View source for 416 Tactical Fighter Squadron

{{Short description|Canadian air force squadron}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{no footnotes|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox Military Unit
|unit_name= 416 Tactical Fighter Squadron
|image=No._416_Squadron_RCAF_badge.jpg
|caption=
|dates= November 18, 1941–July 6, 2006
|country= {{CAN}}
|branch= [[File:Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign (1941-1968).svg|23px]] [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]
|type= [[Squadron (aviation)|Aviation squadron]]
|size=
|motto= ''Ad Saltum paratus'' (Ready for the leap)
|battle_honours=Defence of Britain 1942-44;  English Channel and North Sea 1943;  Fortress Europe 1942-44;  Dieppe;  France and Germany 1944-45;  Normandy 1944;  Arnhem;  Rhine;  Gulf and Kuwait.
<!-- Aircraft -->
|aircraft_fighter= [[CF-18 Hornet]]
}}
[[File:SabreMk5.jpg|thumb|right|Sabre Mk 5 of No. 416 Squadron at RCAF Station Grostenquin, France, 1953]]
[[File:Cf100 st hub 416 Sqn RCAF.jpg|thumb|right|CF-100 Canucks of No. 416 Squadron at RCAF Station St.Hubert. QC, 1960]]
[[File:CMC78-461-9B CF101B Voodoo 416 AWF Sqn RCAF.jpg|thumb|right|CF101B Voodoo of 416 (AWF) Squadron from CFB Chatham, NB, 1980]]
'''416 "City of Oshawa" Tactical Fighter Squadron (416 TFS)''' was a unit of the [[Canadian Forces]] and the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]. The squadron operated the [[CF-18]] Hornet [[fighter jet]] from [[CFB Cold Lake]] in [[Alberta]], [[Canada]]. In 2006, 416 TFS stood down and was amalgamated with [[441 Tactical Fighter Squadron]] to form [[409 Tactical Fighter Squadron]].

The unit was initially formed as the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF) unit during the [[Second World War]].

==History==
No. 416 Squadron RCAF was formed at [[RAF Peterhead]], [[Aberdeenshire]], [[Scotland]] in 1941 as a fighter squadron for service during the Second World War and was based at various [[RAF]] stations in Scotland, England and [[continental Europe]]. The squadron was disbanded in March 1946.
The squadron was reformed in 1952 at [[CFB Uplands|RCAF Uplands]] in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], for [[Europe|European]] operations as part of Canada's [[Cold War]] presence. The squadron was located at [[RCAF Station Grostenquin|Grostenquin]], [[France]]. By 1957, the squadron was relocated to Canada at [[CFB St. Hubert|RCAF St Hubert]] near [[Montreal]] as an air defence squadron flying [[Avro Canada]] [[CF-100]] all-weather fighters. In 1962, the CF-100s were replaced with the [[CF-101]] Voodoo and the squadron was moved to [[CFB Chatham|RCAF Chatham]], [[New Brunswick]], where they flew the interceptor until the end of 1984. 416 Squadron thus became the world's last front-line unit flying Voodoos.

In 1988, the squadron relocated to [[CFB Cold Lake]] as a Tactical Fighter Squadron flying [[CF-188]]s. Later, it merged with [[441 Tactical Fighter Squadron]] to reform [[409 Tactical Fighter Squadron]] in 2006.

The squadron's nickname was City of Oshawa, Lynx.

==Battle honours==
* Defence of Britain 1942-44
* English Channel and North Sea 1943
* Fortress Europe 1942-44
* Dieppe
* France and Germany 1944-45
* Normandy 1944
* Arnhem
* Rhine
* Gulf and Kuwait

==Aircraft==
* Supermarine [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]
* North American [[P-51 Mustang]]
* Canadair [[Canadair CT-133 Silver Star|CT-133 Silver Star]]
* Canadair [[Canadair Sabre|Sabre]] (Mk.2, Mk.5 and Mk.6)
* Avro Canada CF-100 [[Avro Canada CF-100]]
* McDonnell Douglas [[CF-101 Voodoo]]
* McDonnell Douglas [[CF-18 Hornet]]

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* Hitchens, F.H.; Hovey, H. Richard; Schmidt, Don; McNamaee, Harold (eds). ''416 Squadron: Complete History 416 Squadron''. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Graphic Arts, 1974. (Limited edition of 300 books). Republished by Hangar Bookshelf (1987).
* Johnson, Rick with Hitchens, F.H.; Hovey, H. Richard; Schmidt, Don; McNamaee, Harold. ''416 Squadron History''. Belleville, Ontario, Canada: The Hangar Bookshelf, 1984. {{ISBN?}}.
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110611195508/http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/v2/hst/page-eng.asp?id=710 DND – History of 416 Squadron]
* [http://www.rcaf.com/Squadrons/squadronDetail.php?No.-416-Squadron-75  History of 416 Squadron]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080316194840/http://www.rafcommands.currantbun.com/Fighter/416F.html 416 Squadron bases 1939–1945]
{{Portal|Canada}}
{{Canadian Forces Air Command units}}
{{Canadian Forces Air Command}}
{{RCAF Squadrons}}
{{Canadian Forces}}

[[Category:Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons]]
[[Category:Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 2006]]
[[Category:2006 disestablishments in Alberta]]