...

helicopter from 103 Search and Rescue Squadron out of 9 Wing Gander

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

began the trip North to assist with the extraction in the event that hoist capabilities were required. Seven hours after the initial call for help, the Hercules appeared over the group and dropped three 20-man covered life rafts, survival gear, and satellite phones from its tail gate, and its crew measured the size of the shrinking ice island. Flying conditions, however, were poor, horizontal rain, sleet, fog, low cloud and high winds delayed any air rescue, grounding the CH-149 Cormorant helicopter at Hall Beach, and the two CH-146 Griffon helicopters at

Grise Fiord Grise Fiord (; iu, ᐊᐅᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ, translit=Aujuittuq, lit=place that never thaws, italics=no) is an Inuit hamlet on the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of three populated places on ...

. The weather cleared enough the next day for the Griffons to reach the two groups and extract all 31 people safely in multiple round trip flights to

. A rescue for which 438 Squadron would later receive a commendation from the commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command.

New flights

2015 brought new challenges to 438 Squadron when the Aviation Tactics Flight (ATF) was transferred from 403 Squadron. Its mandate is to conduct advanced training at different levels of air tactics preparing future Flight Commanders and Operations Officers for key flying and decision-making positions during operational deployments. The academic portion of the training is followed by an extensive flying phase in the field at bases with large exercise areas. The Wildcats now coincidentally and regularly hone their

fieldcraft Fieldcraft is the techniques involved in living, traveling, or making military or scientific observations in the field and the methods used to do so. The term "fieldcraft" is used in a broad range of industries including military, oil and gas, wi ...

abilities through their continued support to these successive courses. The summer of 2016 saw yet another flight arriving from 403 Squadron, the Land Aviation Test and Evaluation Flight (LATEF). Its mandate is to conduct, on behalf of 1 Wing, operational and tactical testing of land aviation helicopter systems and support equipment, and to propose operational and tactical doctrine where applicable. It is integrally involved in the testing and improvement of

and CH-147F Chinook systems. Although still operating within the 438 Squadron infrastructure and relying on logistical and technical support from the Wildcats, LATEF was transferred to 434 Squadron, reactivated as a test and evaluation unit in May 2018 and headquartered at

NATO Mission Iraq

The fall of 2018 brought a surprise to the Wildcats. The squadron would lead and man two consecutive 6-month-long operational deployments to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in the form of a Tactical Aviation Detachment (TAD) composed of 3 CH-146 Griffons as part of Operation Impact in support of the new Canadian led

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Mission Iraq. Following intense pre-deployment training in Canada, the advanced party of the initial rotation (Roto 0) arrived at their new base of operations in early November, Camp Taji just north of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesip ...

, closely followed by the main body at the end of the same month. Through ingenuity, initiative, and risk management, the Wildcats were able to begin flying operations within a mere two weeks of hitting the ground. Tactical air transport being the only safe means of travel between the multiple training areas, this Canadian asset was crucial to the initial phases and remained critical to the success of this multinational endeavor. Roto 1 took over from Roto 0 in mid-June 2019 and faced the high summer desert heat. During their near 13 months in theatre, the Wildcats airlifted over 3,100 personnel and 21,000 lbs of cargo. 408 Squadron from

CFB Edmonton CFB Edmonton (also called 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton) is a Canadian Forces base located in Sturgeon County adjacent to the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as Edmonton Garrison or "Steele Barracks". His ...

took over the reins of the TAD from 438 in December with the last Wildcat returning home on the 21st.

438 Squadron Band

Since the very beginning, albeit with a lull during the war years, military music has been present in the activities of the Wildcats. From a small bugle and drum corps in the 1930s, to a brass and reed band in the 1960s, to the present full 35 piece professional military band. Their reserve status notwithstanding, the members of the 438 Squadron Band are all professional musicians with many possessing remarkable academic achievements in their field. They have over the years, and continue to offer to this day, countless highly praised concerts and have also performed in high-profile media events varying from the televised openings of professional football and hockey games to the official opening ceremony of the new Samuel de Champlain bridge in

in 2019.

Commanding officers

Marcel C. Dubuc (12 May 1936 - 31 August 1939) *

Adelard Raymond, C.B.E. (1 September 1939 - 29 July 1940) *

Guy Vadeboncoeur (30 July 1940 - 27 September 1940) *

Eric Walter Beardmore (13 December 1940 - 4 April 1941) *

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historica ...

