No. 410 Squadron

Badge: In front of a decrescent, a cougar’s face
Motto: Noctivaga (Wandering by night)
Authority: King George VI, May 1945

The cougar is a Canadian animal noted for its speed and power in striking down its prey. The waning moon indicates the squadron’s night operations.

Formed at Ayr, Scotland on 30 June 1941 as the RCAF’s ninth – third and last Night Fighter – squadron formed overseas, the unit flew Beaufighter and Mosquito (1) aircraft in the night air defense of Britain and of Allied forces in North-West Europe. The squadron was disbanded at Gilze-Rijen, in the Netherlands, on 9 June 1945.

Brief Chronology: Formed at Ayr, Scot. 30 Jun 41. Disband­ed at Gilze-Rijen, Neth. 9 Jun 45.

Title or Nickname: “Cougar”

Adoption: City of Saint John, N.B.

Commanders

• S/L P. Y. Davoud 30 Jun 41 – 4 Sep 41.
• W/C M. Lipton 5 Sep 41 – 30 Jul 42.
• W/C F.W. Hillock 19 Aug 42 – 19 May 43 OTE.
• W/C G.H. Elms 20 May 43 – 18 Feb 44 OTE.
• W/C G.A. Hiltz 19 Feb 44 – 1 Apr 45 OTE.
• W/C E.P. Heybroek 2 Apr 45 – 9 Jun 45.

Higher Formations and Squadron Locations

Fighter Command renamed Air Defence Great Britain (15 Nov 43):

No.13 Group,

• Ayr, Scot. 30 Jun 41 – 5 Aug 41.
• Drem, E. Loth., Scot. 6 Aug 41 – 14 Jun 42.
• “A” Flight at Acklington, Northumb. 5 Aug – 1 Sep 41.
• Ouston, Durham 2 Sep 41 – 1 Apr 42.
• 4 aircraft, Dyce, Aber., Scot. 27 Dec 41 – 8 Jan 42.
• Ayr, Scot. 15 Jun 42 – 31 Aug 42.
• 5 aircraft, Drem, E. Loth., Scot. 15 Jun – 31 Aug 42.
• Scorton, Yorks. 1 Sep 42 – 19 Oct 42.
• Acklington, Northumb. 20 Oct 42 – 20 Feb 43.

No. 12 Group,

• Coleby Grange, Lines. 21 Feb 43 – 19 Oct 43.
• 4 aircraft, Predannack, Cornwall 12 June – 7 Jul 43.

No. 11 Group,

• West Malling, Kent 20 Oct 43 – 7 Nov 43.
• Hunsdon, Herts. 8 Nov 43 – 29 Dec 43.
• Castle Camps, Cambs. 30 Dec 43 – 29 Feb 44.

Second Tactical Air Force:

No. 85 (Base) Group,

No. 149 (RAF) Wing,

• Castle Camps, Cambs. 1 Mar 44 – 28 Apr 44.
• Hunsdon, Herts. 29 Apr 44 – 17 Jun 44.
• Zeals, Wilts. 18 Jun 44 – 27 Jul 44.
• Colerne, Wilts. 28 Jul 44 – 8 Sep 44.
• Hunsdon, Herts. 9 Sep 44 – 21 Sep 44.
• B.(Base) 48 Glisy, Fr. 22 Sep 44 – 2 Nov 44.

No. 148 (RAF) Wing (from 4 Nov 44),

• B.51 Vendeville, Fr. 3 Nov 44 – 6 Jan 45.
• B.48 Glisy, Fr. 7 Jan 45 – 5 Apr 45.
• B.77 Gilze-Rijen, Neth. 6 Apr 45 – 9 Jun 45.

Representative Aircraft (Unit Code RA)

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.IF (Jul 41 – May 42)

• V1123 R

Bristol Beaufighter Mk.HF (Apr 42 – Jan 43)

de Havilland Mosquito N.F.Mk.II (Nov 42 – Dec 43)

• HJ919 B DZ757 Q

de Havilland Mosquito F.B.Mk.VI (Jul – Sep 43)

de Havilland Mosquito N.F.Mk.XIII (Dec 43 – Aug 44)

• HK366 Q HK430 W HK432 F HK455 Q HK456 H HK458 S HK459 A HK462 E HK463 R HK465 P HK466 J HK467 T HK470 X HK476 0 HK500 I HK521 L HK523 G MM456 D MM457 Z MM462 K MM477 U MM499 C MM501 V MM570 B

de Havilland Mosquito N.F.Mk.XXX (Aug 44 – Jan 45)

Operational History: First Mission 23 July 1941, Defiant V1183 from Ayr with P/O Lucas – night readiness, uneventful scramble.

First Victories: 6/7 September 1942, Beaufighter II T3428 from Drem with P/O R.R. Ferguson and P/O D. Creed (navigator) – while on a ground control intercept exercise, was vectored to, and credited with, a Ju.88 damaged over Whitby. 22 January 1943, Mosquito II DZ929 from Acklington with FS B.M. Haight and Sgt. T. Kipling (RAF, observer) – night readiness, scrambled along with two other Mosquitos, and credited with a Do.217 destroyed near Hartlepool.

Last Mission: 3 May 1945, 3 Mosquito XXX’s from Gilze-Rijen – patrols, 1 in the Hamburg area and 2 over the Scheidt. One reported two radar contacts but no visual contact; the other two patrols were uneventful.

Summary Sorties: 2972.

• Operational/Non-operational Flying Hours: 7157 /20, 993.
• Victories:
  • Aircraft: 75¾ destroyed, 2 probably destroyed, 9 damaged.
• Casualties:
  • Operational: 17 aircraft; 32 air­crew, of whom 10 were killed, 20 presumed dead, 2 POW.
  • Non-operational: 14 aircraft; 30 personnel, of whom 29 killed, 1 injured.

Squadron Aces: F/L R.D. Schultz, DFC and Bar 8-0-0. F/O D.G. Tonque (RAF, navigator), DFC and Bar 8-0-0. Lt. A.A. Harrington (USAAF), DSO, DFC 7-0-0. F/L C.E. Edinger, DFC 6-0-1. F/O J.S. Christie (RAF, navigator), DFC 6-0-1. F/O C.L. Vaessen (navigator), DFC 6-0-1. F/L G.P.A. Bodard (navigator),DFC 6-0-0. S/L J.D. Somerville, DSO, DFC 5-0-1. F/O G.D. Robinson (navigator), DFC 5-0-1. F/L V.A. Williams (navigator), DFC 5-0-0.

Honours and Awards: 1 DSO, 1 MBE, 2 bars to DFC, 19 DFC’s, 1 BEM, 17 MiD’s.

Battle Honours:

• Defence of Britain 1941-1944.
• Fortress Europe 1943.
• France and Ger­many 1944 – 1945: Normandy 1944, Rhine. Biscay 1943.

(1) Fighter Command’s first Mosquito daylight penetration into Germany was flown on 27 March 1944 by P/0 M.A. Cybulski and his navigator PIO H.H. Ladbrook (RAF). Flying an intruder mission along the canal and rail line between Meppen and Papenburg, they damaged a tug and two barges, a locomotive and six freight cars, and two army buses.