No. 428 Squadron RCAF
On 7 Nov 1942, he assumed command of No 428 (RCAF) Squadron, standing up the squadron in No. 4 Group. As the OC, it was noted that "Wing Commander Earle was a grand chap, one who can genuinely be called, 'One of Nature's Gentlemen'. He was well liked by the Canadians and sadly missed when he left on promotion to group captain in February 1943. He flew two operations from Dalton, occupying the astro-dome. He had previously been flying Fairey Gordons in the Middle East (Iraq), and found the Wellington difficult, partly due to his eyesight not liking the English skies, and partly as he was not a tall man." After only three months, he left 428 Bomber Squadron (RCAF) as an acting group captain on 7 Feb 1943, when he was assigned as the station commander of RAF Ridgewell and then RAF West Wickham, late in 1943, then as a temporary group captain. He ended the war as Air Officer Commanding No. 300 Group RAF (RAF Transport Command) in Australia.
428th Fighter Squadron
The squadron was first activated during World War II and served in the European Theater of Operations, where it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation. After V-E Day, the 428th served briefly with the occupation forces in Germany before returning to the United States for inactivation. The squadron was again activated as the 428th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in 1952 to replace an Air National Guard unit serving in the Korean War and earned a second Distinguished Unit Citation in that conflict. Following the truce ending the Korean War, the squadron returned to the United States, frequently deploying to Europe. In 1964 it deployed to Viet Nam and in 1973, to Thailand, again engaging in combat operations. The squadron was inactivated in 1989.