Canadair F-86E Sabres flown by Nos. 434, 438 and 439 Squadrons
No. 434 Squadron RCAF
No. 434 Squadron was first formed at RAF Tholthorpe in the UK, on 13 June 1943, flying the Handley Page Halifax Mk. V bomber. On 13 August 1943 it flew its first operational sortie, a bombing raid across the Alps to Milan, Italy. In May 1944 the unit received Halifax Mk. IIIs to replace its Mk. Vs. The squadron was adopted by the Rotary Club of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and to show its connection to the city adopted the nickname “Bluenose Squadron“, the common nickname for people from Nova Scotia and a tribute to the schooner Bluenose. An image of the schooner appeared on the squadron badge.
The squadron moved to RAF Croft in December 1943 and re-equipped with Avro Lancaster Mk. Is and Mk. Xs in December 1944. After VE Day, the squadron was earmarked for Tiger Force to carry on the war against Japan, but was never deployed to the Far East. The unit was disbanded at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on 5 September 1945.
During the Second World War, the unit flew 198 missions, including 179 bombing, 17 mine laying, one diversionary and one sea search. This was made up of a total of 2,582 individual aircraft sorties, including 45 prisoner of war airlift sorties. It flew 14,622 operational flying hours and dropped 10,358 tons of bombs plus 225 mines. The squadron accounted for seven enemy aircraft destroyed along with two probable and four damaged. 434 Squadron suffered 75 aircraft lost, 484 aircrew operational casualties, including 34 killed, 313 presumed dead, 121 made prisoners and 16 who evaded capture and escaped. The non-operational casualty total was eight killed, plus one member who died of natural causes. Unit personnel received six bars to the DFC, 108 DFCs, six DFMs, one BEM and seven MiDs.
The squadron was reformed flying the Canadair F-86 Sabre and stationed as part of 3 (F) Wing at RCAF Station Zweibrücken, Germany, on 7 March 1953, but was stood down on 16 June 1962. During this period, the squadron flew Sabre Mk. 2s from Jul 1952 to Nov 1953, Sabre Mk. 5s from Oct 1953 to Jan 1957, and Sabre Mk, 6s from Jan 1957 to Jan 1963.
It was re-activated on 8 April 1963 as a Canadair CF-104 Starfighter unit in the strike/attack role and disbanded again on 1 March 1967. No. 434 Operational Training Squadron (OTU) formed at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta as the Canadair CF-116 Freedom Fighter operational training unit on 15 February 1968. The squadron later gave up OTU duties to 419 Squadron and became an operational squadron, moving to CFB Bagotville, Quebec on 15 July 1982 later moving to CFB Chatham, New Brunswick, in July 1985.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23752), No. 434 Squadron, coded BR.
(James Craik Photo)
Canadair F-86 Sabre pilots, No. 434 Squadron, Sardinia, 1960-61.
(James Craik Photo)
Canadair F-86 Sabre, ground crew, Sardinia, ca 1961.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23707), No. 434 Squadron.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23466). No. 434 Squadron deployed to 2 (F) Wing, Grostenquin, France, in the summer of 1962. The runways at 3 (F) Wing were closed to prepare for the arrival of the Canadair CF-104 Starfighters. The Sabres were flown from there to Preswick in the UK for disposal.
No. 438 Squadron RCAF
No. 438 “City of Montreal” Squadron (Auxiliary) was formed at Montreal, Quebec on 15 Apr 1946. The squadron flew de Havilland Vampire and Canadair F-86 Sabre fighters until Nov 1958 when it was reassigned to a light transport and emergency rescue role. The Squadron flew Sabre Mk. 5s from Oct 1956 to Nov 1958.
(No. 438 Squadron Archives Photo, via Francois Dutil)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 5s, No. 438 Squadron, coded BQ, RCAF Station St-Hubert, Quebec, 1958.
(No. 438 Squadron Archives Photo, via Francois Dutil)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 5 (Serial No. 23110), No. 438 Squadron, coded BQ.
