407 Maritime Patrol Squadron History

First Flight: The Formation of 407 (MP) Squadron

During World War II, on 8 May 1941, 407 squadron was formed at Thorney Island, Hampshire, England. Originally a strike squadron under Coastal Command, its pilots trained to seek out and bomb enemy shipping, which they did with remarkable skill. The squadron was first equipped with the Blenheim MK IV light bomber, which was used for a short period of six to seven weeks, and later took on the Lockheed Hudson. During a period of 19 months the squadron destroyed an estimated 500,000 tonnes of enemy shipping. It was during this period of history that 407 Squadron earned its nickname, the Demons, due to its tenacity to carry out attacks.

The War Years

The war with Germany raged on. The Allies were in desperate need of a strong air power. Several squadrons were created; Canada was given series 400 for its squadrons to avoid confusion with RAF units. 407 Squadron arrived at North Coates, Lincolnshire on 9 July 1941 with Lockheed Hudsons; from here they worked their way into the history books. The Squadron had some of its best success at this base, sinking 150,000 tons of Axis shipping. They struck the shipping at minimum altitude, making for highly dangerous operations. 407 Squadron's first action came on 7 September 1941. The mission involved searching for a lost Whitley and attacking an enemy mortar vessel. The Squadron quickly became experts at their jobs under the guidance of the unit’s CO, Wing Commander Styles. In February 1942, 407 Squadron left North Coates. In a decisive and strategic role change, 407 Squadron was converted from a bombing unit to an anti-submarine unit, flying the Wellington out of RAF Station Bircham Newton. On 6/7 September 1943 the Squadron sank its first German U-boat, U-669. From 1943 until the close of the war in 1945, 407 Squadron destroyed four (4) German U-boats, and damaged seven others, making it one of the most successful coastal units of the War. During its tenure at Bircham Newton, 407 Squadron participated in the famous "1000 Bomber " raid on Bremen. The squadron departed Bircham Newton on 29 January 1943, moving to Limavady, Northern Ireland. While on detached duty to Chivenor between 14 April and 9 May 1945, 407 Squadron conducted day and night meteorological recon flights.

Stand-Down

With the close of the war in 1945, the Canadian government stood down 407 Squadron on 4 June 1945. The first, but not last, chapter of this glorious squadron had come to a close. During the War our Squadron served at ten (10) different stations.

Reactivation

Like the Phoenix, 407 Squadron rose from the ashes on Dominion Day in 1952. Once again the Demons flew ASW operations, this time over the Pacific. The Squadron took up residence at RCAF Station Comox; 45 years have passed and the Squadron is still here at CFB Comox. Each passing era has been marked by changing roles for the squadron and changing technology. In 1952, the squadron reformed with 12 reconfigured Lancaster bombers. These machines served the squadron faithfully until 1958. In 1958/59 the squadron took delivery of 12 P-2V7 Neptunes. These planes stayed in service with the Squadron until 1968, when the CP-107 Argus arrived. The venerable Argus faithfully flew all taskings and remained with the unit until 1981 when the CP-140 Aurora, our present aircraft, was taken on strength. This modern, state-of-the-art aircraft is a formidable surveillance and weapons platform. The Aurora is well known to the submarine world. The US Navy flies its version, the P-3C Orion, and both services often share in joint exercises. The Aurora will be with the squadron for years to come, and will remain a familiar sight in the skies high above the Comox Valley.

The Cold War

In the late 1940’s until the early 1990's, the Cold War waxed hot and cold, and the threat of submarine attack was very real. As masters of their trade, 407 Squadron patrolled Canada’s coastal waters, ever vigilant for Russian submarines. The crews could launch on a moment’s notice to hunt down Soviet subs. Our squadron often found itself hunting down submarines and surface ships in transit through the Bearing Straight. 407 Squadron was often deployed to Adak and Inuvik to monitor activity in the Arctic. The work that the squadron performed gave the West important acoustic signatures of Soviet vessels. As a testament to their skill, the aircrew and groundcrew combined for a total of nine (9) ASW awards between the years 1984 to 1991. The aircrews represent the Squadron at the O'Brien Cup competition each year and have won this coveted trophy in 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1991. In 1985, 407 Squadron won the Commonwealth Fincastle Competition.

The New World Order

With the fall of the Soviet Union, a New World Order is emerging. This has not reduced our need for vigilance as the former Soviet submarine and surface fleet is still active and better equipped than ever. Despite the change in the world, the Defence White Paper of 1994 reiterated the need to maintain sovereignty through patrols of our national territory. As new powers and alliances emerge from the shadows of the old Soviet empire new tensions may follow. As a Maritime Patrol Squadron we must still monitor our Pacific coastal waters. New threats, such as pollution, high seas driftnet fishing and increasing drug traffic, must be monitored to ensure our nation is secure from these threats. With these changes come new duties to add to our current mandate, these include: High Seas patrols for the RCMP, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of the Environment; Driftnet patrols in support of the UN moratorium; and other missions for the UN.

Our Future

Downsizing is the buzzword of our generation, and we have been tasked to downsize along with mainstream Canada. We are doing this through the Forces Reduction Plan and attrition. Our technicians are being trained to be multidisicplined; we can no longer afford the luxury of several technicians for small individual systems. Operationally we will continue to fly sovereignty surveillance patrols, coastal patrols, fisheries patrols, northern patrols, search and rescue missions, drug interdiction patrols and UN-sponsored maritime interdiction patrols as well as continue to search for submarines. We will be further tasked with yet unseen duties as the world powers realign, and new spheres of influence emerge. 407 squadron will face all these new challenges and continue its commitment to excellence.

As new Pacific Rim networks and emerging nations come into reality, 407 Squadron's role will become ever more important. Trade with the Pacific Rim nations opens exciting new opportunities for Canada, but new threats can also appear. We will continue to monitor fishing fleets for high seas drift netting, search shipping lanes for polluting vessels and hunt down drug traffickers; and of course keep ever vigilant against surface and sub-surface threats.