424 Transport and Rescue Squadron
| 424 "Tiger” Transport and Rescue Squadron | |
|---|---|
424 Squadron badge
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| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Type | Strategic transport, Search and Rescue |
| Part of | 8 Wing Trenton |
| Motto(s) | Castigandos castigamus (English: We chastise those who deserve to be chastised) |
| Battle honours | English Channel and North Sea 1943–1945, Baltic 1944–1945, Fortress Europe 1943–1944, France and Germany 1944–1945, Biscay Ports 1943–1944, Ruhr 1943–1945, Berlin 1944, German Ports 1943–1945, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943–1944, Sicily 1943, Italy 1943, Salerno. |
| Website | airforce |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lieutenant-Colonel Leighton James |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Lockheed CC-130H Hercules and Bell CH-146 Griffon |
424 Transport and Rescue Squadron (French: 424e Escadron de transport et de sauvetage), nicknamed "Tiger Squadron", is a Royal Canadian Air Force strategic transport and search and rescue unit based at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton in the Canadian province of Ontario. The squadron is the primary provider of search and rescue response for the Trenton Search and Rescue Region, which extends from Quebec City to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Canada–United States border to the North Pole, covering an area of over ten million square kilometres in Central, Western, and Northern Canada.
The squadron operates the Lockheed CC-130H Hercules transport aircraft and the Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopter. Pararescue specialists, known as Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR Techs) are on constant standby to deploy within 30 minutes of notification during weekdays and 2 hours at other times.
No. 424 Squadron RCAF was formed at RAF Topcliffe, North Yorkshire in on 15 October 1942, as the sixth RCAF Overseas bomber squadron, first being allocated to No. 4 Group RAF, initially equipped with the medium bomber Vickers Wellington Mk IIIs (later Mk Xs). It began operations on 15 January 1943, having joined No. 6 Group RCAF seeing moves to RAF Leeming, and then RAF Dalton. By the end of April 1943, 424 had bombed Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Bochum, Hamburg, Cologne, Essen, and took part in a third trip to Duisburg.
On 10 April 1943, 424 Squadron was selected to become part of No. 205 Group RAF, forming part of No. 331 (RCAF) Medium Bomber Wing, flying new Wellington bombers, for operations in North Africa. Tropicalized for use in the heat, sand, and frequent dust storms, the Wellington B.Mk.X aircraft, offered much improved performance now also able to fly on one engine. Its new mission, first to support Operation HUSKY the invasion of Sicily (9/10 July) stationed in Tunisia, bombing airfields, harbours, freight yards and rail junctions.
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