440 Transport Squadron

440 Transport Squadron
A 440 Squadron Twin Otter in Cambridge Bay
Active	1968-present
Country	Canada
Branch	Royal Canadian Air Force
Part of	17 Wing
Headquarters	Canadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters Yellowknife
Motto(s)	Ka Ganawaitak Saguenay "He who protects the kingdom from whence the waters flow"
Equipment	4 CC-138 Twin Otters
Battle honours	Fortress Europe 1944 France and Germany 1944-45 Normandy 1944 Arnhem Rhine Aleutians 1942-43
Website	440 Squadron
Commanders
Current commander	LCol Adam Carlson
Aircraft flown
Transport	CC-138 DHC-6 Twin Otter

No. 440 "City of Ottawa" Transport Squadron (Vampire) is a unit of the Canadian Forces under the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is part of 17 Wing and works closely with Joint Task Force North located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Based at Yellowknife Airport and operating throughout Northern Canada, the unit's primary role is to provide support to the Canadian Forces, including the Canadian Rangers and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, with search and rescue as a secondary role. The squadron operates four CC-138 DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft that can flown on tundra tires, skis or floats, though, the float program was abandoned in 1999 when it was determined that there was not enough call for that capability in the CF.

The squadron was founded in the 1930s as an army cooperation squadron. It was for a time an air defence squadron from the start of the Second World War before moving to the UK. There it equipped as a fighter-bomber squadron under RAF operational control. It supported the ground campaign through Northwest Europe until the end of the war.

No. 440 Squadron RCAF was a Second World War Royal Canadian Air Force squadron that operated as part of the Royal Air Force in Europe with the Hawker Typhoon.

The squadron was formed in Vancouver on 5 October 1932 as No. 11 (Army Co-Operation) Squadron' before being redesignated No. 111 (Coast Artillery Co-Operation) Squadron on 15 November 1937. At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron formed a detachment at Patricia Bay on Vancouver Island, now Victoria International, before being redesignated No. 111 (Fighter) Squadron on 1 July 1940. At this time the squadron flew the Westland Lysander as no modern fighter aircraft were available. It was disbanded on 1 February 1941 and then reformed on 3 November 1941 flying the Curtis Kittyhawk. The squadron and took part in air defence operations in Western Canada and the Aleutian Islands Campaign under RCAF Western Air Command. The squadron had the distinction of shooting down the only Japanese fighter by the RCAF home air force during the war. From the new American base in Umnak, Alaska flying the Curtis P-40K from American stock, 111 squadron took part in several raids against the Japanese base at Kiska. On 26 September 1942 the Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader K A Boomer shot down an intercepting Nakajima A6M2-N Rufe fighter while leading four Canadian manned P-40's involved in flak suppression.