At the beginning of September an advance part of 149 Wing went to the continent to prepare for the movement of the squadrons. On 22 September No. 410 Squadron followed, flying from Hunsdon to Glisy Airfield (B.48), about four and a half miles south-east of Amiens. The new home of the Cougars had previously been occupied by the Luftwaffe which carried out extensive demolition before departing hurriedly. Hangers and buildings had suffered, but much furniture – chairs, tables, lockers, and so on – had been left behind and were promptly appropriated by the new tenants to furnish their quarters and dispersals.

Thanks to the supplies of abandoned Jerry furniture, the Cougars made their dispersal area one of the most comfortable spots in the whole camp. They were particularly proud of their dispersal tent which had floor boards, manufactured from prefabricated enemy buildings, stoves, easy chairs and furnishings; – as the Squadron diarist commented, this was probably the only time the G.A.F. unintentionally assisted the R.C.A.F. Visiting units cast envious eyes upon the comfortable accommodation and their compliments were a tribute to the energy and hard work of the members of No. 410.

Three patrols were carried out from Amiens / Glisy on the first night (22^nd / 23^rd September) over the battle area from Liege north to Maastricht and Eindhoven. For four nights there was little to report. Lt. Harrington and P/O Tongue finally broke the calm on the 26^th by destroying a Stuka, the first in a series of 25 victories won by the Cougars on the continent. At the beginning of their sortie, the crew had several futile chases, in the course of which they saw one bomber illuminated by a cluster of searchlights; then they were put onto another target at a very low height. While Tongue was trying to pick it up on his radar, Harrington noticed three bombs explode near the bank of a river, after which contact was obtained on a bogey, three miles distant, and well below the Mossie. Giving chase, the night fighter pursued its target down to 150 feet, despite the difficulty of keeping in touch at this low altitude through a series of hard turns. Presently the enemy pilot began to climb, enabling the Mosquito to close in and, after very careful study from less than 50 feet, identify the Hun as a Ju.87. Harrington then dropped back to 300 feet to open fire. With its undercarriage blown away, and the pilot perhaps dead at the controls, the Stuka turned slowly and started down. Two further bursts were delivered, the second striking all over the fuselage, following which the machine exploded on the ground, some 12 miles north of Aachen, "where it could be seen burning very nicely."

Some anxiety was caused that night when one crew, returning from patrol, became lost. Over the R/T, W/O W. Broderick, the pilot, reported that he was going to attempt a belly-landing on a field which he could distinguish in the first light of dawn. A search in the early morning revealed no trace of the missing Mosquito and it was not until the following day that the Squadron learned that the crew had gone down safely near Paris and were "languishing" in that city while awaiting transportation home.

The next few nights were less exciting, although one evening F/Os Fullerton and Gallagher crashed while making a forced landing at Lille / Vandeville and received minor injuries, and another night F/O MacKenzie chased one "bogey" at 25,000 feet as far as Hamburg without being able to catch it. Since arriving on the continent, the Squadron's schedule called for eight sorties per night. Early in October a new system was introduced whereby the aircraft were sent out in groups of four, one patrol leaving in the early evening and the other several hours later. Sorties normally lasted about three hours.

Business picked up at the end of the first week in October, adding three victories in two nights to the credit account of "A" Flight. F/L "Pop" Edinger and F/O "Chuck" Vaessen led off with a Ju.88 for their fourth "kill" since D-Day, and thereby won the DFC. On patrol over the Maastricht area in the early evening of 6 October, Pop and Chuck were vectored south after some “trade” 30 miles distant. They succeeded in picking up a customer at eight miles range, flying at 16,500 feet. Closing in, Edinger recognized it as a Ju.88 and pulled up close alongside to verify his identification. With one short burst he set fire to the port engine and turned to one side to watch developments. But the fire died out and for a moment the Junkers disappeared. Hurriedly nosing down, the Mosquito regained contact and closed on it until the quarry again came in view, going down in a series of hard orbits to port. Edinger cut in once more for a long burst that caused both engines to blaze. Rolling to one side the 88 went straight in, exploding as it crashed 16 miles from Namur where the wreckage was presently found by a ground party.

F/Ls B.E. Plumer and W.W. Hargrove took off from Glisy as Edinger and Vaesson landed at 2055. When they returned (to Le Culot, not home base) three hours later they too had a victory to report – won in even more bizarre fashion than Edinger's of three weeks previously. Working with the same controller ("Rejoice"), the Mosquito was directed to Venlo, on the Dutch-German border, where, thanks to skillful direction from the ground, a contact was secured. Hargrove held it through a succession of peel-offs until his pilot could see the enemy’s exhaust flames. Guided by their glow, Plumer zigzagged to avoid overshooting the target which had throttled back until it was mushing along at 120 m.p.h. At close range he could see it was a Me.110, carrying long-range tanks. The Jerry then began to weave violently and lose height, making it impossible for the night fighter to get into fitting position on the slow target. The enemy gunner was not so handicapped and he let off an accurate, long burst that set fire to the Mosquito’s starboard engine. The tables apparently had been turned, but the action wasn't over. By feathering the propeller, and using the graviner, "Hargie" extinguished the flames, while Plumer followed his foe, waiting for it to level out and give him a chance to fire. The opportunity never came; nor was it needed. Still weaving and losing height at very low speed, the enemy pilot failed to level out in time from one manoeuvre and ploughed into the deck, the Messerschmitt exploding as it struck. This unusual victory was cited when Ben and his navigator were awarded the DFC together.

The next night a Ju.88 was shot down north-east of Hasselt by F/Os Fullerton and Gallagher. As a tribute to the efficient co-operation of "Rejoice" G.C.I. they crashed their Hun within sight of the ground personnel of the radar unit. The Mosquito crew began their patrol over Eindhoven, whence they were vectored south to intercept some "trade". A contact led to a visual of a Ju.88, flying straight and steady. Two bursts sufficed. After the first shots the enemy’s port engine exploded, scattering debris and flaming so brightly that Fullerton could not see where his second burst struck. As the Junkers went down in a steep spiral dive one gas tank blew up, followed by a second, larger explosion when the machine crashed.


Hopes which had been aroused by this string of victories gradually faded as three weeks passed without another encounter. Many sorties were made in efforts to intercept the "milkman" who was believed to be carrying supplies to the Nazi garrison in beleaguered Dunkirk, but like "weather Willi" of an earlier period he could not be caught. The weather was often unfavorable for operations, no sorties being possible on five nights in October.

