418 Squadron RCAF

Wg Cdr J. H. Little (December 1942)
Wg Cdr P. Y. Davoud DFC (June 1943)
Wg Cdr D. C. S. MacDonald DFC (January 1944)
Wg Cdr R. J. Bennell (February 1944)
Wg Cdr A. Barker (March 1944)
Wg Cdr R. Bannock DFC (October 1944)
Wg Cdr J. C. Wickett (November 1944)
Wg Cdr D. B. Annan (February 1945)
Wg Cdr H. D. Cleveland DFC (May 1945)

418 Squadron RCAF was Canada's highest-scoring squadron in WWII, in terms of both air-to-air and air-to-ground kills, and in terms of both day and night operations. The Squadron's most active period was 1944, when assigned to Intruder and Ranger sorties across occupied Europe.
These sorties, made at low level to escape radar detection, took 418 Squadron crews into the heart of enemy territory, there to wreak havoc among departing or returning Luftwaffe night-fighter crews (Intruder sorties), or to shoot up enemy airfields, or indeed anything else of military value, in Ranger sorties.
A typical sortie was the first flown by Russ Bannock and his navigator Bob Bruce. (Bannock, who had been both a peacetime pilot and a flight instructor for several years, went on to lead both 418 and 406 Sqn RCAF, before joining de Havilland in Canada as a test pilot). Having been assigned to Bourges-Avord airfield, to 'jump' night-fighters returning from the evening's operations, the crew spotted the exhaust flames of an aircraft in the circuit. After having to avoid anti- aircraft fire from the field, Bannock made a pass at the aircraft as it landed. The resulting fire and explosion revealed the aircraft to be an Me 110, and Bannock and Bruce escaped to the west.
As an Intruder squadron, 418 Sqn's aircraft did not carry radar sets - even at night targets had to be found, identified, lined up and attacked all with the naked eye. The squadron's success speaks volumes of the skill of its crews that it achieved such success under these conditions.

Day Ranger combat report for 418 Squadron by Sqn Ldr Kipp, 14th April 1944 - page 1, page 2.