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the
unofficial homepage of  Tiger
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
Commanding
Officer 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.
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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