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439 Combat Support Squadron (French: is a squadron of the
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 ...
, based in Bagotville, Quebec. It was formed as No. 123 (Army Co-operation) Squadron in early 1942 for army training operations in eastern Canada during
World War II 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 ...
, being renumbered No. 439 Squadron RCAF in late 1943 when it transferred to England. The squadron briefly flew 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 ...
before receiving the
Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems we ...
, flying
ground attack Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...
missions with the
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 Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, and ...
in support of Allied advances in
northwestern Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The term is used in geographic, history, and military contexts. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northwestern ...
from mid-1944 to the end of the war in May 1945. Disbanded shortly after the end of the Second World War, the squadron was reformed in 1951, operating the
Canadair Sabre The Canadair Sabre is a Jet aircraft, 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 ...
from England and France until 1963, when it was disbanded. It was quickly reformed as 439 Reconnaissance/Attack Squadron, operating the
CF-104 Starfighter The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being des ...
. Moved to Germany in 1967, it underwent several redesignations before assuming a ground attack mission at
CFB Baden–Soellingen Canadian Forces Base Baden–Soellingen or CFB Baden–Soellingen, formerly known as RCAF Station Baden–Soellingen (Baden), (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA:FKB, International Civil Aviation Organization airport cod ...
as 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron. After converting to the
CF-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...
in the mid-1980s, the squadron participated in the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. It assumed its current title in 1993, operating the
Bell 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. It is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaissance, se ...
helicopter.


World War II

No. 123 (Army Co-operation) Squadron was formed on 15 January 1942 during
World War II 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 ...
from the School of Army Co-Operation. The latter had been formed on 22 October 1941 at Rockcliffe, Ontario under the command of Squadron Leader W.W.S. Ross, who continued in that position for No. 123 Squadron. The school was administratively part of No. 3 Training Command and operationally under RCAF Headquarters. Equipped with North American Harvard Mark IIB trainers and Westland Lysander Mark II army co-operation aircraft, the squadron trained with the
4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...
and 7th Canadian Divisions in close support and reconnaissance. It relocated to
Debert Debert ( ; 2006 pop: 1,471) is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County, it is approximately west of Truro. The community has two churches ( United Baptist Church an ...
, Nova Scotia, on 16 February 1942, joining Eastern Air Command. A detachment of three Lysanders was stationed at
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
to patrol the harbour entrance there between 8 October and 27 January 1943, flying 98 sorties and 194 flying hours. It transferred to
Wellingore Wellingore is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 356. It is situated on the A607 road, approximately south from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, L ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
on 31 December 1943 and was renumbered No. 439 (Fighter-Bomber Squadron) on New Year's Day 1944. Though the squadron was slated to become a fighter-bomber unit operating the
Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems we ...
Mark IB, it initially operated the Hawker Hurricane Mark IV in addition to the Typhoon until April 1944. No. 439 Squadron relocated to
Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...
on 8 January and
Hurn Hurn is a village and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district of Dorset, England. It is situated between the River Stour and River Avon north-west of Christchurch and north-east of Bournemouth town centre. In 2001, t ...
on 18 March. From the latter, on 27 March, it flew its first ground attack mission against
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
launch sites as part of No. 143 Wing RCAF. The squadron also attacked German bases and communications targets in preparation for the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
of 6 June. During this period, it moved to
Funtington Funtington is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. I ...
on 2 April, back to Hurn on 19 April, to
Hutton Cranswick Hutton Cranswick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south from Driffield town centre, and on the A164 road. The civil parish is formed by the village of Hutton Cranswick and ...
on 11 May, and back to Hurn on 20 May. Following the Normandy landings, the squadron was moved to Advanced Landing Ground
Lantheuil Lantheuil () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, i ...
(B-9) on 27 June to provide close air support for the advancing Allied forces. The squadron moved forward to Advanced Landing Ground St-André de l'Eure (B-24) on 31 August, Amiens – Glisy (B-48) on 3 September to keep pace with the advance, ultimately moving to
Melsbroek Melsbroek Air Base is a Belgian Air Component facility in Steenokkerzeel, northeast of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. It is located on the northern side of Brussels Airport, with which it shares runways and ground and air control facilities ...
(B-58) in Belgium on 6 September and
Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...
in The Netherlands on 25 September. 439 Squadron remained there for the northern hemisphere winter and during the last months of the war attacked communications and shipping in sweeps over Germany. In the final weeks of the war the squadron moved yet again to Goch (B-100) in Germany on 30 March 1945, to
RAF Warmwell Royal Air Force Warmwell or more simply RAF Warmwell is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station near Warmwell in Dorset, England from 1937 to 1946, located about 5 miles east-southeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dor ...
on 3 April, and to Hustedt (B-150) on 23 April. Its final base in Germany was
Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...
(B-166), where it was located from 29 May to its disbandment on 26 August.


Postwar

They re-formed at Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Station Uplands (
CFB Uplands Canadian Forces Base Uplands (also CFB Uplands) was a Canadian Forces Base located in Ottawa, Ontario. Most of the land which formed the base was transferred to the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport after the base was closed in th ...
) on September 1, 1951, and went to 1 Wing North Luffenham on May 4, 1952. They then moved to 1 Wing Marville, France, on April 1, 1955. The squadron was equipped with the
F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
. They were deactivated between November 30, 1963, and February 28, 1964, and reactivated on March 1, 1964, as 439 Strike/Attack Squadron, equipped with CF-104 Starfighters. They moved with 1 Wing to
Lahr Lahr (officially Lahr/Schwarzwald since 30 September 1978) (); ) is a city in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 50 km north of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, 40 km southeast of Strasbourg, and 95 km southwest of Ka ...
, Germany, on April 1, 1967, then to
CFB Baden-Soellingen CFB may refer to: *College football, in the United States *Canadian Forces base, military installation of the Canadian forces *Caminho de Ferro de Benguela, railway in Angola *Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District *Cipher feedback, ...
, Germany, in 1971 as 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron. The squadron disbanded in November 1984 and re-formed in November 1985 with the
CF-18 The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...
. During the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, the squadron fought as part of the
coalition of the Gulf War On 29 November 1990, the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 authorized the assembly of a multinational military coalition to liberate Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi-occupied Kuwait by "all necessary means" if Iraq did not ...
. They were disbanded at Baden-Soellingen on 15 May 1993 and reactivated shortly after at 3 Wing Bagotville as 439 Combat Support Squadron; the redesignation was officially carried out on 1 April. The squadron is now equipped with 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. It is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaissance, se ...
.


Casualties, decorations, and battle honours

As No. 123 Squadron, it suffered no casualties and had one of its members awarded the
British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Monarchy of the United Ki ...
. The following
battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military ...
are borne on the colours of the squadron: * Second World War:
Fortress Europe Fortress Europe () was a military propaganda term used by both sides of World War II which referred to the areas of Continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany, as opposed to the United Kingdom across the Channel. World War II defences In ...
, 1944; France and Germany, 1944–1945; Normandy, 1944; Arnhem; Rhine * Gulf War: Gulf and Kuwait


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * *


External links

*
No. 123 Army Co-Operation Squadron Operations Record Book with 439 Squadron to August 1944
(from image 1362)
439 Squadron Operations Record Book
to 1963 (material to image 730) {{RCAF Squadrons Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Military units and formations established in 1993 Military units and formations of Canada in World War II