Two accidents marked this period. In the first, F/O K.R. Walley and F/S F.R. Charnock were killed on 20 October when their Mosquito crashed into a hill near Corbie as they were returning from a patrol. A comparatively new crew, Walley and Charnock had joined No. 410 late in August while the Squadron was at Colerne. The second accident, six evenings later, was fortunately less serious. S/L Hedger and F/O Bodard were coming back from an uneventful scramble when the pilot discovered his undercarriage was u/s. He attempted to belly-land, but the port wheel, stuck in half-down position, caused the aircraft to crack up and S/L Hedger suffered a broken leg. Command of "A" Flight, which Hedger had held for two months, passed now to S/L I.S. MacTavish. "B" Flight also received a new commander in October when "Red" Somerville was posted to No. 409 Squadron as C.O. and S/L S.J. Fulton came from that unit to replace him.

With the approach of winter life under canvas began to lose its charm. On 21 October the officers abandoned their tents in favor of a "chateau", a large, rather dilapidated house, on the outskirts of Blangy-Tronville, a nearby village. While some cleared up the premises and made them habitable, others went scrounging for stoves, now much in demand, and those fortunate enough to obtain one kept careful watch over their property. Some nights later there was a party given by the aircrew for their servicing flight. The banquet included chicken and goose, acquired by sundry devious means beyond the ken of official service procedure.

So the October nights slipped past, with little to record for operations except for rather frequent sightings of V.2s being launched against England. Before the month ended, however, the American-English team, Archie Harrington and Dennis Tongue, bagged their fourth Hun in a long, eight-minute chase over eastern Holland. Taking off from Glisy at 5 o’clock on 29 October, they patrolled over the Venlo area in company with another crew until it became day. Presently Harrington was sent northwest to St. Antonis where he encountered showers of "window" as well as concentrated and accurate flak. Finding no joy at low altitude, the Mosquito pilot began to climb and his navigator soon got a contact on a "bogey" which, unlike the lower Huns, was travelling at a good pace. As the range began to open, Harrington increased to full throttle, closing slowly at 340 m.p.h. The enemy aircraft started to let down in a succession of "steps", while the night fighter moved within visual range, identifying the Hun as an FW.190. Four brief bursts from close range smashed around the cockpit, knocking off "various debris". Thereupon the 190 turned on its back, plunging vertically into the ground where it burned fiercely.

The Cougars normally roamed far afield in search of prey; they were therefore taken completely by surprise when a Jerry flew right over their heads about 8 o'clock one evening (1 November). Hearing an aircraft approaching, one of the navigators glanced up expecting to see the familiar silhouette of a Mosaic coming home from a patrol. Instead he was considerably shaken to see the unmistakable swept-back wings and oval tailplane of an He.111 – possible one of the Dunkirk "milkmen". At about 400 feet the aircraft swept across the field, heading north. It was too late to scramble any Mossies, but later a crew went out in a luckless effort to catch the Jerry on its way home.

The Squadron had scarcely got settled in winter quarters at Glisy when orders were received to move on 3 November to Lille/Vendeville (B.51), some 60 miles to the north-east. Here the aircrews again set to work to make their quarters as comfortable and ship-shape as possible. For dispersal they had at first a wooden hut, half buried in the ground, but the area soon became a sea of mud in the November rains and a move was made to another site which had hard standings for the aircraft and more comfortable accommodation for the personnel.9

9 No. 409 (Nighthawk) Squadron was also stationed at B.51 from 12 October 1944 to April 19, 1945.

When the Cougars moved to Vendeville they changed their operational sehedule. Since early October two four-crew patrols had been made before midnight each evening; now they did their work in the early morning hours, sending out one section of four about midnight and a second section about 0530a.m. 10 As the autumn nights lengthened into winter, with the inevitable rains and fogs, the number of sorties, which had risen to 168 in October, began to decline. There was no flying on seven nights in November and nine in December, but the Squadron maintained a six-sortie average for the other nights when operations were possible. Snow and biting cold in January 1945 kept the aircraft in their dispersals on 19 nights and only 62 sorties could be made; it was the quietest month in more than a year. February was somewhat better (99 sorties) but it was not until March that the Cougars again got back into their stride. Nevertheless, hampered though they were by the weather, the crews tallied 14 kills and a damaged during these long winter months, most of the action occurring in one hectic week late in December.

10 The schedule was not a rigid one as the Squadron frequently operated on old time-table.

The first victories from Lille/Vendeville more than atoned for almost four weeks of joyless patrols. Once before, in December 1943, a Cougar team had destroyed three enemy aircraft in a single sortie. Harrington and Tongue pulled the "hat trick" again on the night of 25 November. The story can be told in the pilot's own words: Taking off at 1740 hours, the crew did an uneventful patrol for well over an hour.

"I was finally handed over to Rejoice control and told of trade ahead between 10,000 and 15,000 feet. Then I was told of joy 15 miles to port and to steer 100 degrees. Contact obtained crossing to starboard above, range four miles. Closed fairly rapidly to two miles. Then target commenced moderate evasive action. Visual obtained at 4500 feet, height 16,000 feet. Closed right in and finally identified a Ju.88 night fighter with Ju.188 tail... Dropped back to approximately 600 feet and opened fire. Strikes seen in cockpit, engines, and wing roots, followed by explosion and debris. E/A diving very steeply, followed him on A.1. and visually. E/A was seen to strike the ground and burn. Our aircraft had been hit by debris as we fired, shaking aircraft badly... Position given by Rejoice as approximately at Muntz (north of Julich). Time 2008.”

"Climbed back up and Rejoice gave us another chase on vector of 280 degrees, head on, range 11 miles. At same time observer obtained a head-on collision contact, above at range of three miles. Did hard port orbit, and no joy. Continued orbit, searching and regained contact, hard over to port, on aircraft doing a hard port turn. apparently he was trying to intercept us. Target commenced very violent evasive action and increased speed, climbing, diving and turning. Closed very slowly to 4000 feet range and target did even more violent evasive, getting out to 6000 feet range. This lasted for nine to ten minutes. Visual obtained finally between 4000 and 3500 feet. Closed in very slowly at an A.S.I. 270, height 12,000 feet. Identified as ... another night fighter (Ju.88 with 188 tail). Dropped back to 5/600 feet, and opened fire. Strikes seen on cockpit, engines and wing roots, followed by explosions. E/A did a half roll and went to port, then became straight and level, finally going into a loop. It stalled at the top of the loop and went into a inverted spin. E/A seen to hit the deck with a large explosion, illuminating the houses in the vicinity ... Position given by Rejoice as ...near Jackerath (north of the first combat area). Time 2019.”

