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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 2259.PDF
22 AugUSt 1952 199 The North Star crew of 426 Squadron receives a welcome at Isachsen, N.W.T., to which supplies have been flown. Left to right are FjO. Darwent, FjO. Kunce, F/L. Stuart, FJO. Sage and Corporal Thompson. Elmendorf Field in Alaska and Shemya in the Aleutians. The distance of each return flight is about 20,000 miles. An alternative Aleutians stopping point on the Northern route is Adak, while on the mid-Pacific route via San Francisco and Hawaii stops may be made at various small islands, including Johnston, Wake and I wo Jima. The first commanding officer was W/C. C. H. Mussells, D.S.O., D.F.C., and the squadron was normally based at Dorval before transferring to McChord. The aircraft strength was six North Stars at the start, two more were quickly added, and within a month or two the number was increased to twelve. During the period when the supply problem was most acute the squadron, using the slip- crew system, kept up a daily shuttle run, the flight from McChord taking approximately 25 hours. After a year of operation the Thunderbirds returned to their base at Dorval owing to congestion at McChord. The move coincided with the appointment of a new commanding officer, W/C. J. K. MacDonald, D.F.C. To mark the com pletion of their first year of operations, during which time nearly 250 trips were made, 6,600 personnel were flown, and some 2,700,000 lb of mail and freight carried, a parade was held at Dorval during which W/C. MacDonald received a silk flag bearing the insignia of the U.S. Military Air Transport Service, under whose operational control the Thunderbirds carry out their Pacific flights. Also present on this occasion was A. Cdre. A. D. Ross, A.O.C. Air Transport Command, R.C.A.F., whose headquarters were shortly to be changed from Rockcliffe, near Ottawa, to Lachine, outside Montreal. Shortly after the move, incidentally, A. Cdre. Ross took over command of Maritime Group Headquarters and A. Cdre. R. C. Ripley, A.C.A.S., took over A.T.C. A return presenta tion was made by the squadron of a hand-painted copy of its famous Thunderbirds badge, to be hung at the McChord Base. It may be mentioned that although most of the Canadian squadron's associations were with American airmen, air and ground crews also got to know other Commonwealth crews. At Tokyo, for example, maintenance staff were quartered and took their meals at Ebisu, an Australian camp of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. The first Canadian Sabre fighter squadron to fly across the Atlantic was assisted and shepherded by the Thunderbirds in what was known as Operation Leapfrog One. This was No. 439, based at Uplands Air Base, Ottawa and destined for North Luffenham, near Stamford. The two other Canadian Sabre Squadrons (Nos. 410 and 441) forming No. 1 Fighter Wing were already installed at North Luffenham, but their personnel and aircraft had travelled across by H.M.C.S. Magnificent at the turn of the year. No. 426 Thunderbirds carried ground crew, ground handling equipment and spares for 439, and made servicing facilities available at the various touch-down points—at Goose Bay, Greenland, Keflavik and Kinloss. As is now generally known, the operation took place successfully at the A welcome piece of equipment, a Herman-Nelson heater, is seen being unloaded on Ellef Ringnes Island, North West Territories. Note the mountainous terrain in the vicinity of the airstrip. A novel form of transport known as a snowmobile, with sleigh in tow, bears food supplies which are being flown out of Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island, 1,700 miles north of Winnipeg. end of May; control was in the hands of 426's previous flight commander W/C. Mussells, now with Air Transport Com mand. As a result of experience with the first Canadian air- moved fighter squadron, 426 Squadron are expected to play a prominent part in the succeeding movements which are planned to meet Canada's commitment of a twelve-squadron Air Division in Europe. Operation Leapfrog Two is due to take place early this autumn. At the beginning of this month No. 426 Transport Squadron completed its second year of continuous operation on the Korean air run. It had completed more than 400 round trips, maintaining what the Canadian Defence Minister referred to as an "irreproachable record." He added that there was no finer tribute to the Squadron than to say that its personnel had "reduced a gruelling and extremely demanding task to the status of a purely routine operation." The totals recorded by the Squadron in the Pacific area have now risen to 25,000 flying hours, 4,300,000 statute miles covered, 5,000,000 lb of freight and mail carried, and more than 10,000 passengers, including wounded returning from the Far East. Recently the Squadron has again reverted to the Northern Pacific route. Shortly before the Squadron's second anniversary W/C. H. W. Lupton took over command from W/C. MacDonald, who has now assumed duties with the R.C.A.F. Air Division on the Continent. In recognition of the work done by 426 Squadron the Queen's Birthday Honours List included the names of 14 Thunderbird officers and men. The awards included the O.B.E. for W/C. Mussells, the M.B.E. for W/C. Lord, and A.F.C.s for W/C. Morrison, S/L. Dickson and F/L. Payne.
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