No. 426 Squadron — Thunderbird

Group
No. 6 Group (RCAF)
Command
Bomber Command
Home station
RAF Linton-on-Ouse

In the database: 3 aircraft · 20 service members · 3 sorties.

History

No. 426 “Thunderbird” Squadron formed at RAF Dishforth in October 1942 as a Royal Canadian Air Force bomber unit, flying the Vickers Wellington. On the creation of the Canadian No. 6 Group in January 1943 it joined that group, and in June it moved to RAF Linton-on-Ouse, where it converted to the Avro Lancaster and later to the Handley Page Halifax.

The squadron’s emblem was the thunderbird of North American native legend, a being said to bring storm and destruction; its motto was “On wings of fire”. Across the war it flew well over 3,000 sorties in the strategic campaign against Germany.

Operations flown