No. 439 Squadron RCAF
No. 439 Squadron was formed in Canada on 15 Jan 1942 as No. 123 (Army Co-operation) Squadron for army training operations in eastern Canada during the Second World War. It was being renumbered No. 439 Squadron RCAF in late 1943 when it transferred to England. The squadron briefly flew Hawker Hurricane fighters before receiving the Hawker Typhoon. It flew ground attack missions with the Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF) in support of the Allied advance in northwestern Europe from mid-1944 to the end of the war in May 1945. The squadron was disbanded at Flensburg, Germany on 26 Aug 1945.
(RCAF Photo via Jack Jack Fortin)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 2s (Serial No. 19204), No. 439 Squadron, lined up in the early morning English fog at 1 (Fighter) Wing at RCAF Station North Luffenham, Rutland, UK, with an eleven-fighter flypast overhead, c1952.
No. 439 Squadron was reformed at RCAF Station Uplands, Ontario on 1 Sep 1951 as a Fighter unit operating the Canadair F-86 Sabre. It joined No. 1 (Fighter) Wing at North Luffenham, Nottinghamshire, England in June 1952. Early in 1955 the squadron moved to Marville, France until it was deactivated on 1 Nov 1963. The squadron flew Sabre Mk. 2s from Nov 1951 to Feb 1955, Sabre Mk. 5s from Mar 1955 to Jul 1956, and Sabre Mk. 6s from Jul 1956 to Oct 1963.
The squadron was reformed as No. 439 Reconnaissance/Attack Squadron, operating the Canadair CF-104 Starfighter. After moving to Germany in 1967, No. 439 Squadron underwent several redesignations before assuming a ground attack mission at CFB Baden-Soellingen as No. 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron. After converting to the McDonnell CF-188 Hornet fighter in the mid-1980s, the squadron participated in the Gulf War. It assumed its current title in 1993, operating the Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopter.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 5, (Serial No. 23352), No. 439 Squadron, with Exercise Carte Blanch markings applied.
(James Craik Photo)
Exercise Carte Blanche logbook, James Craik, 7 June 1955.
(RCAF Photo via Mike Kaehler)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 5 (Serial No. 23347), No. 439 Squadron, coded IC.
One of the basic rules of flight-line safety, that has been in effect for many years, is that you cannot put fuel and oxygen into an aircraft at the same time. You can clearly see the oxygen cart at the front of the aircraft with one tech connecting the oxygen line to the forward fuselage while a fuel bowser sits at the rear of the aircraft with another tech fuelling the aircraft. A dangerous situation that no one in this photo seems to be concerned with. (Mike Kaehler)
23345 was taking part in a major NATO Exercise Carte Blanche, which involved 3,000 aircraft. The exercise was held 20-28 June 1955. 12 RCAF squadrons from No. 1 Air Division participated. The purpose of the exercise was to test NATO’s response to a Soviet and Warsaw Pact attack on the west.
(DND Photo, PL-82288, via James Craik)
Canadair CL_13 Sabre Mk.5s, (Serial Nos. 23358, and 23347).
(RCAF Photo)
Canadair F-86 Sabres, No. 439 Squadron, with a Canadair CL-2 North Star at RCAF Station Bagotville, Quebec, on the first stop on a crossing to England.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 2, No. 439 Squadron, BW-1 airfield, Narsarssuak Air Base, Southern Greenland.
(RCAF Photo)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 2 (Serial No. 19188), No. 439 Squadron, ca 1952.
(RCAF Photo via James Craik)
CanadairF-86 Sabre Mk. 2 (Serial No. 19187), No. 439 Squadron, with a USAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in the background, ca 1952.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3584682)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 2 (Serial No. 19187), No. 439 Squadron, 20 June 1952.
(DND Archives Photo, PC-81)
Canadair F-86 Sabres, No. 439 Squadron, lined up on the tarmac at RCAF Station Uplands, Ottawa, Ontario.
(DND Photo viaJames Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 2, No. 162, No. 439 Squadron, (Serial No. 19199) visble behind it.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23470), No. 439 Squadron, coded IG, being off-loaded at RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario, to join the Golden Hawks in the fall of 1960.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 13 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23734), No. 439 Squadron colours.
(DND Photo via James Craik)
Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23469), No. 439 Squadron.