"Climbed back up and obtained two contacts. One to port, range three miles and one to starboard, range four miles. Asked Rejoice which one was hostile; advised to take our choice as both were hostile. Intercepted the one to port through moderate evasive action. The furthermost a/c came in head-on to starboard and above, appearing to intercept us. We continued interception, observer covering tail with night glasses in starboard turns as well as controlling interception. Visual finally obtained at 4500 feet. We closed in to about 75 feet and identified as Ju.88 with 188 tail. E/A still doing evasive action, suddenly throttled back and I narrowly escaped ramming him. Then I dropped back to about 300 feet and opened fire. Strikes seen in cockpit, on engines and wing roots. Debris flew off. E/A then started burning on port engine, fire spreading to cockpit and starboard engine. E/A went down in spiral dive to starboard. I followed down, taking pictures of him burning. E/A went into cloud and a few seconds later a very large explosion lit up the underside of the cloud and continued to burn fiercely ... Rejoice was unable to give me a definite fix as I was then off their tube, but approximate area was somewhere north around Hunxe. ¹¹ Time 2026. I then did very violent evasive action myself, including hard orbits, as Rejoice seemed to think there might be someone on my tail ... I claim three Ju.88s destroyed".

11 The only Hunxe which can be identified is east of Wesel, far to the north and more than 40 miles from the scene of the previous combats.

All three aircraft were Ju.88 C-l night fighters, identifiable by a blister under the nose, and radar aerials projecting from the nose. Large black crosses could be seen under the wings and close to the engine nacelles. Harrington believed the enemy tactics were for two night fighters to fly in line astern, approximately two miles apart, the rear one covering the other. He and Tongue therefore concentrated on intercepting the tail-end Charlie. Throughout the chases they were held by the German ground radar and could hear the enemy controller over their radio telephone. No return fire was encountered in the combats, but the Mosquito was slightly damaged by flying debris.

Harrington and Tongue had previously destroyed four enemy aircraft and had been recommended for the DFC. Now, after their seventh joint victory, Harrington received the DSO and his navigator a Bar to the DFC. Harrington was also awarded the American DFC, and the Air Medal with several oak leaf clusters. He left the Squadron at the end of December, on transfer to a unit of the USAAF, but Dennis Tongue crewed up with a new pilot and remained with No. 410 until April 1945, adding another victory to his score. With eight confirmed kills he was the leading navigator/radar in the Squadron.

"B " Flight accounted for another Ju.88C night fighter on the last night in November when F/O "Mac" MacKenzie got his second kill and P/O Bodard, the navigator, his fourth. For his example of skill and ability in these combats George Bodard was decorated with the DFC; his score had risen to six, however, by the time the award was promulgated. On this occasion in November the Mosquito crew, directed again by Rejoice control, was on patrol in the same general area, between Aaehen and Krkeleoze, in which Harrington and Tongue had had their good scrap. Veetored towards some "trade", they discovered that the "bogey" was also apparently trying to investigate them. For 15 minutes the two night fighters stalked one another. Finally MacKenzie was able to close within sight of his opponent, as it made a hard starboard turn, and saw the Hun was a Ju.88 G-1. While still in the turn he opened fire with three short bursts that hit the fuselage and both engines. Very bright explosions flashed from each motor, after which the outer sections of the wings tore away and the Junkers went into a vertical spin. Seconds later there was a fierce explosion on the ground near Erkelenz.

A few days after the Squadron moved to Lille/Vendeville it was called upon to provide a special patrol of four aircraft as air cover for Armistice Day ceremonies being held in Paris; no enemy intruders attempted to intervene. Later in the month there was a tragic accident at base which took the lives of two pilots who had joined the Cougars a short time previously. F/Os H. Connelly and J. Hunt had gone up together to practice circuits and landings; as they made a circuit, preparatory to coming in, the Mosquito suddenly stalled and crashed from 500 feet. A few days before Christmas there was another disaster, the heaviest blow suffered by the squadron throughout its long career. For several days the airfield had been fogbound. When the sky cleared a bit in the afternoon of the 21^st, S/L Fulton, "B” Flight commander, took off for England in the Squadron Oxford. With him were three officers and two airmen, all going on leave, one of the airmen counting the minutes until he met his bride-to-be. Near Wrotham, Kent, the aircraft for some reason crashed and only one of its occupants survived, seriously injured. Killed with S/L Fulton were his navigator F/O A.R. Ayton (RAF), who had accompanied him on posting to the Cougars in October, F/L F.G. Thomson, DFC (RAF), who had arrived late in November to begin a second tour, and LACs E. Wahlers and R. Seefried. F/O W. Rumbold, another RAF navigator, was the injured passenger; he had been with the Squadron for two months.

Less serious was another mishap at Brussels / Melsbrook where a Mosquito force-landed one night in November and overturned when it ran off the runway into soft ground. The aircraft was badly damaged, but the pilot, F/O E. Sexsmith, escaped unscathed. His RAF navigator, F/O W. Nixon, received a small gash in the head and returned to Lille looking like a pirate in his big turban bandage.

On many nights in November and December there were sightings of "Big Ben", one crew seeing as many as seven during a patrol. There were also numerous reports of enemy R/T "jamming” and "window" contacts, but there was no further "joy" after the MacKenzie – Bodard victory until the Germans launched their counter-offensive in the Ardennes on 16 December. That marked the opening of another period of great night fighter activity (when the weather did not intervene) and another string of successful encounters.

The first night of the offensive was quiet for No. 410, only four patrols being carried out. On the 17^th, however, when ten sorties were made, two of which were abortive, several crews found indications of enemy activity. "Pop" Edinger and "Chuck” Vaessen were directed to investigate Bonninghardt airfield, southwest of Weasel, where ground control plotted six "bogeys". Patrolling in the area, they saw two Huns briefly illuminated by searchlights as they came in for a landing. In neither case was the night fighter in a position to attack, nor it soon became obvious that the other enemy aircraft had been diverted elsewhere because of the Mosquito over their home base.

Indications of increasing Jerry activity aroused great keenness among the Cougar crews. When "Pop" Edinger took off for another patrol the next night (18^th / 19^th ), he had a hunch that he was going to be in luck. Twice previously he had scored a "kill" on the eve of departure on leave – and he was due for another spell of leave tomorrow. His hunch was right. With aessen ??? he began his patrol between Tilburg and Eindhoven, receiving numerous reports that there was "trade" abroad. They saw one aircraft shot down by the guns of the anti-flying-bomb defence zone to the south. Then control gave the night fighter a target which led it a merry chase. Several times contact was lost and regained, and when "Chuck" brought his pilot within sight of the violently weaving Jerry several minutes passed before the guns could be brought to bear. The Cougar crew identified their quarry as a Ju.88 as they closed in. Finally the enemy made a steep turn to starboard, whereupon "Pop" let off a quick burst of 44 rounds. The 20 mm. shells truck on the fuselage and started a small fire in the 88's starboard engine. In a steeper turn the target went down under the Mossie's wing. Edinger could not follow as he was down to about 200 feet, so low indeed that Vaessen swore he saw trees flash past! Pulling up, "Pop" and "Chuck" saw their 88 hit the ground and explode near the airfield where they had patrolled the previous night. It was their fifth "kill" and gave "A” Flight a one point lead in the number of e/a destroyed since D-Day. ¹²

12 No. 409 (Nighthawk) Squadron which shared Lille / Vendeville with No. 410 got three Huns the same night. A keen rivalry had developed between the two units and the Cougars were anxious to retain their lead.

