No.443 (RCAF) Squadron 1944-1946 Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2015 | Title | No.443 (RCAF) Squadron 1944-1946 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Phil Listemann | Publisher | Philedition |
| Published | 2012 | ISBN | 978-2918590-62-0 |
| Format | 30 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $13.95 |
Review
Phil Listemann has published a number of squadron histories that provide excellent summaries of actions, losses, and specific aircraft and crews assigned to a given squadron and their fates. This title looks at the 443 (RCAF) Squadron from the time of its arrival in the UK in early 1944 having previously served in the Canadian home defense role as 127 Sqn RCAF. The squadron personnel had arrived in the UK without aircraft, so they were equipped with Spitfire Mk.V for training before moving to the Spitfire Mk.IX and gaining combat experience in the weeks leading up to D-Day.
By 1945, 443 Sqn had moved into forward airbases on the continent and received Spitfire Mk.XVIs which were more suited for air interdiction and ground attack missions. Since 443 Sqn was the last RCAF squadron formed during the war, it became part of the occupational force and transitioned from the Spitfire Mk.XVI to the Spitfire Mk.XIV and provided air support over post-war northern Europe until it was disbanded in March 1946.
This title follows the same format as previous squadron histories by Phil Listemann and gives a nice summary of airbases, squadron personnel, combat victories, aircraft losses, period photographs of pilots and aircraft, and a selecton of color profiles of the squadron's aircraft.
This is another nicely compiled squadron history and will be a nice addition to the aviation historian or modeler's reference library. Check out this and other titles offered by this author on his RAF-in-Combat website.
My sincere thanks to Phil H. Listemann for the review sample.