Remy Van Lierde
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Remy Van Lierde, DFC
& two bars, (14 August 1915–8 June 1990) was a Belgian pilot who served during World War II
in the Belgian and British Air Forces, shooting down six enemy aircraft and 44 V-1 flying bombs, and achieving the RAF rank of Squadron Leader. He returned to the Belgian Air Force after the war and went on to hold several important commands before retiring in 1968.
. He entered the Aviation Militaire Belge (Belgian Army Air Force) on 16 September 1935. He first trained as an observer, but began pilot training on 1 May 1937, qualifying in April 1938. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Aviation Regiment.
he made several reconnaissance flights during the German invasion
in an antiquated Fairey Fox
III biplane. He was shot down by flak on 16 May 1940, was wounded and captured. In September 1940, after recovering from his injuries, he left Belgium, crossed occupied France, and entered neutral Spain. He was arrested for illegally crossing the border, and was confined in various Spanish prisons, including the notorious concentration camp at Miranda de Ebro
. Nevertheless, he eventually escaped, and reached England on 22 July 1941. After the standard interrogation by MI5 at the London Reception Centre, he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
on 5 September.
Van Lierde spent three months at No.57 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden, before being assigned to 609 Squadron
on 6 January 1942 with the rank of Pilot Officer
.
On 2 June 1942 he damaged a Do 217
bomber over Skegness
while flying a Spitfire Mk.Vb
. He was promoted to Flying Officer
in 1942.
Van Lierde claimed his first victory while flying a Typhoon Ib
on 20 January 1943 when he shot down a Bf 109-G
fighter during a raid on the south coast. On 26 March he shot down a Ju 52
transport aircraft while en route to an attack on the German air base at Chièvres
. This was witnessed by local inhabitants, including Van Lierde's wife, who surprised her husband after the war by showing him pieces of wreckage from the aircraft at the bottom of his garden. On 14 May 1943 he was the first person to drop bombs from a Typhoon, and shot down a He 111
bomber on his return journey. He downed another Bf 109 on 30 July, and on 5 October he shot down a Ju 88
heavy fighter
and destroyed another aircraft on the ground. His last victory, a Bf 110
bomber was claimed on 30 November, bringing his score to 6 kills and 1 destroyed on the ground.
Van Lierde was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
in September 1943 and on 22 December 1943 was posted to the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge
, Lincolnshire, returning to RAF Manston
on 7 February 1944.
On 27 April, he was posted to 3 Squadron
, flying the Tempest Mk.V
, before taking command of No. 164 Squadron
on 20 August 1944 with the rank of Squadron Leader
, tasked with combating the V-1 offensive. He was credited with shooting down or destroying 44 flying bombs solo, with another 9 shared, making him the second highest-scoring "doodlebug" killer.
Van Lierde then led his squadron into Europe during the western campaign
. From May 1945 Van Lierde served in 84 Group Support Unit, and as a Belgian Liaison Officer at 2nd Tactical Air Force
Headquarters.
, an RAF formation of Belgian pilots flying the Spitfire
that was eventually transferred to the Belgian Air Force in October 1946.
Commissioned into the Belgian Air Force as a Major in June 1946, Van Lierde took command of the 1st Fighter Wing
(formed from 350 and 349 Squadrons
) at Beauvechain Air Base
. From October 1947 to November 1950 he was Head of the Office of Group Operations, and also studied at the RAF Staff College
in 1948. He was appointed Detachment Commander at Chièvres Air Base
, and then on 1 December 1950 as Commander of the 7th Fighter Wing. In 1953 he was appointed to the Operations Group of Chiefs of Staff. Van Lierde was appointed Aide to the former King Leopold III
in September 1953.
In November 1958, with Captain Yves Bodart, he travelled to England to test fly a Hawker Hunter
at Dunsfold Aerodrome
, becoming one the first Belgian pilots to break the sound barrier
.
Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 1954 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence
in September 1956. Appointed Colonel in September 1958, from early 1959 he was in command of the air base at Kamina
in the Belgian Congo
in the run-up to Congolese independence. He returned to Belgium, and served as Chief of Operations to the Chiefs of Staff, as Commander of 7th Fighter Wing, and Commander of the Chièvres Air Base. He retired on 1 January 1968.
Van Lierde died at Lessines
on 8 June 1990.
entitled "Dragons, Dinosaurs and Giant Snakes", Van Lierde claims that in 1959 he encountered a giant snake in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
while returning from a mission by helicopter. He claims to have then turned around and made several passes over the snake in order to allow another person on board to photograph the creature.
