While NORAD squadrons had the WPU at Cold Lake to keep proficient with their weapons, the Air Division had Sardinia. Twice a year for periods of three weeks its CF-100 squadrons flew to the Mediterranean idland for weapons training. Flying was done from the Italian Air Force base near Decimomannau. These were hectic times during which the CF-100s flew a busy schedule of live firing sorties. Targets were flags and radops towed by T-33s and shooting was very competitive.
At first there was no GCI facility at Deci, as the base was called by everyone. Firing was limited to VFR conditions, until, that is, CF-100s were put to use employing their own airborne radar to keep the T-33 target-towing aircraft properly positioned over the range, even though flying above cloud.Besides gun firing, rocketry was conducted using the 7-rocket practice pods. A lucky crew got to fire a full load of 58 FFARs once on a tour.
April 1962 saw 445 Squadron at Deci for a weapons camp. The log of F/O DA Purich indicates a typical stay. Flying with F/O Desmarais as navigator, he made the trip to Deci in 18387 on April 17, a 2:20 ride from Marville. Two days later Purich and Desmarais scored an impressive 92% kill probability on their first salvo fired on the range. They fired again, this time on April 24, scoring 90.5%. Next day they returned to Marville in a 15 plane formation. Their shoot had been preceeded by 12 simulated Deci trips from Marville, totalling 14:30 hours in the air. The scores of Purich and Desmarais indicate the high degree of firing accuracy achieved by CF-100 squadrons in the latter part of their squadron service.
When not on the job, RCAF crews enjoyed what pleasures the base and local community had to offer. The shortage of these made for more than the average dose of boredom. There was swimming and some sightseeing, though the caves near the base were off limits; they were inhabited by local gypsies. On base there were the usual sports, films, cards, darts, beer drinking, and so on. Inevitably there was some hell raising as well. One night the wing commander closed the bar for the duration of the shoot. It seems the boisterous crews had incurred the old man's wrath with a raucous game of floor hockey in the barracks using empty beer cans. Thereafter they were reduced to drinking the local brand of Italian pop. Another time the fly boys became overly rambunctious and were warned by the Italian Air Force duty officer to cool it. They laughed him out of the bar. A while later he returned with a squad of machine-gun-toting MPs. This time the Canadians cooperated.
One night a Clunk pilot had his chin badly cut playing a silly game in the mess. He was taken to a local doctor who sewed him up but left him with a Frankenstein-monster set of stitches. It seems that locally among the Sardinians it was a mark of honour to have big scars! The RCAF hero was not impressed with his new beauty mark!
The Canadian air weapons range on Sardinia remained in operation until September 1, 1970. By then it was unnecessary, as Canada's fighter aircraft in Europe had been tasked to the nuclear strike/recce roles and, later on, to conventional tactical uses.
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Updated: May 13, 2003