No. 410 'Cougar' Squadron (RCAF): Second World War

Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books

No.410 'Cougar' Squadron was a RCAF night fighter squadron that was formed at Ayr on 30 June 1941, to defend central Scotland and the north east of England against German raiders. It remained in the north for the next two years, upgrading to the Bristol Beaufighter and then the de Havilland Mosquito during that period.

In February 1943, with the threat of German raids diminishing, the squadron moved south to Lincolnshire, from where it began to carry out intruder missions of France and the Low Countries. After a spell of defensive work from September 1943, the squadron moved to the south-west, operating over the Normandy beaches. In September 1944 No.410 Squadron moved to France, and spent the rest of the war providing night fighter defences over the advancing Allied armies.

Aircraft
June 1941-June 1942: Boulton Paul Defiant I
April 1942-January 1943: Bristol Beaufighter IIF
November 1942-December 1943: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk II
December 1943-August 1944: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk XIII
August 1944-June 1945: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk 30

Location
30 June-6 August 1941: Ayr
  5 August-2 September 1941: Detachment to Acklington
6 August 1941-16 June 1942: Drem
  2 September 1941-7 April 1942: Detachment to Ouston
  27 October 1941-8 January 1942: Detachment to Dyce
16 June-1 September 1942: Ayr
1 September-20 October 1942: Scorton
20 October 1942-22 February 1943: Acklington
22 February-22 October 1943: Coleby Grante
22 October-8 November 1943: West Malling
8 November-29 December 1943: Hunsdon
29 December 1943-28 April 1944: Castle Camps
28 April-18 June 1944: Hunsdon
18 June-28 July 1944: Zeals
28 July-9 September 1944: Colerne
9-22 September 1944: Hunsdon
22 September-3 November 1944: B.48 Amiens-Glisy
3 November 1944-6 January 1945: B.51 Lille-Vendeville
6 January-5 April 1945: B.48 Amiens-Glisy
5 APril-9 June 1945: B.88 Gilze-Rijen

Squadron Codes: RA

Duty
1941-1943: Defensive night fighter
1943-1944: Intruder duties
1944-1945: Defensive night fighter over Allied armies

Books

 Mosquito Fighter/ Fighter-Bomber Units of World War 2, Martin Bowman. The second of three books looking the RAF career of the Mosquito covers its use as a night fighter, first on the defensive in the skies over Britain, and then as an intruder over Occupied Europe and Germany, and finishing with a look at the "Mosquito Panic" [see more]
cover cover cover

Bookmark this page: Bookmark with Delicious  Delicious  Bookmark with Facebook  Facebook   Bookmark with StumbleUpon  StumbleUpon

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (25 March 2007), No. 410 Squadron (RCAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/410_wwII.html

Help - F.A.Q. - Contact Us - Search - Recent - About Us - Privacy