“B" Flight itched to even the score again, but fog descended on Lille / Vendevilla and for three nights in a row (19^th to 21^st ) no flying was possible. "A" was on duty on the 22^nd, when the fog finally lifted; it had no luck. The next night was "B”‘s turn and nine crews were sent out, five to patrol between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., and four more between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. (Each aircraft was out about three hours). The early patrols were uneventful, but F/Os D.M. MacKenzie and G.P.A. Bodard, who took off at 4 a.m., knocked down two Ju.88s, thereby regaining the lead for "B" Flight and raising their own scores to four and six respectively.

Under the control of Rejoice G.C.I., "Mac" and "Bode" patrolled around Krefeld until vectored south-east after some ”trade" 30 miles away. Picking up a contact, they gave chase, closing in on a Ju.88 whose mild evasive action scarcely bothered the Cougar pilot as he took careful aim. From dead astern the burst smashed into the fuselage and engine nacelles of the Junkers, starting a fire in the wing-root. Slowly it dived earthward, exploding as it crashed near Wickrath (south of Munchen-Gladbach). Mackenzie resumed his patrol for 30 minutes, until Rejoice found another distant target. The second combat was a duplicate of the first, except that the night fighter was momentarily puzzled when the target fired the correct colours of the day. Close scrutiny, however, verified that it was in fact a Ju.88 with external bomb racks, and a few moments later its blazing wreckage strewed the ground near Grefrath (due west of Krefeld). For his four second-tour victories, Don MacKenzie was decorated with the DFC. On his first tour with the Squadron, as a Warrant Officer in the spring of 1943, he had done good work on "ranger” sorties, destroying four locomotives and several barges. Bodard, his navigator, had already been put up for the DFC after his fourth victory at the end of November. "B" Flight was again in front, 22 to 21, but held the slim advantage for less than 24 hours. "Pop" Edinger and "Chuck" Vaessen tied it up early on Christmas Eve; S/L MacTavish and F/L Al Grant put their flight out in front before Santa had finished his rounds, and F/O J.A. Watt and F/L E.H. Collis (RAF) increased the lead by another kill early on Christmas morning

"Pop" and "Chuck" were the first crew off on Christmas Eve, leaving Vendeville at 1750 hours to patrol over the Dutch border between Sittard and Venlo. For a long time they had nothing but a couple of chases that turned out to he other Mosquitoes. Then control put them on to a "bogey" and guided them through frequent changes of course and altitude until Vaessen picked up the target on his A.1. at two miles range. Closing within sight of the enemy, now recognized as a Ju.87, Edinger had to lower his flaps and undercarriage to reduce speed to that of the slow-moving Stuka. His first burst shot debris from wings and fuselage; a second burst, at closer range, yielded more fragments – but still no fire. Again he fired and this time the 87 burst into flames as it dived toward the ground. Oddly, the enemy pilot took no evasive action during the combat. The location was near Wassenberg, south-east of Roermond; the 1955 hours; and Edinger – Vaessen now had a score of six destroyed and one damaged.

Half an hour before midnight MacTavish and Grant crashed another Stuka near Walbeck, gust north-east of Venlo which was their patrol area. Unlike Edinger's 87, however, this one made very good use of its speed range to evade attack, several times cutting its speed sharply, turning abruptly, and then opening up at full throttle again. MaeTavish chased the Junkers as it flew north and east, and noticed that it carried two bombs under the wings. So difficult was it to keep the fast Mosquitoe from overshooting the target that for a time Mac was unable to get in position to fire. The first attack was unsuccessful because of the Stuka pilot suddenly opening up and pulling away while the Mosquito still had its wheels and flaps down. A second attack was made from closer range, causing strikes on the left side of the enemy which then peeled off to 800 feet. At still closer range a third attack was carried out, hitting this time on the starboard side. Apparently out of control, the 87 headed earthward as the night fighter shoved fee nose down for a final squirt. MacTavish's altimeter registered 500 feet and his air speed indicator a bare 130 m.p.h. when he flew over the enemy machine, still in its dive. "Almost immediately there was a large flash on the ground below which lit up our aircraft as if bombs had exploded."

That ended the Squadron’s Christmas Eve programme of patrols (five in number). Early Christmas morning four more crews were sent out. One was composed of F/O J.A. Watt and F/L E.H. Collis, two old-timers who had completed one tour together in 1943 and were now beginning their second. Their patrol area was Roermond-Julich where they were controlled by the G.C.I. Unit (Rejoice) that had put Edinger and MacTavish on their Huns. After stooging about for an hour, Watt was given a customer which he presently identified as a Ju.88. Startled by two near bursts, the Jerry pilot peeled off and was lost for some minutes. Then Collis regained contact and his pilot peeled off and was lost for some minutes. Then Collis regained contact and his pilot moved in again. The Hun was now taking violent evasive action, but Watt caught it in a diving turn with a burst that caused an eruption in the starboard engine. In a vertical dive from 3000 feet the 88 went down, blew up and burned. G.C.I. fixed the position as the Puffendorf area, between Geilenkirchen and Julich.

The pressure was now on "B" Flight to pull in front once more and before the month and year ended they did so. Eight patrols were made on Christmas night over the front from the Hook of Holland, eastward to Dordrecht and Arnhem, and southward over Goch and Roermond to Sittard; but there was no joy and four crews had to curtail their patrols because of unserviceable radars. The next night fog again blanketed the airfield and "B" began to fidget. But joy was unconfined the following evening (27^th / 28^th) when F/L Dinsdale and F/O Dunn bagged their third Jerry. As a mark of appreciation for the very efficient co-operation given the Cougars by Rejoice G.C.I., "Dinny" crashed his 88 just two fields away from the radar unit. ("A" Flight said he did it just to make sure that the "kill" was confirmed).

The patrol began over Sittard, whence the night fighter was soon vectored after some "trade". This chase had to be abandoned though as Dunn's A.1. set was not functioning properly and the target entered an ack-ack zone. At the same time F/O T.H. Cameron had to withdraw from another "bogey" when he too had a "bent weapon". Rejoice then put Dinsdale onto the "bogey" and Dunn got a contact dead ahead. His set did not give the elevation, so the crew had to rely upon the ground controller for this information. Co-operation was perfect. Pursuing the contact, Dinsdale and Dunn sighted their quarry, weaving gently gust above them. It was a Ju.88 night fighter, carrying what appeared to be streamlined long range tanks that were faired into the wings outboard of the two motors. From directly behind, "Dinny" fired and saw the port engine burst into flames. The 88 streaked across the G.C.I. site at Helchteren (north of Hasselt in north-eastern Belgium), dived into the ground and blew up. Rejoice (what an appropriate name) immediately gave the Mossie another target, but its port engine packed up due to debris in the radiator, forcing Dinsdale to relinquish the chase and fly home. With his navigator, like himself a Manitoba boy, Dinsdale later received the DFC. Walter and Jack were the eighth (and last) Cougar crew to be decorated simultaneously.

The 28^th was foggy; the 29^th was foggy; the 30^th was even more foggy. This persistence of fog puzzled the Squadron diarist because in his words, "some of the remarks passed by the aircrew were enough to burn away even a pea-souper". The crews did become very restless; fearing that Jerry's recent activity might cease before they could get into the air again. Their wishes were finally granted and the last night of the year was crisp and clear with a full moon in the sky. Since S/L Fulton's death on 21 December, ”B" Flight had been without a commander. On the 31^st word came through that F/L R.M.G. Currie had been promoted to Squadron Leader to fill the vacancy. Currie was in the air at the time on a night flying test and was quite surprised on his return to learn that he had taken off as a F/L and landed as a S/L. He immediately proceeded to celebrate his promotion and welcomed the New Year in appropriate manner – and simultaneously pulled his flight up even with "A".

With his navigator, F/L A.H. Rose, the new Squadron Leader took off from B.51 at 10 p.m. and headed for the patrol area around Roermond. There they were put on to a target which led them westward in a chase almost to Antwerp before Currie could close to firing range. Two bursts of 107 rounds caused three explosions in the Ju.88, one in the port wing root and two in the fuselage. The e.a. blew up in a cloud of debris which the Mosquito was unable to avoid As he flew through it, Currie could feel fragments striking his aircraft. The wreckage plummeted to earth between Lierre and Antwerp. Several fleeting visuals were obtained as the night fighter resumed its patrol, but an oil leak had started in one engine and Currie had to turn back to Vendeville ¹³ where he landed at 0030 of the New Year.

13 The squadron diary does not record whether S/L Currie sighted a high-flying feathered aircraft (type Ciconia ciconia) carrying, slung externally, below the nose, a diaper-clad infant (serial number 1945). See abov.

To be very precise 1944 ended with the two flights even-steven in the number of Huns destroyed since D-Day – 24 each, but before 1945 was 90 minutes old "B" Flight had gained the lead. Just before midnight, F/L W.A. Dexter and F/O D.G. Tongue, DFC, had taken off in one aircraft, only to be forced back immediately by defective equipment. Switching to another machine, they set out again and soon found that business was good. Several brief chases led to a good contact on a fast "bogey" which Tongue held while the Mosquito picked up speed and gradually closed. As ground control (Avalon G.C.I. which had also worked with Currie and Rose) was uncertain of the "bogey's" identity, Dexter moved into 100 feet to be sure. It was a Ju.88 C-l night fighter, with black crosses and squadron markings clearly visible on the fuselage and radar aerials sticking out of the nose. Dropping back to 300 feet, Dexter fired a short burst and saw his target blow up with a bright orange flash. Then it crashed on the ground near Peer, Belgium, where it burned fiercely for some time. That was the eighth time Dennis Tongue had shared in the destruction of an enemy aircraft.

An hour after this action, F/L W.5. Whittaker and F/S S. Albright had two chases and combats. In the first, a Ju.88 was definitely damaged before sight and A.1 contact were lost at a very low height. Whittaker was handicapped by a gun sight which went out of commission after the first burst, and for this reason was unable to make an accurate attack on the second Jerry that he encountered. It was exasperating luck to lose two almost certain "kills” because of a dud sight just when enemy activity was its height.

During this busy period Christmas had come and gone and a New Year had arrived. By luck, rather than foresight, the Cougars had started their festivities before the rush began. No. 410 trimmed No. 409 at basketball and plans were made to organize a hockey team. On 8 December there was a big Squadron dance in Lille. The MET people graciously co-operated by producing duff weather which cancelled operations that night so everyone was able to attend and enjoy the fun. Later in the month there was another big party for 300 poor children of Lille for which the Squadron personnel all "chipped in" to give the youngsters the merriest Christmas they had known for five years. At Vendeville Christmas Day was observed in the manner traditional in the service with the officers and senior NCO's serving the airmen at dinner. The menu included canned turkey (it had been planned to have fresh turkey, but the foggy weather made it impossible to fly the birds from England), roast pork, pudding, fruit and all the usual trimmings that war-time conditions permitted. Blissful expressions on the faces of the airmen were eloquent testimony to the quality and quantity of the repast.

Quite unexpected was another event that marked Christmas Day. Late in the afternoon an airman opened the door of the R/T room at the Squadron Dispersal and was met by a rush of flames. The fire spread very rapidly – many of the fire extinguishers were frozen – and the whole dispersal was completely gutted. Much valuable equipment was lost, including all the Intelligence Section’s maps, publications and files. Thanks to prompt and efficient work by ground personnel who rushed to the scene, crew log books, the combat report file and the box of night glasses were saved. The destruction of their dispersal did not prevent the Cougars from operating that night and, making use of No. 409's facilities, they carried out a full programme of eight sorties.

On New Year's Day, any members of the Squadron who were in a retrospective mood could look back over a year that had been truly remarkable. On 1 January 1944 the Cougars could count their score upon their fingers – with a knuckle to spare (9.3/4 E/A. destroyed). Now, a twelve month later, they could boast of 68.3/4 Jerries to their credit – a record which made them the leading night fighter squadron in the number of enemy destroyed since D-Day. But more than a month passed before another victory was added to the list.

January was a disappointing month. The weather was poor for days at a stretch; heavy snow or heavy fog kept the crews grounded for 19 nights! Indeed between the 7th and 31st there were only seven flying days, and sorties for the whole month shrank to a mere 62. Equally discouraging was another move. On the 5^th instructions were received that No. 410 was to return to B.48 at Amiens / Glisy. At Lille they had been closer to the scene of activity and had had good hunting (13 “kills"). At Amiens, they feared, they would be comparatively inactive. The move was duly made on the 6^th and 7^thand the 14^th Squadron settled down to make the best of it. The airmen were temporarily billeted in Amiens, while the officers took over a fish hatchery near Bovea village. Despite its former function, the building was fairly comfortable and the Cougars set to work to convert it into a "pukka" RCAF mess. If living quarters were reasonably good, the same could not be said of the dispersal which consisted of four shacks and a few tents, a rough-and-ready, make-shift set up in contrast to the accommodation they had had at Lille before the fire. After a few days the airmen too moved to billets in Boves, leaving their large, draughty building in Amiens. The new quarters were somewhat crowded, but more comfortable as all the windows were still intact! Then, at the end of January, the Squadron got a new dispersal, consisting of several Nissen huts "reinforced" by two of the shacks which were moved up from the old site. The shacks were lined with insulation board to ensure some measure of warmth. It was cold in northern France and one day there was a real Canadian-style blizzard.

