Georges Kopp
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Georges Kopp (October 10, 1902 – July 15, 1951) was a Belgian educated engineer and inventor of Russian descent, who volunteered in the fight against
Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
and is best known for his friendship with
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
, whom he commanded in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
.


The Engineer

Georges Kopp was born in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
to Russian parents with
Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
origins. In 1909, the family fled Tzarist Russia and settled close to
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in
Schaerbeek (French language, French and History of Dutch orthography, archaic Dutch, ) or (contemporary Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Re ...
. The family moved again in 1915 to
Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
, before returning to Schaerbeek in 1920, where Kopp studied
Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
at the Université libre de Bruxelles. In 1921, Kopp’s father died leaving the family in debt and forcing Kopp to interrupt his studies to earn money, working as an engineer to support his family, initially living with his mother in Schaerbeek. Kopp worked for a firm of heating manufacturers (Société Chaurobel) from 1923 until 1932. In 1925, he married Germaine Warnotte, the daughter of a prominent socialist and together they raised five children over the next ten years. The onset of the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
resulted in Kopp being laid off from work in 1933. He struggled to make a living as a consultant, running up bills and allegedly having
affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...
s. Germaine, discovering his infidelity, divorced him in 1935. The following year, after an argument with his mother, Kopp left for France to consider his future, overwhelmed with regret and missing his family.


The Soldier


Spanish Civil War

In October 1936, Kopp crossed the border from France into Spain and volunteered as an officer for the Republicans by joining the
POUM The Workers' Party of Marxist Unification ( es, Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, POUM; ca, Partit Obrer d'Unificació Marxista) was a Spanish communist party formed during the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic and mainly active a ...
militia column. He first saw active service on the
Aragon front The Aragon Offensive was an important military campaign during the Spanish Civil War, which began after the Battle of Teruel. The offensive, which ran from March 7, 1938, to April 19, 1938, smashed the Republican forces, overran Aragon, and conqu ...
near
Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
, followed by
Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...
. In December, the POUM militia was absorbed into the Catalan Army and later became the 29th Division. George Orwell crossed in to Spain in the same month, joining the 29th Division with Kopp as his brigade commander. Orwell describes how his "''comandante''" (Kopp) led them to the front in January 1937 and the various acts of personal bravery that followed over the next 115 days at the front. Orwell and Kopp developed a close working relationship over this period, establishing lasting mutual trust and respect. There were inconsistencies in Kopp's account of his background, which Orwell was,uncharacteristically,not aware of at the time.Thus,his book on the Spanish War, Homage to Catalonia contains false details on Kopp's past as a 'Belgian officer' and weapon-smuggler who had 'given enverything up' to save the Spanish republic. Kopp and Orwell left the front late in April 1937 for rest and relaxation in Barcelona and became caught up in
Barcelona May Days The May Days, sometimes also called May Events, refer to a series of clashes between 3 and 8 May 1937 during which factions on the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War engaged one another in street battles in various parts of Catalonia, ...
as Government Guards moved against the
Anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...
. Kopp risked his life to stop the fighting at the Café Moka, but the ideological war within the republican movement was to end in disaster for Kopp. Orwell had been joined in Barcelona by his wife
Eileen Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists *Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer *Eileen ...
, who was working with the ILP Contingent of British volunteers attached to POUM. It is widely believed that Eileen had a relationship with Kopp at this time, as the Orwells had a "somewhat open marriage". Orwell returned to the trenches and was shot through the throat by a sniper's bullet, ending his participation in the war. Kopp was on hand to help his friend but returned to the front to participate in the Battle of Chimillas. In June, Kopp decided to leave the POUM, securing a testimonial letter describing him as "a person of confidence" by General Pozas, who was commanding the Army in the East. He travelled to Valencia to register his new position as an engineer, having risen to become captain in the general staff of the 45th Mixed Brigade of the
Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Repú ...
. On 16 June, the POUM was declared illegal, resulting in its members, and former members, being arrested and thrown into jail. Purges against the POUM raged through Barcelona in secret to stop the news getting to the front where the POUM was still holding the line. Kopp had been advised to remain in Valencia to allow the dust to settle, which he ignored, possibly because he had "simply not taken it seriously enough". He was arrested as soon as he arrived at his hotel in Barcelona, his papers confiscated, and imprisoned under appalling conditions. Orwell and Eileen visited Kopp in jail, immediately recognising the importance of the letter. Orwell successfully traced the letter to the chief of police and managed to get it transferred to the military authorities, exposing himself to arrest in the process. The last time Orwell saw Kopp in Spain was on 22 June 1937, the day before he and Eileen slipped across the border into France. Kopp was one of thousands of volunteers who fought in Spain to oppose
fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
and was imprisoned by its own side, under the banner of an ideological purge imposed by the
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...
directed by
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
. Kopp was interrogated, tortured and moved between prisons, detention camps in and around Barcelona for the next 18 months, largely out of sight.


