No. 432 Squadron RCAF
| No. 432 (Leaside) Squadron RCAF 432 All Weather Fighter Squadron RCAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943–1945 1954–1961 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Branch |  Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Role | Strategic bombing (1943–1945) Fighter-interceptor (1954–1961) |
| Part of | No. 6 Group RCAF(1943–1945) |
| Nickname(s) | Leaside |
| Motto(s) | Saeviter ad Lucem ( "Ferociously towards the light" ) |
| Battle honours |
|
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Code | QO (1943–1945) |
| Squadron Badge | Argent in front of a full moon Argent a Cougar leaping downwards Sable armed and langued Gules. |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber | Vickers WellingtonMk.X Avro LancasterMk.II Handley Page HalifaxMk.III & VII (1943–1945) |
| Fighter | Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck(1954–1961) |
No. 432 Squadron RCAFwas a squadron of theRoyal Canadian Air Forceformed during theSecond World War.
History
[edit]It was first formed atRAF Skipton-on-Swalein May 1943, as part ofNo. 6 GroupofRAF Bomber Command.The unit was equipped withWellington Mk.Xbombers.[1]
The squadron deployed toRAF East Moorin mid-September, equipping withLancaster Mk.IIsin October. In February 1944 they changed toHalifax Mk.IIIs,upgrading these to Halifax Mk.VIIs in July.[1][2]
As part of a Royal Canadian Air Force public relations plan, the town ofLeasideofficially "adopted" No. 432 Squadron RCAF. Formed and adopted on 1 May 1943 the squadron took the town's name as its nickname, becoming 432 "Leaside" Squadron RCAF. The sponsorship lasted the duration of the war.[3]
The squadron was disbanded at East Moor in May, 1945.[1]
On October 1, 1954, it was reformed as a fighter squadron atCFB Bagotvilleflying the Canadian designedAvro CF-100.The squadron was again disbanded on October 15, 1961.[4]
Manuel Sharko and Jack Stacy were mid-upper gunners in their respective Halifax bombers during the war.
References
[edit]- ^abc"RAF Bomber Command No.432 (Leaside) Squadron".raf.mod.uk.2013.Retrieved9 September2013.
- ^McNeill, Ross (March 1999)."No.432 (Leaside) Squadron RCAF".rafcommands.com.Retrieved9 September2013.
- ^Fletcher, Mark (2013)."An Unimaginable Task: Vintage Wings of Canada".vintagewings.ca.Retrieved9 September2013.
- ^"No. 432 Squadron, Canadian Air Force".canadianwings.com.2013.Retrieved9 September2013.
- Book Reference: The East Moor Experience by Brian Shields
External links
[edit]
- "432 All Weather Fighter Squadron"(PDF).Department of National DefenceDirectorate of History and Heritage.(in English and French)
- "432 Squadron Dedication Page".(in English)
- "432 Squadron Facebook Page".Facebook.(in English)
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1Aircraft administered and serviced by the RCAF but manned by theRoyal Canadian Artillery.
2Non-standard code as unit using OW added L. Letters normally denoted parent Command, aircraft type (LLiberator transport,DDakotaetc), unit, and individual aircraft. 3VC  XXA where VC was the civil code used by the RCAF replacing CF-, XX was the unit code and A was the aircraft ID letter4XX nnn where XX was the unit code and nnn was the last 3 digits of the serial number. Unit code was replaced with "RCAF" in 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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