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the
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Squadron
439
Squadron Commanding Officers
Squadron
Leader R.W.
Kelly DFC
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Bomber Squadron 14 Dec 1943 - 6 Jan
1944 RAF Wellingore, England flying Hurricanes IVs &
Typhoons
Squadron Leader W.M.
Smith DFC
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Bomber Squadron 7 Jan - 10 Mar 1944 RCAF Station Ayr, Scotland flying Hurricanes IVs & Typhoons
Squadron Leader H.H.
Norsworthy DFC
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Bomber Squadron 10 Mar -
14 Sep 1944 RCAF
Station Ayr, Scotland; RCAF Station Hurn, England;
RCAF Station Funtington, England;RCAF Station Lantheuil, France; RCAF Station St-Andre,
France;RCAF Station Amiens / Glisy, France; RCAF Station Melsbrook, Holland flying Hurricanes IVs &
Typhoons
Squadron Leader K.J.
Fiset DFC
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Bomber Squadron 14 Sep 1944 - 5
Dec 1944 RCAF
Station Melsbrook, Holland flying Typhoon 1Bs
Squadron Leader
R.G. Crosby DFC , MID
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Bomber Squadron 5 Dec 1944 - 28
Jan 1945 RCAF Station Melsbrook,
Holland flying Typhoon 1Bs
Squadron Leader J.H. Beatty
DFC
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Bomber Squadron 25 Jan
- 28 Aug 1945 RCAF
Station Melsbrook, Holland; B-100, Germany; 14 APC
England (Gun Camp); B-150 Germany;
B-166 Flensburg, Germany flying Typhoon 1Bs
Squadron Leader
C.D. Bricker DFC
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 1 Sep 1951
- 8 July 1953 RCAF Station Uplands, Ottawa, Ontario; RAF
Sation North Luffenham, England flying Canadian built F-86 Sabre Mark Is
Squadron Leader M.J.H.M.
Belleau
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 8 Jul 1953
- Jan 1956 RCAF Station Marville,
France, flying Canadian built F-86 Sabre Mark Vs
Squadron Leader D.J.
Bullock
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron Jan
1956 - 1957 RCAF Station Marville, France, flying Canadian built F-86
Sabre Mark VIs
Squadron Leader A.W.
Fisher
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 1957
- 1957 RCAF Station Marville, France, flying Canadian built F-86
Sabre Mark VIs
Squadron Leader R.Y.
Cannon
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 1957
- 1959 RCAF Station Marville, France, flying Canadian built F-86
Sabre Mark VIs
Squadron Leader C.J.
Day
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 1959
- 1959 killed when his Canadian F-86
Mark VI Sabre Serial Number 23568 2 miles from the Base on the 17th of
July, 1959, RCAF Station Marville, France.
Squadron Leader J. MacKay
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 19 Oct 1959 - Jul 1960
flying Canadian built F-86 Sabre Mark V Is out of RCAF Station
Marville, France. Photo currently unavailable.
Squadron Leader J.P.
Bell
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron Jul
1960 - 11 Dec 1962 flying Canadian built F-86 Sabre
Mark V Is out of RCAF Station
Marville, France.
Wing Commander P.B.
St.Louis
Commanding
Officer 439 Fighter Squadron 1962
- 1964 11Sec 1962 - 4 Dec 1963 flying Canadian built F-86 Sabre
Mark V Is out of RCAF Station
Marville, France.
Webmaster's Notes: On the 4th of
November 1963, 439, the last active Canadian F-86 Sabre squadron stood
down. Pilots and groundcrews were rotated back to Canada for conversion
to the new F-104 Starfighter. The squadron was reactivated and stood-up
again on the 2 March 1964.
Squadron Leader J.L.
Frazer
Commanding
Officer 439 Reconnaissance / Attack
Squadron 28
Feb 1964 - Nov 1966 flying F-104 Starfighters out of RCAF Station
Marville, France.
Wing Commander S.P.
