No. 405 Squadron RCAF

Motto: "Ducimus" ("We lead").
Badge: An eagle's head erased, facing to the sinister and holding in the beak a sprig of maple. The motto indicates that this was the first RCAF bomber squadron formed overseas and the only RCAF Pathfinder squadron. The eagle's head, facing to the left to suggest leadership, is derived from the Pathfinder badge.
Authority: King George VI, September 1946.

No. 405 Squadron was formed at Driffield, Yorkshire, on 23rd April 1941, and flew the RCAF's first bombing operation ten weeks later, on 12/13th June. It flew Wellingtons until April 1942, and then converted to Halifaxes, becoming operational with the latter in time to take part in the historic 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne. Late in October 1942, the squadron was loaned to Coastal Command to strengthen our air defences in the Bay of Biscay at the time of the North African convoy movements. Returning to Bomber Command at the beginning of March 1943, No. 405 flew with No. 6 (RCAF) Group for a few weeks before being selected for No. 8 (Pathfinder) Group, with which it served until the end of the war. Through the last 20 months of the bomber offensive the squadron was equipped with Lancasters, and there is interest in noting that in late 1943 it became the first unit to operate a Canadian-built Lancaster X. This was KB700 (named The Ruhr Express), the first production Mk. X.

Bomber Command WWII Bases:

• Driffield : Apr 1941-Jun 1941
• Pocklington : Jun 1941-Aug 1941
• Topcliffe : Aug 1941-Oct 1942

• Topcliffe : Mar 1943
• Leeming : Mar 1943-Apr 1943
• Gransden Lodge : Apr 1943 onwards

• Vickers Wellington II : May 1941-Apr 1942
• Handley Page Halifax B.II : Apr 1942-Sep 1943
• Avro Lancaster B.I, B.III and B.X : Aug 1943 onwards

Code Letters:

• "LQ"

• 12/13th June 1941 : 3 Wellingtons bombed railway marshalling yards at Schwerte, & another Wellington aborted.

• 25th April 1945 : 9 Lancasters bombed Berchtesgaden & 4 other Lancasters bombed enemy gun batteries on island of Wangerooge.

• 7th May 1945 : 8 Lancasters marked aiming point for other Bomber Command Lancasters detailed to drop supplies to Dutch at Rotterdam.

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