World War II

Kopp was released in December 1938 a free man but in a severely reduced state, flying to Toulouse before making his way to Brussels to see his daughter. He had survived by building stories around himself, accused by the
Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
of being a
Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
and dismissed by
Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...
himself as politically “centrist”. Whatever his allegiance, Kopp was
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
in a Europe that was on the brink of War against fascism. Kopp sought refuge in England in March 1939, in part at the invitation of Orwell. He stayed with Eileen’s brother and sister-in-law Gwen, where he was gradually nursed back to health. In May, he left
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Kopp joined the
French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
as a corporal and fought in the
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
in May–June 1940, barely surviving the
Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...
that many of his comrades did not. Kopp was severely wounded and made prisoner but escaped from a military hospital and was able to rejoin his unit, now a defeated army, just outside of
Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
in August. The following month, Kopp was transferred to Foreign Legion headquarters in
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
, where he was invalided out of the army and was awarded an 80% pension.


The Inventor


Spy

Kopp set out to work as an engineer in Marseilles, in
Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
early 1941, where he remained for two and a half years working on a method for distilling synthetic oil from
lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
, common in that part of France. It is possible that the project was supported by the French admiralty under the control of
French Intelligence This is a list of current and former French intelligence agencies. Currently active *DGSE: Directorate-General for External Security – ''Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure''. It is the military foreign intelligence agency, whi ...
. Kopp himself remained ambivalent about whether working on this technology would actually help the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
but over the next year, he expanded his
Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...
network, whilst simultaneously courting
British Intelligence The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and do ...
. In March 1943, Kopp suspended development of synthetic oil because of the “high risk of the Germans wiping out the Vichy Government”.
MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
, who had been monitoring his activities, decided to use his network on the recommendations of Major
Anthony Blunt Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), styled Sir Anthony Blunt KCVO from 1956 to November 1979, was a leading British art historian and Soviet spy. Blunt was professor of art history at the University of London, dire ...
, who became Kopp’s controller. By June 1943, Kopp had created a new cover role as a consulting engineer for the Vichy Ministry of Industrial Production, allowing him to increase his network of operatives further; in effect, Kopp was a
double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...
from that moment. In August 1943, the
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
arrested one of Kopp’s operatives. The following month, another operative failed to show at a pre-arranged meeting; the noose was tightening. Kopp was given the order to cease operations and a week later, he arrived in London for demobilisation.


Civilian

Kopp initially moved back in with the O’Shaughnessys, where he met Gwen’s sister, Doreen Hunton. MI5 held out some hope for retaining Kopp’s services and helped him to settle, securing work for him as an engineer, arranging his papers and finding him somewhere to live. In February 1944, Kopp moved to a flat in
Canonbury Square Canonbury Square is a garden square in Canonbury, North London. It is bounded by Terraced houses in the United Kingdom, terraces of mostly Georgian architecture, Georgian houses, many of which are listed buildings. The central public gardens con ...
and the following month, he married Doreen, witnessed by his friend George Orwell. A few months later, Orwell and Eileen also moved in to a flat in Canonbury Square a few doors down from the Kopps with their newly adopted son,
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
. Doreen had their first child in February 1945 but the family idyll was shattered a few weeks later when Eileen, who had taken Richard to stay at the Hunton family home in
County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly About North East E ...
, tragically died. After the funeral, Orwell brought his son back to Canonbury Square to stay with the Kopps until he could arrange for a fulltime nurse, and returned to Europe. Kopp moved his family to Toftcombs House in
Biggar, South Lanarkshire Biggar ( gd, Bigear ) is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the Southern Uplands near the River Clyde on the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles. Details The town was once served by the Symington, Biggar a ...
at the end of 1945, a radical change from town life to that of a “gentleman farmer” living in grand style, with a small holding of animals on the estate. He worked as an engineer for a small factory in Edinburgh, but the income was never enough to sustain life at Toftcombs. This was the time when Kopp turned once again to innovation, creating designs and filing patents for a string of innovative creations. Unfortunately, his capacity to invent devices for modern living convenience were not matched by his ability to commercialise them, which inevitably lead to financial difficulty. Over the next few years, Kopp’s family expanded, but he was forced to sell Toftcombs and move to a series of temporary homes, haunted by the promise of contracts for his inventions that never materialised, which were taking a toll on his health. In January 1950, Orwell died. Two months later, Kopp moved his family to France, bolstered by continued promises from potential investors in his designs. Kopp died suddenly in July 1951, arguably doing what engineers love doing best: de-constructing a complex mechanical device. There remains no trace of his grave.Wildemeersch, 2013, ''Op. Cit.'', pp. 106-112.


Notes


References


Sources

* Wildemeersch, Marc, ''George Orwell’s Commander in Spain: The Enigma of Georges Kopp''. Thames River Press, 2013 *
Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...
, George, ''Homage to Catalonia''. Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd., 1938 *
Bowker Bowker is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alan Bowker, Canadian diplomat and educator *Albert H. Bowker (1919–2008), American educator *Aldrich Bowker (1875–1947), American actor * Art Bowker (born 1961), American writer * ...
, Gordon, ''Orwell''. St. Martin's Press, 2003 * Davison, Peter, ''Orwell in Spain''. Penguin, 2001 *
Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...
, Sonia and Ian Angus, ''Orwell - An Age Like This, 1920-1940'', vol. 1. Penguin, 1968


Further reading

* Topp, Sylvia, ''Eileen : the making of George Orwell''. Unbound, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kopp, Georges 1902 births 1951 deaths Engineers from Brussels Belgian people of the Spanish Civil War French military personnel of World War II Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion International Brigades personnel MI5 personnel George Orwell