443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron

443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron
443e Escadron d'hélicoptères maritimes (French)
Active
  • 20 April 1942–15 March 1946
  • 12 September 1951–31 March 1964
  • 25 October 1974–present
CountryCanada
BranchRoyal Canadian Air Force
RoleMaritime helicopter
Part of12 Wing Shearwater
BasePatricia Bay, British Columbia
Nickname(s)Hornet
Motto(s)Our sting is death
Battle honours
  • Fortress Europe, 1944
  • France and Germany, 1944–1945
  • Normandy, 1944
  • Arnhem
  • Rhine
  • Arabian Sea[1]
Websitercaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/squadron/443-squadron.page
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA hornet affronté[2]
Squadron codes=2I (Feb 1944 – Mar 1946)[3]
PF (Sep 1951 – 1958)[4]
Aircraft flown
AttackSupermarine Spitfire, North American Mustang, North American F-86 Sabre
HelicopterSikorsky CH-124 Sea King, CH-148 Cyclone
TrainerNorth American Harvard, Beechcraft Model 18

443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron (French: 443e Escadron d'hélicoptères maritimes) is a Canadian Armed Forces helicopter squadron under the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It was originally a Second World War RCAF squadron that operated as part of RAF Fighter Command in Europe with the Supermarine Spitfire.

  1. ^ Canadian DND – Honours & Recognition for the Men and Women of the Canadian Armed Forces 10th Edition – 2016, pg 46.
  2. ^ Halley 1988, p. 518.
  3. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 56.
  4. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 165.