93 Squadron personnel in front of Canadair Sabre F.4 (XB829 D), Jever, 3 March 1955

From 1953 to 1956 the Canadair Sabre equipped a total of 12 RAF squadrons, all but two of which were based in Germany with 2nd Tactical Air Force defending NATO against Warsaw Pact aggression.

The Sabre had been introduced as a result of the Korean War, which had pushed further advancement in the design of combat jet aircraft. The RAF's outclassed Meteor and Vampire fighters were replaced by the Sabre, a US design produced under license in Canada, while the British aircraft industry developed their own designs. The RAF had occupied the former Luftwaffe airfield at Jever in Lower Saxony in northwest Germany in 145, and remained there until 1961. 93 Squadron were based there, operating the Vampire FB.5 and FB.9, the Sabre F.4, and later the Hawker Hunter F.4.