417 Combat Support Squadron () is an

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

unit with the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

. Based at CFB Cold Lake it provides helicopter support to the base operations. Since 1994, it has also provided search and rescue.

History

417 Squadron was a

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 ...

squadron formed in

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 27 November 1941 at RAF Charmy Down and was known as the "City of Windsor" squadron. It was equipped with the

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

and later the

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

. It was initially deployed in Egypt and followed the Allied advance through the Western Desert. On 10 July 1943 when the Allies invaded Sicily (Operation Husky), the squadron was part of No. 244 Wing RAF in No. 211 Group RAF. With the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa, the squadron followed the advance through

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It disbanded in Italy on 1 July 1945. The squadron reactivated in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

on 1 June 1947, at Rivers, Manitoba. It was equipped with the

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kin ...

for army close support training until 1 August 1948. Reformed as a part of the

in 1970 it operated as an operational training squadron on the Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter at CFB Cold Lake. The squadron disbanded in 1983 with the retirement of the CF-104 fleet. On 1 April 1993, No 417 Combat Support squadron was formed from CFB Cold Lake Base Flight plus aircraft servicing and maintenance elements of the Wing Maintenance organization. The squadron continued Base Flight's operations with ten Canadair CT-133 Silver Star and three CH-118 Iroquois. When Base Rescue Moose Jaw was disbanded in 1993, 417 Squadron gained two of their CH-118s, to operate a total of five. In July 1995 417 Squadron received three CH-146 Griffon helicopters and the five CH-118s were retired. The CT-133 was retired in 2001.

Images

Image:Spitfire VCs 417 Sqn RCAF in Tunisia 1943.jpg, Mark VC Spitfires of No. 417 Squadron RCAF at Goubrine Airfield, Tunisia, May 1943. Image:CanadairCT133Line.JPG, Canadair CT-133 Silver Stars from 417 (Combat Support) Squadron. Image:CF-104Starfighter01A.JPG, 417 Operational Training Squadron CF-104 Starfighter on deployment to CFB Moose Jaw in 1982. Image:CH-118103Huey01.JPG, Base Flight Cold Lake CH-118 Iroquois helicopter 118103 at CFB Cold Lake, January 1992. Image:CH-118103Huey02.JPG, CH 118 Huey from 417 (Combat Support) Squadron. Image:CH-146 Griffon and CH-118 CFB Cold Lake.jpg, The first CH-146 Griffon arrives at 417 Sqn, on the flight line with the CH-118s it is to replace. Image:CH-146 Griffon CFB Cold Lake 1995.jpg, 417 Sqn's first CH-146 Griffon, serial number 146414, arrived on 6 July 1995.

Badges

Image:417SqnCrest.JPG, 417 Combat Support Squadron official badge 1993 Image:417SqnJokerBadge.JPG, 417 Combat Support Squadron Rescue Flight badge 1993 Image:T-33Badge.JPG, 417 Combat Support Squadron T-33 Flight aircraft type badge 1993 Image:417SqnBadge.JPG, 417 Combat Support Squadron unofficial badge worn by all members 1993 Image:BaseFlightColdLakeBadge.JPG, Base Flight Cold Lake badge 1990

Cadets

417 Squadron is affiliated with 395 Edmonton "Griffon" Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets, in

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. This affiliation began in 1993, with annual "Griffon Coin Parades" being hosted every year between the two units.

References

External links

*
Canada's Air Force: 417 "City of Windsor" Combat Support Squadron
{{Canadian Armed Forces Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons