No. 428 Squadron RCAF
| No. 428 (Ghost) Squadron RCAF 428 All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron |
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|---|---|
Badge of 428 Squadron
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| Active | 7 Nov 1942 – 5 Sep 1945 21 Jun 1954 – 1 Jun 1961 |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Branch |
.svg){kind=small} Royal Canadian Air Force
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| Role | Bomber/All-Weather Fighter |
| Part of | Royal Air Force 1942–1945 |
| Nickname(s) | "Ghost" |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Usque ad finem "To the very end" |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | In a shroud, a death's head |
| Squadron Codes | NA (Nov 1942 – May 1946) |
No. 428 Squadron RCAF, also known as 428 Bomber Squadron, and 428 Ghost Squadron, was first a night bomber squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force engaged in strategic bombing during World War II, as based in Yorkshire. At the end of the war the squadron moved to Nova Scotia before being disbanded in September 1945. In 1954 the squadron was reformed as 428 All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron, before being again disbanded in 1961.
The motto of the squadron is Usque ad finem (Latin: "To the very end") and the squadron's badge contains a white Death's Head in a black shroud. The badge refers to the squadron's Ghost designation which was earned through its night bombing operations, as 'Hitler's Haunters' and the death and destruction which it inflicted upon the enemy.
No. 428 Squadron RCAF was the ninth long-range heavy bomber Article XV squadron formed overseas during the Second World War at RAF Dalton in Yorkshire, England on November 7, 1942. The squadron was initially assigned to No. 4 Group RAF. With the creation of No. 6 Group RCAF, the squadron was reallocated on January 1, 1943 operating with it until April 25, 1945.
The squadron was first equipped with Vickers Wellingtons (Mk III and Mk X), and its first operational mission was on January 26–27, 1943, when five Wellingtons bombed the Keroman Submarine Base U-Boat pens at Lorient in Brittany, on the Bay of Biscay. In the early part of June 1943, the squadron moved to RAF Middleton St. George where it remained for the remainder of the war. Around this time the squadron was converted to Handley Page Halifaxes (Mk Vs, and later supplemented by Mk II Series IIA).
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