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.
No. 464 Squadron RAAF
The squadron was officially formed on 1 September 1942 at RAF Feltwell, Norfolk in the United Kingdom, as an Article XV squadron under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Although technically a squadron of the RAAF, its personnel were drawn from many countries and upon formation only about 30 percent were Australian. This fluctuated and later in the war this grew to just over 50 percent. Upon formation, the squadron's first commanding officer was a South African, Wing Commander Ronald Young. No. 464 Squadron was initially equipped with Lockheed Ventura light bombers, and participated in its first operation on 6 December. Dubbed Operation Oyster, it was an attack on the Philips radio valve factory at Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. The squadron lost three aircraft to anti-aircraft fire during the attack, but inflicted significant damage on the target.