HISTORY

shared the same airfield. Daniel Le Roy du

Vivier flew about fifty sorties with the Wing

squadrons.

On August 16, Sicily was conquered. However, Daniel Le Roy du Vivier would not

be with his pilots to celebrate the event. On

July 31, he was the victim of an unfortunate

accident, which resulted in multiple fractures to his right knee. This injury would keep

him away from operations for a few months. However, he put this 'forced inactivity' to

good use by attending the British Army and

Air Force Staff College in Haifa (Palestine)

during his convalescence. For four months,

he was a trainee in Course No. 10, which he

completed with flying colors. He also had

the opportunity to do a short conversion on

twin-engine aircraft in Egypt.

In Italy

By early 1944, his condition had improved

sufficiently enough to request and obtain his

return to operations. He was assigned as

Wing Commander flying with No. 324 Wing,

with which he had worked in Sicily. The Wing

was equipped with the Spitfire Mk.IX, and

was deployed to Lago, in Calabria. Daniel Le

Roy du Vivier was reunited with his former

No. 43 Sqn, alongside No. 72, 93 & 111 Squadrons.

Photo: via A. Bar

Spitfire LF.Mk.IX MJ628, R-duV, of Wing Commander Le Roy du Vivier, No. 324 Wing, Italy,

summer 1944.

Spitfire LF.Mk.IX MJ628, R-duV, of Wing Commander Le Roy du Vivier, No. 324 Wing, Italy, summer 1944.

During his absence from operations, the

Italian Campaign took shape. In September

1943, the Allies landed in various places:

Reggio, Taranto and Salerno. However, the

progress of the ground troops was difficult.

At the end of 1943, it was blocked at Monte

Cassino. On January 22, the Allies landed at

Anzio, 50 km south of Rome, in an attempt to

catch the Germans off guard.

The missions entrusted to the Wing were

essentially cover missions for the various

bridgeheads, which, until May, were under

constant threat from Luftwaffe aircraft. Daniel Le Roy du Vivier led his Wing in combat

during seventy hours of operations. In less

than four months, the squadrons of No. 324

Wing scored about sixty victories.

On May 8, 1944, the Monte Cassino line fell.

The 324th Wing redeployed to Nettuno (Anzio). On June 4, Rome, the Eternal City, was

conquered and the German retreat to the

north began. The Wing followed the movement occupying successively a series of

airfields along the Tyrrhenian coast: Tre Canelli, Tarquina, and Grossetto. For Daniel Le

Roy du Vivier, however, there was a shadow

over the picture. The injury sustained the

previous year was causing him problems.

His condition required care that conditions

in the field did not allow. The chief medical

officer of No. 211 Group, to which the Wing

was attached, convinced him of the need to

return to Great Britain, the only place where

he could receive adequate orthopedic care.

Photo: archives J-P Decock

Wing Commander, Chief Flying

Instructor

Spitfire Mk.XVI, serial TB590, R-DV, is the personal aircraft of Wing Commander (Lieutenant-Colonel) Daniel Le Roy

du Vivier as indicated by his initials painted on the fuselage in 1946 at Beauvechain.

June 2022

On July 6, 1944, Daniel Le Roy du Vivier returned to the northern fog and quickly moved heaven and earth to obtain a new operational assignment. But from then on, it was

his rich experience that the RAF wanted to

exploit for the greater benefit of young pilots. On August 14, he moved to No. 53 OTU

at Kirton-in-Lindsey as Wing Commander,

Chief Flying Instructor. He remained there

until June 26, 1945, when he was appointed

command of No. 61 OTU at Keevil, Wiltshire.

The war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945. The

Belgian section of the RAF, with a view to

reconstituting a national air force, wanted

to “recuperate” Daniel Le Roy du Vivier. But

at the time, he thought it more important to

continue his involvement in the RAF. On July

22, he requested a posting to the Far East

INFO Eduard

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