Guylas
Commanding
Officer 439 Reconnaissance / Attack
Squadron Nov 1966 - Dec 1968 flying
F-104 Starfighters out of RCAF Station Marville, France, until March
1967 and then out of Lahr, West Germany.
Webmaster's Notes: Since 1958, France
under Charles de Gaulle had been developing an independent (from NATO)
defensive and foreign policy. As such, although it continued to be a
member of NATO, she progressively reclaimed the command and control of
all its armed forces which had until 1966, been under the umbrella of
NATO. As a result, 439 Squadron was moved to Lahr, West Germany in 1967.
Major King
Commanding
Officer 439 Reconnaissance / Attack
Squadron Dec 1968
- Mar 1969 flying F-104 Starfighters out of RCAF Station Lahr,
West Germany.
Webmaster's Notes: The reader may notice
that after 1 Feb 1968, the RCAF rank designation were usurped by those
of the army, in line with the Canadian government's move to integrate
the three separate services into one force of 3 elements. Thus Canada
had the distinct and unique position of having majors and colonels
commanding Her Majesty's Canadian Ships, as well as her aircraft
squadrons. If this was not bad enough, RCAF Wings were
"army-tized" becoming Canadian Forces Bases (CFB). Thus Canadian
Forces Base Europe Detachment Lahr, or Detachment Baden became the
norm. This became the first of a long series of questionable acts
designed to undermine and gut three proud and loyal services, setting
the stage for the subsequent decline and fall of Canada's armed forces.
Lieutenant Colonel I.H.
Firth
Commanding
Officer 439 Reconnaissance / Attack
Squadron Mar 1969
- 01 April 1970 flying CF-104 Starfighters out of CFE
Lahr,
West Germany.
Lieutenant Colonel B.T.
Burgess
Commanding
Officer 439 Reconnaissance / Attack Squadron 01 April 1970 - Jun 1972 flying
CF-104 Starfighters out of CFE Lahr, and later in the
year, Baden Soellingen, West Germany.
Webmaster's Notes: The Squadron was
re-deployed to CFE Baden in July 1970 and assigned a new role as a
ground attack squadron in July 1972.
Major M.T.
Chesser
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron Jun 1972 - 10 Jul
1972 flying CF-104 Starfighters out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West
Germany.
Lieutenant Colonel J.A.
Holt
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron Jul 1972 - 16 Aug
1974 flying C F-104 Starfighters out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West
Germany.
Lieutenant Colonel P.L.
DeSmedt
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 16 Aug 1974 - 18
Jun 1976 flying CF-104 Starfighters out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West
Germany.
Lieutenant Colonel F.S.
Sutherland
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 18 Jun 1976 - 1978
flying C F-104 Starfighters out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West
Germany.
Lieutenant Colonel K.W. Lawlor
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 1978 - 1980
flying C F-104 Starfighters out of CFB Baden Soellingen, West
Germany. Photo currently unavailable.
Webmaster's Notes: CFB Europe Detachment
Baden became CFB Baden in Nov 1979.
Lieutenant Colonel W.J.
Anderson
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 1980 - 1982 flying
C F-104 Starfighters out of CFB Baden Soellingen, West
Germany.
Lieutenant Colonel L.G.
Hill
Commanding
Officer 439 Ground Attack Squadron 1982 - 1984 flying
C F-104 Starfighters out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West
Germany.
Webmaster's Notes: 29 Nov 1984 saw the
end of an era when the CF-104 was retired from the Canadian air arsenal
in favor of the CF-188 Hornet (CF-18). In order to convert to the new
aircraft, the Squadron was once again stood down for training. It was
reactivated exactly one year later 29 Nov 1985.
Lieutenant Colonel G.K.
McDonald
First
Commanding Officer of the newly CF-18 Hornet equipped 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 1985 - 1987 flying CF-18
Hornets out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West Germany. Photo currently
unavailable.
Lieutenant Colonel W.R.C.
Little
Commanding
Officer Tactical Fighter Squadron 1987 - 1989 flying CF-18
Hornets out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West Germany. Photo currently
unavailable..
