No. 412 Transport Squadron is one of three

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) 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 environmental commands within the unified Can ...

(RCAF) transport squadrons attached to

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. The squadron operates with a strength of about 29 out of the ''Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr. Annex.'' ''The Annex'' officially opened on January 11, 1995. No. 412 Squadron began as a unit of the RCAF during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

Second World War

No. 412 (Transport) Squadron was formed in 1949, but traces its history back to two separate squadrons: Number 12 Communications Flight at RCAF Station Ottawa and 412 (Fighter) Squadron, which was formed at

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on 30 June 1941. John Gillespie Magee, the author of the famous aviation poem, ''High Flight'', was serving with 412 Squadron when he was killed in a mid-air collision in his Spitfire in 1941. No. 412 Squadron (squadron code 'VZ') was equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire Vb and served at a number of RAF Stations in the United Kingdom In October 1943, the squadron joined RCAF 126 Wing, part of the

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

. It was re-equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire IXb in November and began operating over northern France in preparation for

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, the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

landings. It was during late 1943 that the ace George "Screwball" Beurling scored his last air victory while serving with the squadron. On July 17, 1944, 412 Squadron pilot Charley Fox seriously injured

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Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...

during a strafing run. The squadron was moved to France in June 1944, days after the Allied landings and operated on continental Europe for the remainder of the war. The squadron was based at Wunstorf, Germany when the war ended in May 1945.

Postwar

After the Second World War, Number 12 Communications Flight was reassigned as 412 Squadron on 1 April 1947, and renamed 412 (Composite) Squadron based at Rockcliffe. In 1955, the 412 moved to Uplands. In the late 1970s a sub-unit was established at

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. This operation closed in 1993. In 1994, CFB Ottawa (Uplands) closed and 412's fleet was moved to a civilian hangar at

Ottawa International Airport Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. All aircraft are maintained by

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on behalf of the

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Current role

Today, 412 (Transport)Squadron provides executive transport for the Office of the Governor General, members of Parliament, high-level government officials, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and foreign VIPs while they are in

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. 412 (T) Sqn also provides aeromedical evacuation and transport.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft previously used by 412: *

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

* North American Harvard * Beechcraft Expeditor * Douglas Dakota * 1 Canadair North Star 1949–1966 * 2

de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet is the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It features an aerodynamically clean design with four ...

1A 1953–1963 * 2 Canadair CC-106 Yukon 1961–1978 - VIP configuration * 1 de Havilland Canada CC-132 (Dash 7) - based at Lahr 1980–1987 * 2 de Havilland Canada CC-142 (Dash 8) - based at Lahr 1987–93 * 1 Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan 1960–1980 * 7 Dassault CC-117 (Falcon) 1968–1985 Aircraft currently used by 412: * 4 Canadair CC-144 Challenger business jets.

References

External links

* {{Canadian Armed Forces Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Military units and formations of Canada in World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations established in 1949