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409 Squadron RCAF

Formed at Digby on 17 June 1941 as the second Canadian night fighter unit in Britain, although it initially had no aircraft. Boulon Paul Defiants arrived in July and the squadron began operations with these in August. However, in September Bristol Beaufighter IIEs replaced the Defiants and in November it claimed its first victory.

Bristol Beaufighter VIF

De Havilland Mosquito NFXIII

Beaufighter VIPs were received in June 1942 and these in their turn were replaced by De Havilland Mosquito XIIIs in March 1944. From formation until February 1943 the squadron operated in the Digby Sector.

In May 1944 the squadron moved to No 85 Group of 2nd Tactical Air Force, providing night cover patrols. Following the D-Day landings, the squadron became involved in night operations against the V-1 been launched against the south of England. For the period June 1944 to May 1945, it was the top-scoring RAF/RCAF night fighter unit, with 58½ aircraft and 12 V-1 flying bombs destroyed. In August it became the first night fighter unit to be stationed in France and followed the Allied advance until it reached Germany in April 1945. With the end of the war the squadron moved back to Holland, disbanding at Twente on 1 July 1945.

Re-established at RCAF Station Comox on 1 November 1954 providing air defence for Canada's west coast as part of NORAD. Initially equipped with the Canadian designed Avro CF-100 they converted to the CF-101 Voodoo in 1962.

CF-101B

The squadron transferred to CFB Cold Lake in 1984 to convert to the CF-18 and then deployed to CFB Baden-Soellingen as part of Canada's NATO commitment. The squadron was then disbanded in 1991 with the withdrawal of Canadian Forces from Europe.

The squadron was briefly reformed back at Comox as a Combat Support Squadron but was disbanded again. 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron was re-formed from the consolidation of 416 and 441 Tactical Fighter Squadrons on 6 July 2006 at CFB Cold Lake.

Between August and December 2017, the squadron was deployed to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania as part of Operation Reassurance. The NATO enhanced Air Policing mission in the region is an assurance and deterrence measure taken in 2014 as a response to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Compiled by David Fell. Info and photos from AoA, wiki and my archive

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