| No. 411 (Grizzly Bear) Squadron RCAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1941-1946, 1950-1996 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Branch | .svg) Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Base | RAF Digby 1941-1946 CFB Downsview 1950-1996 |
| Nickname | Grizzly Bear |
| Motto | Inimicus Inimico |
| Equipment | Supermarine Spitfire,Havard andDHC-1 Chipmunk,de Havilland Vampire,Canadair Sabre,Beechcraft Model 18,DHC-3 Otter,CH-136 Kiowa |
| Battle honours | Defence of Britain 1941-44, English Channel and North Sea 1942-43, Fortress Europe 1941-44, Dieppe, France and Germany 1944-45, Arnhem, Normandy 1944, Rhine |
No. 411 "City of York" Squadron RCAF was aSecond World WarRoyal Canadian Air Force squadron that operated as part ofRAF Fighter Command in Europe with theSupermarine Spitfire.[1]
The squadron was formed on 16 June 1941 atRAF Digby in Lincolnshire, England as anArticle XV squadron under the control of theBritish Royal Air Force.[2] The squadron was equipped with theSupermarine Spitfire and after a period of training the squadron began operations in August 1941 with the Spitfire VB variant.[2] Part of theHornchurch Wing it operated over continental Europe onRhubarb sorties and as bomber escorts. After some rest periods the squadron joined the Kenley Wing for more operations over Europe.
Converting to the Spitfire IX in October 1943 it then became a fighter-bomber squadron.[2] Within two weeks of theD-Day it was operating from France in the close-support role and it also operated armed reconnaissance flights.[2] Following the advancing troops the squadron was soon based inGermany until it was disbanded at Utersen on 21 March 1946.[1][2]
411 Squadron was reformed as an auxiliary fighter squadron at RCAF Station Downsview Ont. just outside Toronto on 1 October 1950. It was known as the 'County of York' squadron, the county in which Toronto was at the time located. WithHavards andChipmunks as trainers the squadron operated thede Havilland Vampire until 1956, then transitioned to theCanadair Sabre Mark V, made by Canadair in Montreal in the 1950s.
In the fall of 1958, 411 was moved from Air Defence Command to Air Transport Command, and became a light transport squadron flying the Expediter C-45, a version of theBeechcraft Model 18. The squadron adopted a Search and Rescue role in spring of 1960 with the acquisition of theDHC-3 Otter.[3] These aircraft were operated with the RCAF code 'CSR-123', standing for Canadian Search and Rescue Model 123. The C-45 Expediter was retired in 1966.
In 1969, 411 Squadron was transferred from Air Transport Command to 10 Tactical Air Group, and the squadron's primary role changed to the support of army operations. It continued to hold a secondary SAR role, and to do mapping surveys and sovereignty flights in the Canadian arctic. In 1981, the Otter was retired and the squadron transitioned to theCH-136 Kiowa (OH-58) helicopter, which it operated in a reconnaissance and tactical support role.[3] The squadron disbanded in 1996 following the closure ofRCAF Station Downsview.
| Dates[1] | Aircraft[1] | Variant[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | I and IIA | Single-engined fighter |
| 1941-1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VB | |
| 1943-1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | IX | |
| 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | XVI | |
| 1945-1946 | Supermarine Spitfire | XIV |
| Squadron numbers |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squadron codes |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
1Aircraft administered and serviced by the RCAF but crewed by theRoyal Canadian Artillery. 2 Non-standard code as unit using OW added L. Letters normally denoted parent Command, aircraft type (LLiberator transport, DDakota etc), unit, and individual aircraft. 3 VC .svg) XXA where VC was the civil code used by the RCAF replacing CF-, XX was the unit code and A was the aircraft ID letter4 XX 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg)
