Motto: FERTE MANUS CERTAS (Strike Sure)

Badge: In front of a maple leaf, a lion rampant

Battle Honours: English Channel and North Sea 1943-1945, Baltic 1944-1945, Fortress Europe 1943-1944, France and Germany 1944-1945, Biscay Ports 1943-1944, Ruhr 1943-1945, Berlin 1943-1944, German Ports 1943-1945, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1944

History

427 Bomber Squadron formed at Croft, England, on 7 November 1942, and spent its wartime entirely in England. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, the squadron remained in England as part of Bomber Command’s strike force airlifting Allied prisoners of war, and British troops from Italy, back to England before disbanding on 1 June 1946. They reformed at RCAF Station St. Hubert as 427 Fighter Squadron on 1 August 1952 within Air Defence Command. On 7 March 1953, the squadron departed Canada on Operation “Leapfrog III” and joined No 3 (Fighter) Wing at Zweibrucken, Germany in March of 1953. Selected as the first of eight squadrons in No. 1 Air Division Europe to be re-equipped with CF-104 Starfighter aircraft for a nuclear strike role, they were deactivated on 15 December 1962 and reactivated two days later as 427 Strike/Attack Squadron. They were disbanded on 29 June 1970 and reformed as 427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron at CFB Petawawa, where it remains today equipped with the CH-146 Griffon.

427 has flown these Aircraft:

• Vickers Wellington
• Handley Page Halifax
• Avro Lancaster
• Canadair (North American) F-86 Sabre
• Canadair (Lockheed) CF-104 Starfighter
• Bell CH-135 Twin Huey
• Bell CH-136 Kiowa
• Bell CH-146 Griffon