aircraft during an exercise at
RAF Odiham, England, 1941. The squadron was formed as No. 10 Army Co-Operation Squadron at
Toronto, Ontario on 5 October 1932, when it flew from the Trethewey Farm Airfield (
De Lesseps Field) from 1934 to 1939. On 15 November 1937, it was renumbered No. 110 "City of Toronto" Army Co-Operation Squadron. When the squadron was called out on active service 3 September 1939, it first deployed to
CFB Rockcliffe (now
Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport),
Ottawa, Ontario for conversion to the
Westland Lysander aircraft. The new
commanding officer (CO) at that time was
Squadron Leader (S/L) Wilbur Dennison Van Vliet, an experienced peacetime flier. By early February 1940, the squadron was ready to depart to the United Kingdom, travelling by rail to
Halifax, Nova Scotia and then by steamship across the Atlantic on 15 February. The squadron was the first
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) unit to go overseas and they were given an official send-off, in
Ottawa, by the Prime Minister,
William Lyon Mackenzie King and the Minister of National Defence,
Ian Alistair Mackenzie. A year later, on 1 March 1941, it was re-designated as No. 400 Army Co-Operation Squadron in recognition of the fact it was the first squadron to deploy overseas. S/L Van Vliet returned to Canada, was promoted to
group captain and died from a heart attack at age 39 in 1942 while serving as the Air Officer Commanding the Western Region of Canada, according to family legend in a training aircraft with a student at the controls. He is buried at
Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. During the war, it flew the Westland Lysander,
Curtiss Tomahawk,
North American Mustang,
de Havilland Mosquito and
Supermarine Spitfire primarily in the armed and unarmed reconnaissance role. Later in the war, the squadron also flew
air interdiction operations. At the end of the war, 400 Squadron was disbanded on 7 August 1945, at the captured
Lüneburg Airfield (
Advanced Landing Ground B156) in western Germany. No. 400 Squadron reformed at
RCAF Station Downsview (now
Downsview Airport), Toronto on 15 April 1946 as an Auxiliary Fighter-Bomber Squadron operating
North American Harvard Mk IIBs commanded by S/L George William Gooderham,
AFC. At the start of the Cold War the squadron flew the
de Havilland Vampire Mk IIIs and then
Canadair Sabre Mk.V aircraft. No. 400 "City of Toronto" (Fighter) Squadron, as part of 2 Air Reserve Wing, first flew
Beechcraft Expeditor starting in 1958 and then the
DHC-3 Otter in 1960. These aircraft were flown throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces brought about another name change, this time to 400 "City of Toronto" Air Reserve Squadron. In 1980, the conversion to helicopters began with the
CH-136 Kiowa. The squadron received its current name in the 1980s, becoming ''''''. The squadron moved to
CFB Borden in 1996 after the closure of CFB Downsview, and is now equipped with the
CH-146 Griffon. During peacetime, the squadron fulfills 1 Wing commitments by providing operational and training support to the
4th Canadian Division, the defence of Canadian sovereignty, support to national taskings, and support to peacekeeping operations. Its secondary duties are to support search and rescue operations of the
Royal Canadian Air Force. In the unlikely event that the nation mobilizes for war, 400 Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron will deploy all of its aviation assets, including support equipment, to augment
427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron at
Garrison Petawawa. Those personnel remaining behind will form the core of a forces generation unit. 400 Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron has an establishment of 237 personnel divided into six flights: • 3 flying flights • 1 maintenance flight • 1 administrative support flight • 1 squadron headquarters flight The HQ Flight is a conglomeration of the Orderly Room, Finance Section, Medical Section and the 400 Squadron Pipes and Drums Band. ==References==