World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseRemy Van Lierde was born in Overboelare, Belgium. He entered the Belgian Air Force (Aviation Militaire Belge) in 1935 as an air observer, and undertook pilot training in 1937, completing it in Apr 1938. When Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, he flew several reconnaissance flights in a Fox III biplane, and was shot down on 16 May, becoming captured. Released after the invasion, he made his way into Spain, where he was imprisoned and made an escape, and eventually arriving in Britain on 22 Jul 1941. On 5 Sep, after being cleared by the British intelligence agency MI5, he was allowed to join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He trained with the No. 57 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden in northeastern Wales, United Kingdom for three months, and then was assigned to No. 609 Squadron on 6 Jan 1942 with the rank of pilot officer. He damaged a Do 217 bomber in Jun 1942 in a Spitfire fighter, and scored his first kill, a Bf 109 fighter, in Jan 1943 in a Typhoon fighter. On 26 Mar 1943, he shot down a German Ju 52 transport aircraft over Belgium; his wife claimed to have witnessed the attack and collected pieces of the German aircraft that he had shot down. On 14 May, he became the first pilot to drop bombs on an enemy target from a Typhoon fighter. In Sep 1943, he was promoted to the rank of flight lieutenant, followed by an assignment to the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom in Dec 1943. He returned to flying duty in Feb 1944. As the commanding officer of No. 164 Squadron RAF, he was credited with destroying 44 flying bombs, and another 9 shared with other pilots. He flew missions in France and Germany toward the end of the European War. In May 1945, he was assigned to the 84 Group Support Unit, then became a Belgian Liaison Officer at the Allied 2nd Tactical Air Force Headquarters.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, in Aug 1945, Remy Van Lierde was given command of the all-Belgian No. 350 Squadron RAF flying Spitfire fighters; the squadron was transitioned into the Belgian Air Force in Oct 1946. In Jun 1946, he was given the rank of major in the Belgian Air Force and was given command of the 1st Fighter Wing at Beauvechain southeast of Brussels, Belgium. Between Oct 1947 and Nov 1950, he was at the helm of the Office of Group Operations. In 1948, he studied at the RAF Staff College. In Dec 1950, he became the commanding officer of the Belgian 7th Fighter Wing. In 1953, he became the chief of staff of the Belgian Air Force Operations Group. In Sep 1953, he was appointed former King Leopold III's aide. In Nov 1958, he flew the Hunter jet aircraft in Britain, thus becoming one of the first Belgian pilots to break the sound barrier. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in Sep 1954. In Sep 1956, he became the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defense. In Sep 1958, he was promoted to the rank of colonel. In 1959, he was given command of the air base at Kamina in the Belgian Congo. After the Congolese independence, he served as the Chief of Operations to the Chiefs of Staff, the commanding officer of the 7th Fighter Wing, and the commanding officer of the Chièvres Air Base. He retired on 1 Jan 1968. He passed away at Lessines, Belgium in Jun 1990.

Remy Van Lierde Timeline