No. 431 Squadron RCAF

Motto: "The hatilen ronteriios" ("Warriors of the air").
Badge: An Iroquois Indian's head. The Iroquois Indian's head represents the squadron's nickname. The motto is in Iroquois.
Authority: King George VI, March 1945.

No. 431 (Iroquois) Squadron was formed at Burn, near Selby, on 11th November 1942, as a bomber unit of No. 4 Group. In mid-July 1943, it was transferred to No. 6 (RCAF) Group and Tholthorpe and early in December that year moved to Croft, its last home in the UK. The squadron was first equipped with Wellington Xs, converting to Halifax Vs coincident with its move to Tholthorpe. It used the latter type until early April 1944, after which it operated with Halifax IIIs until the end of October 1944. Through the final months of its wartime career it flew Lancaster Xs.

Bomber Command WWII Bases:
Formed 11.11.42 as No. 431 (Bomber) Squadron at:

• Burn : Nov 1942-Jul 1943
• Handley Page Halifax B.V and B.III : Jul 1943-Oct 1944
• Avro Lancaster B.X : Oct 1944 onwards

Bomber Command WWII Aircraft:

• Vickers Wellington X : Dec 1942-Jul 1943
• Short Stirling I and III : Aug 1940-Aug 1943
• Avro Lancaster B.I and III : Jul 1943 onwards

Code Letters:

• "SE".

First Operational Mission in WWII:

• 2nd/3rd March 1943 - 5 Wellingtons laid mines in Nectarines I (Frisian Islands) area

Last Operational Mission in WWII:

• 25th April 1945 - 15 Lancasters despatched to bomb gun batteries on island of Wangerooge.

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