Van Lierde describes the snake as being close to 50 feet in length. He claims it was a dark shade of brown and green with a white coloured belly. He claimed the snake's head was 3 feet wide, and that the jaws were of a triangular shape.
Van Lierde claims that as he flew lower for a closer inspection, the snake rose up approximately 10 feet, giving the impression it would have attacked the helicopter if it had been within striking range.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Remy Van Lierde, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& two bars, (14 August 1915–8 June 1990) was a Belgian pilot who served during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the Belgian and British Air Forces, shooting down six enemy aircraft and 44 V-1 flying bombs, and achieving the RAF rank of Squadron Leader. He returned to the Belgian Air Force after the war and went on to hold several important commands before retiring in 1968.
Biography
Van Lierde was born in Overboelare, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He entered the Aviation Militaire Belge (Belgian Army Air Force) on 16 September 1935. He first trained as an observer, but began pilot training on 1 May 1937, qualifying in April 1938. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Aviation Regiment.
World War II
With the rank of SergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
he made several reconnaissance flights during the German invasion
Battle of Belgium
The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War...
in an antiquated Fairey Fox
Fairey Fox
The Fairey Fox was a British light bomber and fighter biplane of the 1920s and 1930s. It was originally produced in Britain for the RAF, but continued in production and use in Belgium long after it was retired in Britain.-Fox I:...
III biplane. He was shot down by flak on 16 May 1940, was wounded and captured. In September 1940, after recovering from his injuries, he left Belgium, crossed occupied France, and entered neutral Spain. He was arrested for illegally crossing the border, and was confined in various Spanish prisons, including the notorious concentration camp at Miranda de Ebro
Miranda de Ebro
Miranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja...
. Nevertheless, he eventually escaped, and reached England on 22 July 1941. After the standard interrogation by MI5 at the London Reception Centre, he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
on 5 September.
Van Lierde spent three months at No.57 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden, before being assigned to 609 Squadron
No. 609 Squadron RAF
No. 609 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, originally formed as a bomber squadron and in World War II active as fighter squadron, nowadays provides personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air Force. The squadron is no longer a flying Squadron, but instead has the role...
on 6 January 1942 with the rank of Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
.
On 2 June 1942 he damaged a Do 217
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
bomber over Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
while flying a Spitfire Mk.Vb
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. He was promoted to Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
in 1942.
Van Lierde claimed his first victory while flying a Typhoon Ib
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...
on 20 January 1943 when he shot down a Bf 109-G
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
fighter during a raid on the south coast. On 26 March he shot down a Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
transport aircraft while en route to an attack on the German air base at Chièvres
Chièvres
Chièvres is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Chièvres had a total population of 6,198. The total area is 46.91 km² which gives a population density of 132 inhabitants per km²....
. This was witnessed by local inhabitants, including Van Lierde's wife, who surprised her husband after the war by showing him pieces of wreckage from the aircraft at the bottom of his garden. On 14 May 1943 he was the first person to drop bombs from a Typhoon, and shot down a He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
bomber on his return journey. He downed another Bf 109 on 30 July, and on 5 October he shot down a Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
heavy fighter
Heavy fighter
A heavy fighter is a fighter aircraft designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges. To achieve acceptable performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engined, and many had multi-place crews....
and destroyed another aircraft on the ground. His last victory, a Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
bomber was claimed on 30 November, bringing his score to 6 kills and 1 destroyed on the ground.
Van Lierde was promoted to Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
in September 1943 and on 22 December 1943 was posted to the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge
RAF Sutton Bridge
RAF Sutton Bridge is a former RAF airfield found next to the village of Sutton Bridge in the south-east of Lincolnshire. The airfield was to the south of the current A17, and east of the River Nene, next to Walpole in Norfolk.-History:...
, Lincolnshire, returning to RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
on 7 February 1944.
On 27 April, he was posted to 3 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron RAF
No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
, flying the Tempest Mk.V
Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
, before taking command of No. 164 Squadron
No. 164 Squadron RAF
No. 164 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a fighter squadron during the Second World War composed of Argentine volunteers.-Background:No. 164 Squadron RAF was originally founded on 1 June 1918, but never received aircraft and was disbanded on 4 July 1918...
on 20 August 1944 with the rank of Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, tasked with combating the V-1 offensive. He was credited with shooting down or destroying 44 flying bombs solo, with another 9 shared, making him the second highest-scoring "doodlebug" killer.