Ernest Archibald McNab O.B.E., D.F.C. (5 April 1941 - 22 July 1941) *

Hartland de Montarville Molson, O.C., O.B.E., Q.C. (23 July 1941 - 14 June 1942) *

Arthur McLeod Yuile (15 June 1942 - 27 February 1943) *

Frank George Grant, D.S.O., D.F.C., Croix de Guerre (France), Airman's Cross (

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Neth ...

) (28 February 1943 - 28 July 1944) *

Jack Rife Beirnes, D.F.C. & Bar (29 July 1944 - 13 October 1944) *

Ross Frederick Reid, D.F.C. (14 October 1944 - 30 December 1944) *

Peter Wilson (31 December 1944 - KIA 1 January 1945) *

Ross Frederick Reid, D.F.C. (1 to 19 Janvier 1945) *

James Easson Hogg, D.F.C. (20 Janvier 1945 - KIA 23 March 1945) *

Robert Edward Spooner, D.F.C. (23 March 1945 - 5 April 1945) *

Jack Rife Beirnes, D.F.C. & Bar (6 April 1945 - KIA 1 June 1945) *

Paul Bissky (4 June 1945 - 26 August 1945) *

Claude Hebert, D.F.C. (15 April 1946 - 14 May 1950) *

Andre Rene Morrissette, A.F.C. (15 May 1950 - 14 February 1952) *

Guy Valois (15 February 1952 - 14 February 1955) *

Al Gauthier, C.D. (15 February 1955 - 14 November 1960) *

Laurent Gagne, C.D. (15 November 1960 - 31 October 1963) *

James Fischer, C.D. (1 November 1963 - 30 August 1967) *

Al Gamble, C.D. (31 August 1967 - 31 January 1968) *

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

John Perodeau, C.D. (1968 - 1973) *

Herb Laviolette, C.D. (1973 - 1974) *

Gerry McDougall, C.D. (1974 - 1977) *

Peter Carver, C.D. (1977 - 1979) *

Jean Cadorel, C.D. (1979 - 6 December 1981) *

Ed McKeogh, C.D. (6 December 1981 - 1 October 1983) *

Pierre Beauchamp, C.D. (1 October 1983 - 19 January 1986) *

John Guimond, C.D. (19 January 1986 - 31 March 1990) *

Henri Cardinal, C.D. (31 March 1990 - 13 June 1993) *

Gilles Trepanier, C.D. (13 June 1993 - 23 April 1994) *

Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicat ...

Daniel Poirier, C.D. (3 April 1994 - 22 June 1996) *

Jean-Marc Hivon, C.D. (22 June 1996 - 20 March 1999) *

Jean Egan, C.D. (20 March 1999 - 18 August 2001) *

Michel Desgroseillers, C.D. (18 August 2001 - 27 August 2005) *

Luc Martineau, C.D. (27 August 2005 - 14 August 2010) *

Rene Therrien, C.D. (14 August 2010 - 15 June 2012) *

Pierre Barma, C.D. (15 June 2012 - 27 June 2014) *

Gilbert L. McCauley, MSM, C.D. (27 June 2014 - 23 June 2016) *

Martin Pesant, C.D. (23 June 2016 – 24 May 2018) *

Martin Houle, C.D., (24 May 2018 to 7 July 2020) *

Stéphane St-Onge, C.D., (7 July 2020 to present)

Squadron Aircraft

* de Havilland DH.60 Moth (May 1936 - September 1939) *

Blackburn Shark The Blackburn Shark was a carrier-borne torpedo bomber designed and built by the British aviation manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was originally known as the Blackburn T.S.R., standing for ''torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance'', in reference to ...

(October 1939–September 1940) * Armstrong Whitworth Atlas (October 1939–September 1940) *

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's ...

(October 1939–September 1940) *

(October 1939-January 1940) * Grumman Goblin (December 1940–December 1941) * Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk.I (October 1941–October 1943) * Hawker Sea Hurricane (November 1941-April 1942) *

(November 1943–March 1944) *

Mk.IB (January 1944–August 1945) *

(November 1941-October 1943 and November 1946–March 1948) *

(April 1948–September 1954) *

(November 1954–September 1958) *

Canadair Sabre The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until ...

(October 1956–November 1958) * Beechcraft Expeditor (November 1958–March 1964) * CSR-123 Otter (September 1960 – 1981) * CH-136 Kiowa (1981–1995) *

(1995 to present) * Sagem CU-161 Sperwer (2002 - 2009)

External links

* * * *

References

{{Canadian Forces Military units and formations of Quebec Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Helicopter units and formations 1934 establishments in Quebec Military units and formations established in 1934 Military units and formations of Canada in World War II