Lieutenant Colonel D.C. Mathews
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical
Fighter Squadron 1989 - 1991 flying CF-18
Hornets out of CFE Baden Soellingen, West Germany.
Photo
currently unavailable..
Webmaster's Notes: 439 Squadron, under the command of
L/Col Don Mathew, was deployed to Doha, Qatar as the core unit of the
Desert Cats, in December 1990, as part of Canada's contribution to Op
Friction during the Gulf War.
Lieutenant Colonel E.D.
Campbell
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 1991 - 03
Jun 1992 flying CF-18 Hornets out of CFB
Baden
Soellingen, West Germany. Photo currently unavailable.
Lieutenant Colonel W.M. Stacy
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 03Jun 1992 - 15
May 1993 flying CF-18 Hornets out of CFB Baden Soellingen, West
Germany. Photo currently unavailable.
Major J.R. Turner
Commanding
Officer 439 Tactical Fighter Squadron 15 May 1993 -
Jun 1993 flying CF-18 Hornets out of CFB Baden Soellingen, West
Germany. Photo currently unavailable. Photo currently
unavailable.
Webmaster's Notes: 439 Squadron
ceased flying operations on the 15 May 1993. Its aircraft were flown
back to Canada and eventually farmed out to other squadrons or put into
long term storage at Mirabel, Montreal. Major Turner's sad task was the
closing up the Squadron's non-aircraft holdings in Baden and
transferring them to CFB Bagotville, where the Squadron was to
re-incarnate itself by absorbing CFB Bagotville's Base Flight Section
personnel and aircraft. In additon to the new aircraft came a new role,
that of a Combat Support Squadron.
Major C. Simard, CD
Commanding Officer 439 Combat Support
Squadron Jun 1993 - 1995 flying CH-118
Iroquois Helicopters and CT-133 T_Birds out of CFB Bagotville, Quebec,
Canada. Photo
currently unavailable.
Webmaster's Notes: 1993 also saw
the re-introduction of the Wing Concept for Airforce bases, thus
with the closure of our bases in Europe, CFB Bagotville was
redesignated 3 Wing, Bagotville.
Major R. Bellemare,
CD
Commanding Officer 439 Combat Support
Squadron 1995 - 1997 flying CH-118
Iroquois Helicopters and CT-133 T_Birds out of CFB Bagotville, Quebec,
Canada. Photo
currently unavailable.
Webmaster's Notes: 439 Squadron
retired the Iroquois helicopter in 1996 in favour of the new CH-146
Griffon, which is an off the shelf Bell 412 with a few bells and
whistles required for its military role.
Major P. Saucier, CD
Commanding Officer 439 Combat Support
Squadron 1997 - 16 Jun 2005 flying CH-146
Griffon Helicopters and CT-133 T_Birds out of CFB Bagotville, Quebec,
Canada. Photo
currently unavailable.
Major M. Pilon, CD
Commanding Officer 439 Combat Support
Squadron 16 Jun 2000 - 29 May 2005
flying
CH-146 Griffon Helicopters and CT-133 T_Birds out of CFB
Bagotville,
Quebec, Canada. Photo currently unavailable.
Webmaster's Notes: 439 Squadron
retired the T-33 in 2005 with no replacement. It currently flies only
the CH-146 Griffon.
Major Jöel Roy, CD
First tour with 439 Tactical
Fighter Squadron 19 9_ - 1993 at Baden-Baden, Germany
flying the CF-18 Hornet. Second tour with 439 CCS from 1998 - 2005 flying CH-146
Griffon Helicopters and CT-133 T-Birds out of CFB Bagotville, Quebec,
Canada. Third tour and current appointment as
Commanding Officer 439 Combat Support Squadron 29 May 2005
- Photo currently
unavailable.
Major Jean-François Gauvin
First tour with 439
Current Commanding Officer 439 Combat Support Squadron
- Photo currently
unavailable.
-
Photo currently unavailable.
Webmaster's Notes: 439 Squadron
retired the T-33 in 2005 with no replacement. It currently flies only
the CH-146 Griffon.
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