Tonnie van Liempd (Antonius Johannes Maria) was born in 1906 in Schijndel, Brabant. From a young age, he was captivated by aircraft. In 1930, he joined the Military Reserve for pilot training. In March 1932, he was appointed Sergeant-Pilot. When the Netherlands was invaded in early May 1940, Tonnie was based at Ruigenhoek Airfield in Noordwijkerhout. On 10 May, he carried out reconnaissance flights over the airfields of Schiphol and Valkenburg, and on 11 May over Arnhem and Ede.

On 12 May, Tonnie van Liempd volunteered for a dangerous mission: bombing German positions between Rhenen and Wageningen without fighter-plane escort. The operation was intended to support the soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment in defending the Grebbeberg. Three Fokker CVs lifted off in the early evening, including Van Liempd with observer Vrins. En route to the Grebbeberg, they were fired upon, but they managed to continue without being hit. Near the Grebbe Line, German fighter planes suddenly surrounded them.

Tonnie’s Fokker CV 619 was damaged, and it landed in the floodplains of Wageningen behind German lines. Tonnie got out with his arms raised, but he was shot dead by German troops who approached the aircraft. Lieutenant Theo Vrins was taken prisoner of war. After the surrender of German forces, nothing was known about Tonnie’s fate until Joke received a telegram on 17 May 1940 stating, “All is well here.” The relief was enormous. Later, it emerged that the telegram had been sent before Tonnie left on his final flight on 12 May 1940. Tonnie van Liempd was 34 years old.

On 14 May, a German interpreter took possession of Tonnie’s wallet, which contained photos and a signet ring; it later came into the hands of his wife Joke. In a letter accompanying the items, the German interpreter wrote that he respected the bravery of the enemy and that Tonnie’s wife and daughter could be proud. Tonnie’s body was taken to the Mariahoeve dressing station on 17 May. For a long time, it remained unclear what happened afterward. In August 1940, however, it was discovered that he had been buried on the Grebbeberg as an unknown soldier, with the notation “Sergeant-Pilot.” The Red Cross later confirmed his identity officially.

In 1941, Tonnie was initially nominated for the Military William Order. After the end of World War II, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Lion for the courage he had shown. The decoration was presented in 1946 at the Grebbeberg to his widow Joke and their daughter Marianne by Prince Bernhard and Princess Juliana. Tonnie van Liempd is buried in the Military Cemetery of Honor Grebbeberg (Row 4-45) in Rhenen, as the only Sergeant-Pilot among the soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment Corps whom he had tried to protect.