14 Because of cold, snow or haze no operations could be carried out from Glisy until the 17th. The aircrew chafed during these ten days of enforced inactivity.

Some nimrod in the Squadron soon discovered that Hungarian partridge were plentiful in the countryside and thanks to their marksmanship several feasts were enjoyed. Wild pigs were also to be found and, organizing a drive, the officers' mess banqueted again on roast pork. Another time, thanks to Jimmy Fullerton, they smacked their lips over venison steaks.

Since Glisy was rather far from the battle zone a plan was devised, to begin in February, to use B.77 at Gilze-Rijen in Holland as an advanced field. Each day the Squadron in addition to its normal patrols would send two aircraft to B.27 to refuel and standby for a scramble. At the end of their patrol the crews would fly back to Glisy. In this way it was hoped to overcome the disadvantage of distance, which made scrambles impossible, and weather which so frequently hampered operations at Amiens.

During these weeks several tour-expired crews left the Squadron and newcomers were welcomed. In December Kearney, Hargrove and Harrington departed, followed by Snowdon, Dinsdale and Dunn early in 1945. Two old-timers, F/L Schultz and F/O Christie who had both won the DFC on their first tour, returned to the Cougars to start on a second tour which to be as brilliant as their first.

February opened with sunny, mild weather which melted away January's snow and left a morass of mud. The Gilze-Rijen advanced field programme was inaugurated, but the crews, patrolling over NiQmegen, Maastricht, Dusseldorf, Utrecht, the Scheldt, Arnhem, the Ruhr, Venlo and Dordrecht on their scrambles, seldom had anything but N.T.R. (nothing to report). Operations from base were somewhat luckier and on the 3rd “A” flight scored a "kill” to pull even once again with "B". This victory, the first in over a month, put new vs and vigor ¹⁵ into the crews, but alas! it was seven weeks before they could score again.

15 The Squadron diary remarked: "When "trade" is slack or the weather prevents flying, a feeling of gloom and depression seems to hang like a pall over the Squadron. It is a strange phenomenon how the news of a victory electrifies and transforms the whole unit. Immediately a victory is scored the cloud lifts and personnel seem to do twice the work in half the time."

The victory which F/Ls Ben Plumer and E.H. Collins won on 3/4 February presented one unusual feature in that the enemy aircraft was an He.219, one of the Luftwaffe's newest night fighters. Only two or three had been destroyed previously by the Allied Air Forces. The Cougar crew patrolled around Roermond for a short time until "trade" appeared to the south and Rejoice control vectored then to investigate. A contact was obtained on a "bogey" which was orbitting continually at 26,000 feet. Climbing to that height Plumer caught sight of greenish exhausts and, closing to a position dead below, identified an He.219, Collis confirming the recognition through his night glasses. From 500 feet behind the night fighter Ben fired a brief burst of only 27 rounds. An explosion was seen in the fuselage, followed by some flames, after which the Heinkel dived steeply. The Mosquito followed until the A.S.I. passed 450 m.p.h. when Plumer pulled out and circled. The Jerry continued down until, far below, it exploded on the ground and burned. Control then reported another "bogey" was in the area, possibly trying to intercept the Mossie. Plumer and Collis hunted for it in vain and then returned to the scene of the crash, near Garzweiler (in the Grevenbroich area), on the chance that the second Jerry might be investigating what had happened to its comrade. But there was nothing to be found, except the still flaming wreckage.

Plumer’s victory, the Cougar’s fiftieth since D-Day, provided the final touch for a "house-warming" dance held in the officer's mess that evening which was graced by the presence of nursee from a hospital unit and some other ladies from Amiens. The rest of the month was relatively quiet. On nine nights the crews were weather-bound, and on the nights they could operate most of the contacts proved to be other friendly aircraft. One night late in February, F/Os E.B. Sexsmith and W. Nixon (RAF) patrolled well to the east of Cologne, the deepest penetration into Germany which the Squadron had recorded up to that date.

The long winter finally passed and, although the nights grew shorter as spring advanced, the weather became better. In March, No. 410 was able to operate on 29 nights, making 184 sorties in contrast to February's 99. The activity indeed approached that of "invasion month"; it was the final flurry before the end.

There was little joy, however, at Glisy during the first three weeks of March. Fickle fortune had turned her back on the Squadron. In a chase after one very fast target S/L Currie had the emergency exit of his aircraft blown off by the force of "G" in a tight turn. Several other crews had luckless pursuits of ”bogeys" that got away by dumping "window" or taking violent evasive action. On 6 March, WO A.G. Cole and F/O S.I. Lees, who had joined the Cougars in November 1944, were killed when their aircraft crashed on the take-off from Gilze / Rijen. Three nights later another crew was missing from a patrol between Remagen and Bonn. While being vectored after a target, in the Zulpich-Euskirchen area, the Mosquito suddenly disappeared from the tube of the radar unit which had been plotting it. F/L D.T. Steele, the pilot, had come to the Squadron late in February; his navigator, F/O C. Horne of the RAF, had joined it in December of the previous year. These two losses, coming so close together, were the last suffered on operations.

Rather frequently during this period crews reported that they had been fired upon by our own anti-aircraft batteries, happily without damage to aircraft or personnel. Naturally the crews took a "dim view" of the matter, one of them remarking, "anybody and everything can open fire at night fighters, but we practically have to take fingerprints to ensure a target’s identity, before we can open fire". The care taken by the Mosquito crews to identify their targets has been repeatedly indicated in their reports of their combats.

The importance of this had been tragically illustrated one night the previous summer. A crew, well experienced in night fighter work, was on patrol over the Gulf of St. Malo when control vectored them to investigate a vague target. A contact was obtained on which the Mosquito closed very rapidly, overshooting its target. An observation type aircraft was seen clearly outlined against the moon, as the night fighter flashed by. Swinging about, the Mosquito came in again very cautiously, with flaps down to reduce the speed. For 25 miles the crew followed their target, studying it carefully and noticing a long-range tank slung between the wheels. Recognition of the type was difficult – no national markings could be seen – but the crew were finally convinced it was an enemy He.126. They shot it down in flames. But it was subsequently learned that the machine was one of our own Lysanders engaged on a secret mission over occupied France.