Van Lierde then led his squadron into Europe during the western campaign
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
. From May 1945 Van Lierde served in 84 Group Support Unit, and as a Belgian Liaison Officer at 2nd Tactical Air Force
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War...
Headquarters.
Post-war service
In August 1945 he was given command of 350 Squadron350th Squadron (Belgium)
The 350th Squadron is a fighter squadron in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. It is part of the 2nd Tactical Wing and operates F-16 Fighting Falcons....
, an RAF formation of Belgian pilots flying the Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
that was eventually transferred to the Belgian Air Force in October 1946.
Commissioned into the Belgian Air Force as a Major in June 1946, Van Lierde took command of the 1st Fighter Wing
1st Wing (Belgium)
The 1st Wing is a wing in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces, located at Beauvechain Air Base.-Training Wing:The 1st Fighter Wing was disbanded in 1996, with 349 Squadron and the Operational Conversion Unit moving to Kleine Brogel Air Base. 350 Squadron moved to Florennes Air Base...
(formed from 350 and 349 Squadrons
349th Squadron (Belgium)
No 349 Squadron is one of the traditional fighter squadron in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded by Belgian refugees in England in 1942 as the No 349 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, it was transferred to the Belgian air force in 1946. Considered a 'honorary'...
) at Beauvechain Air Base
Beauvechain Air Base
Beauvechain Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield in Belgium, located south of Beauvechain ; east-southeast of Brussels...
. From October 1947 to November 1950 he was Head of the Office of Group Operations, and also studied at the RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College
The RAF Staff College may refer to:*RAF Staff College, Andover *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park *RAF Staff College, Bracknell...
in 1948. He was appointed Detachment Commander at Chièvres Air Base
Chièvres Air Base
Chièvres Air Base is a United States Air Force airfield located in the Belgian town of Chièvres and about 12 miles from Headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe , in Casteau. It is mainly used to provide logistic support to NATO and SHAPE...
, and then on 1 December 1950 as Commander of the 7th Fighter Wing. In 1953 he was appointed to the Operations Group of Chiefs of Staff. Van Lierde was appointed Aide to the former King Leopold III
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
in September 1953.
In November 1958, with Captain Yves Bodart, he travelled to England to test fly a Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
at Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh, was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contractors as a Class A Bomber Airfield for Army Co-operation Command...
, becoming one the first Belgian pilots to break the sound barrier
Sound barrier
The sound barrier, in aerodynamics, is the point at which an aircraft moves from transonic to supersonic speed. The term, which occasionally has other meanings, came into use during World War II, when a number of aircraft started to encounter the effects of compressibility, a collection of several...
.
Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 1954 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Belgium)
The Ministry of Defence is the Belgian ministry responsible for national defence and the Belgian military. As a result of the first Verhofstadt Government's plans to modernise the federal administration, all other ministries were transformed into Federal Public Services but in August 2007 there...
in September 1956. Appointed Colonel in September 1958, from early 1959 he was in command of the air base at Kamina
Kamina
Kamina is a city in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located at around . It is the provincial capital.- Transport :...
in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
in the run-up to Congolese independence. He returned to Belgium, and served as Chief of Operations to the Chiefs of Staff, as Commander of 7th Fighter Wing, and Commander of the Chièvres Air Base. He retired on 1 January 1968.
Van Lierde died at Lessines
Lessines
Lessines is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Lessines had a total population of 17,848. The total area is 72.29 km² which gives a population density of 247 inhabitants per km²...
on 8 June 1990.
Alleged encounter with a giant snake
On the episode of Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious WorldArthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World
Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World is a thirteen part British television series looking at unexplained phenomena from around the world. It was produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and first broadcast in September 1980....
entitled "Dragons, Dinosaurs and Giant Snakes", Van Lierde claims that in 1959 he encountered a giant snake in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
while returning from a mission by helicopter. He claims to have then turned around and made several passes over the snake in order to allow another person on board to photograph the creature.
Van Lierde describes the snake as being close to 50 feet in length. He claims it was a dark shade of brown and green with a white coloured belly. He claimed the snake's head was 3 feet wide, and that the jaws were of a triangular shape.
Van Lierde claims that as he flew lower for a closer inspection, the snake rose up approximately 10 feet, giving the impression it would have attacked the helicopter if it had been within striking range.
Further reading
- Peter Celis & Cynrik De Decker, Mony Van Lierde, Flying Pencil (2008)