The Squadron's luck finally changed and three victories were recorded in quick succession. The first two combats were fought within a few miles and a few minutes of each other on the night of 24 / 25 March. S/L I.E. MacTavish and F/L G.R. Leask, with their navigators, F/O A.M. Grant and F/L J.W. Roff, left Glisy shortly after 1 a.m. Leask and Roff patrolled first over Dordrecht, moving thence eastward to Arnhem. One chase ended in a visual of another Mosquito; a second target "escaped" into an ack-ack zone. Then control gave them a third prospect and the contact led to a visual of an Me.110 silhouetted against the moon. Leask opened fire as the 110 made a diving turn to starboard and made hits on the port wing. He fired again, making strikes on the other wing and engine. Trailing smoke, the Messerschmitt went down in a steeper dive that ended in an explosion and large fire on the ground near Greffelkamp, south-east of Arnhem.

Fifteen minutes later MacTavish and Grant crashed a Ju.88 by Etten, some miles further east. Mac and Al had started their patrol around Bocholt, where they stooged about, waiting for a "bogey” to emerge from a "hot spot" (flak zone). When their target came out, the navigator made an excellent interception, manoeuvring his pilot into a position where the enemy was perfectly silhouetted up-moon. Confirming its identification as a Ju.880, the Cougar crew closed in. The target momentarily disappeared from sight in a sudden peel off, but Grant skilfully held the range until the 88 levelled out and again came into view. Struck by one burst from 450 feet, the enemy's port engine burst into flames. For a time the aircraft maintained its height, shedding debris, while the blazing engine lit' up the fuselage and tail, clearly revealing the black German crosses. The Mosquito came in once more for the coup de grace, whereupon the Junkers rolled over and went straight in, trailed by a shower of fragments. Like Leask's Jerry, it exploded and burned when it crashed. MacTavish and Grant then found an Me.110 whose top gunner opened fire on the Mossie while another aircraft attacked from the rear. The attacks, repeated several times, were successfully evaded, but ground control was unable to assist the crew and, with the R/T unserviceable, MacTavish and Grant worked their way back to base at a low altitude.

This double "kill" had given "A" Flight a two point lead (27 to 25 since D-Day), and it was up to "B" to take appropriate action. They tried hard the next night, but luck was against them. F/L W.J. Whittaker and F/O B. Hannaford picked up a Ju.88, drew into position behind, and taking careful aim, Jack pressed the firing "tit". Nothing happened. For ten minutes the Mosquito stuck to its quarry, while the crew checked everything in vain. The guns refused to fire. F/L Plumer was called over from his patrol to deal with the Jerry, but by that time it had dropped its bombs and with nose down was heading for home at top speed. On return to base it was found that a broken wire had kept Whittaker's guns from functioning. It was the third time Jack had been robbed of a certain kill, two Jerries having escaped on New Year's morning because his gun-sight was U/S.

The next night (26 / 27 March) helped to cheer "B" Flight a bit. This was the time of the great Allied push across the lower Rhine and the Luftvaffe was reacting somewhat more vigorously than for many weeks past. Taking off from Cilze-Rijen advanced base, F/Ls "Ben" Plumer and "Brick" Bradford went on patrol north-east of Rheinberg. When a "bogey" appeared, heading westward, Radox G.C.I. sent the Mosquito in pursuit, giving various vectors to make the interception. Bradford picked up contact a four miles range and manoeuvred his pilot in behind the target which was weaving gently and climbing. For a moment the aircraft could be seen silhouetted against a patch of cloud. The enemy pilot then began violent evasive action, but by means of radar contact and further brief sightings against cloud patches, Plumer continued to close in until his navigator could identify it as an Me.110. A moment later bright moonlight illuminated the target, confirming the identification. Ben then opened fire, hitting the starboard engine and wing root which burst into flames. As he went down in pursuit of the Messerschmitt, intense light flak opened up and the controller gave him a course to get clear of the "hot spot". when the Mossie, weaving violently and losing height, was clear of the guns, Plumer said he was going back to look for his burning Jerry, but control replied that was not necessary as they had seen the aircraft crash and explode near Orsoy, on the banks of the Rhine south-east of Rheinberg. Two hours later Ben and Brick landed at Glisy to report their fourth and third victory respectively. "B" Flight had now narrowed "A"'s lead to one "kill", but events were to prove that this was the last combat for S/L Currie's flight. What joy the next few weeks produced was all for "A" – and was monopolized by two members of that flight.

The Allied advance across the lower Rhine into north-western Germany made it necessary for the night fighters to move forward to keep within range of the battlezone. From Glisy "A" Flight went to Gilze / Rijen on 5 April. The field, which the Cougars had been using as an advanced base since February, was at first too congested to receive the whole Squadron, so "B" moved it temporarily to Lille / Vendeville, rejoining the other flight at B.77 on 8 April. At the same time there was a change in command, W/C Hiltz having completed his tour and handing over to W/C E.P. Heybroeck. At the end of April S/L Currie also became tour-expired and S/L W.J. Whittacker took command of "B” Flight for the few weeks that remained. There was quite a turnover in personnel during March and April, nine new crews having been posted in from 51 O.T.U. while F/Os W.G. Muschett, C.L. Uaessen, DFC, G.P.A. Bodard, DFC, R.C.M. Bayliss, D.G. Tongue, DFC & Bar, E.G. Sexsmith, and D.M. MacKenzie, DFC, F/Ls N.W. Bradford, W.A. Dexter, C.E. Edinger, DFC and A.H. Rose and P/Os R.G.H. Jones and W.J. Broderick left at the end of their tours. ¹⁶ In addition, F/L Ben Plumer, DFC, was posted to No. 409 Squadron.

16 A night fighter tour at this time was 200 hours.

After the move to Gilze / Rijen, the Squadron's patrols were extended deeper into Germany. Munster, the Ruhr, Hanover, Bremen, Osnabruck and Frankfurt were prominent among the new names that appeared. At least 19 of the 113 sorties in April were patrols over Hanover, 10 were around Bremen and 8 over Munster. The Ruhr too was frequently patrolled until Allied troops overran the Valley. In addition, the Cougars made numerous sorties to guard the Sehelde Estuary. On the night of 10 / 11 April, F/L R.D. Schultz, DFC and F/O J.S. Christie, DFC, were on patrol in the Hanover area when control reported there was some "trade" to the north of that city. They got a contact, let the Jerry cross in front and then closed in behind, presently catching sight of a Ju.188, weaving mildly on a westward course at rather low altitude. A short burst from 600 feet range produced a big explosion close to the cockpit after which the 188 burst into flames and broke up in the air over Damme.

The 21^st was another eventful night. For the first time a Cougar crew patrolled in the Berlin area and "Joe" Schultz and "Chris" Christie celebrated the occasion by scoring a double kill. While keeping watch over a beacon near Rhinow they obtained their first contact on a target flying at 2000 feet. It was a Ju.88 carrying bombs inboard of the engines. With his first burst "Joe" set fire to the port engine. Pulling in close alongside, the Mosquito pilot noted the Luftwaffe markings on the 88's flank and saw three members of the crew bale out. "Chris", who was able to get a clearer view of the enemy aircraft, counted four men who took to their parachutes. Uncertain how many there might be in the crew, Schultz gave the Hun three more bursts before turning away. He left the 88 slowly orbitting downward, well ablaze with a tail of fire streaming 300 feet from the port engine, and pieces of debris falling off. The night fighter turned away from its victim, somewhere in the Fehrbellin area, northwest of Berlin, to give chase to a second "bogey" which control had reported. When this plot faded Schultz returned to the scene of his first encounter and got a contact near an airfield, the circuit lights of which could be seen. Following the aircraft, another Ju.88, through various manoeuvres, Schultz got within range for a short burst. Once again, as in the first combat, an engine broke into flames. Then the 88 flicked over on its back and crashing onto the red perimeter lights of the airfield blew up with a violent explosion. Warned by control that another aircraft appeared to be chasing them, the Cougar crew took hard evasive action to shake off the pursuer. Shortage of fuel then made it necessary to set course for Gilze / Rigen. The two 88s boosted "Joe" Schultz's score to eight "kills", the highest achieved by any Cougar pilot, and brought him a Bar to his DFC; Christie with six destroyed and one damaged shared second place among the navigators with "Chuck" Vaassen.

Thanks to these victories, "A" Flight strengthened its hold on first place in the post D-Day race, the final score being 30 destroyed, one probably and two damaged for "A", 26 destroyed and one damaged for "B". But in the over-all contest, from the beginning of operations to the end of hostilities, the two flights ended in a virtual tie; "A" Flight counted 38 destroyed, two probables and four damaged, to "B"'s 37.3/4 destroyed and four damaged.

There were no operations on the last four nights in April and the first night of May because of poor weather. In the early morning of 3 May, three crews went out, one to patrol over Hamburg and the others over the Schelde. They had nothing to report. The next night (3 / 4 May) the weather again intervened and on 5 May the German forces in Holland, Denmark and northwestern Germany laid down their arms.

The Squadron continued training until the end of May to maintain operational efficiency in case of need. ¹⁷ On 11 May F/L T.H. Cameron, DFC, took off to test an aircraft; with him was LAC L.M. Thomas, one of the ground crew. Hours passed and the Mosquito did not return; word eventually was received that the Mosquito had crashed near Rotterdam and both men had been killed. Cameron was a second-tour pilot, having served his first tour with a night fighter unit in North Africa where he won his decoration for the destruction of three enemy aircraft. He had come to the Cougars in November 1944. Several days later a motorcycle accident at the airfield caused the death of LAC A.S. Friar, a member of the Squadron's servicing echelon

17 The squadron was very interested one day when a captured Me.262 (twin jet aircraft) landed at Gilze/Rijen to refuel en route to England. The machine was fitted with radar for use as a night fighter and its merits aroused much speculation and comment.

Training ceased at the beginning of June and the Squadron spent the next week making sight-seeing trips over the Ruhr to show the ground personnel something of the effect of Allied bombing in Germany. On one of these flights the perspect nose of W/O D.D. Paton's Mosquito suddenly shattered, sending fragments into one radiator. When the engine began to overheat, the pilot feathered the propeller and tried to carry on; but the second engine also overheated and the Mossie came down for a wheels-up landing in the first available field.

On 9 June 1945, four years after it had been formed, No. 410 (Cougar) Squadron was disbanded.18 One of its last acts had been to hold a memorial service for the 60 members of the Squadron who gave their lives in the conflict. Ten crews, missing on operations, had been presumed dead; 19 four other crews had been killed in accidents in the course of operations and two pilots had been lost in the same manner. In other accidents on training, transportation flights or vehicle mishaps, 30 officers and airmen of the Squadron and servicing echelon had lost their lives.

18 At the time of disbandment, unit strength was 19 officers and 5 NCO pilots (all RCAF), 23 officers and 4 NCO navigators/radio (including 6 RAF officers), and 4 officers and 5 airmen groundcrew, total 46 officers and 14 other ranks.

19 Another crew missing on operations had been taken prisoners of war.

At the time No. 410 was disbanded its list of honours and awards showed on 4 DSO, two Bars to the Distinguished Flying Cross, 19 DFCs, one BEM and four Mentions in Dispatches. Subsequently, in the King's Birthday List for 1945 and the New Year's Honours List for 1946, thirteen Cougars received Mention and one was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. The latter decoration was awarded to F/L S.E. Malouf who had given long and valuable service as Squadron Engineering Officer. The MiDs included the two C.O.s, W/Cs Hiltz and Heybroek, two flight commanders, S/Ls Anderson and Currie, two crews, F/Ls J.W. Fullerton – B.E. Gallagher and F/L Edinger, DFC – F/O Vaessen, DFC. and F/L A.H. Rose, who had been S/L Currie's navigator. The invaluable services of the ground personnel were also recognized by the award of Mentions to F/S A. Jones, the senior NCO on "A" Flight, Sgt. L.P. Eckstrand, "continuity" NCO, Cpl. D.A. Hopgood, a radar mechanic, and LAC E.J. Pile, the hard-working clerk of the orderly room.

When the Squadron was disbanded on 9 June 1945, its personnel had received 41 decorations, and 62 officers and airmen had been entered on the Roll of Honour.

Reformed in December, 1948, at St. Hubert, P.Q., 410 was the first post-war fighter squadron in the RCAF (Regular). Originally equipped with Vampire jets, the Cougars became the first squadron in the RCAF to fly Sabres, when they received the new jets in May, 1951. In November of that year another blue ribbon was added when 410 became the first RCAF squadron to go overseas equipped with Canadian-built aircraft. Based at North Luffenham, Nottinghamshire, they were the first unit of the RCAF's No. 1 Fighter Wing.

The Squadron remained at North Luffenham until the fall of 1954, when it moved to Baden Soellingen, Germany, where it was attached to No. 4 Fighter Wing until March 1955.

The Cougars then moved to Marville, France, to rejoin the other two squadrons of 1 Wing. The Squadron remained at Marville until October, 1956, when it was disbanded as a result of the decision to replace one Sabre squadron in each Wing with an all-weather CF-100 squadron.

One month later 410 reformed at Uplands as a CF-100 all-weather fighter squadron in Air Defence Command of the RCAF, and continued to operate from this base. In November 1961, they began to convert to the 1200 m.p.h. McDonnell Voodoos and were completely equipped at the end of December. On 31 March 1964, the Squadron was officially disbanded at RCAF Station Uplands. It was noted at this time that No. 410 had a number of firsts to its credit. It was first RCAF (Reg) fighter squadron to be formed after war, the first to fly Vampire jets, the first to fly Sabre jets, the first RCAF squadron to be sent overseas as part of the NATO force and the first to be equipped with CF-101.
 

Website Copyright ©1998-2006 Michael T. Melnick. All rights reserved