Willy Omer François Jean baron Coppens de Houthulst (6 July 1892 – 21 December 1986) was Belgium's leading
fighter ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
and the champion "
balloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...
" of World War I. He was credited with 37 confirmed victories and six probables.
Early life
Coppens was born in
Watermael-Boitsfort
Watermael-Boitsfort () or Watermaal-Bosvoorde () is a residential suburb of the city of Brussels in Belgium, and one of the 19 municipalities which form the Brussels-Capital Region.
The municipality has a total area of of which 58 percent is cov ...
, son of
Omer Coppens, a Belgian impressionistic painter who studied in the
Royal Academy of Ghent. He was conscripted into the army in 1912, to serve with the ''Premiere Regiment Grenadiers''.
World War I
In 1914, following the German invasion of Belgium, Coppens transferred to The Motor Machine Gun Corps. On 6 September 1915, he signed up for flight training in the Compagnie des Aviateurs. Ultimately, due to insufficiencies in Belgian training, he took eight weeks of leave to train to fly. He and 39 other Belgians learned to fly on their own expense in Britain. He received his pilot's certificate on 9 December 1915. After this training in Britain he had further training at the Farman School in
Étampes
Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department.
Étampes, together with the neighboring c ...
, France and joined the ''Sixieme Escradrille'' as a ''sergent 1st class'' (Sergeant First Class) on 8 April 1917 flying BE-2c two seaters. Later that month, he was assigned to ''Quatrieme Escadrille'' to fly a Farman pusher. On 1 May, he received a
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith Strutter was a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronise ...
two seater and promptly flew it into his first aerial combat.
In mid July, he transferred to the single seater fighter unit ''1ère Escadrille de Chasse'' (1st Pursuit Squadron). He received the last remaining
Nieuport 16
The Nieuport 16 C.1 (or Nieuport XVI C.1 in contemporary sources)The C in the designation indicates that it is a ''chasseur'' or fighter, and the 1 indicates the number of crew members. was a French World War I single-seat sesquiplane fighter air ...
in the squadron; everyone else had upgraded to
Nieuport 17
The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier ...
s. When
Hanriot HD.1
The Hanriot HD.1 was a French World War I single-seat fighter aircraft. Rejected for service with French squadrons in favour of the SPAD S.VII, the type was supplied to the Belgian Army′s (Belgian Military Aviation) and the (Military Aviat ...
s were offered to the squadron, he was the only pilot to initially accept one. His enthusiasm for the aircraft type prompted other pilots to also move over to Hanriots.
On 19 August Coppens was promoted to ''Adjutant''. He continued his nervy but unsuccessful combat career against enemy aircraft until 17 March 1918. On that day he carried out his first attack on German observation balloons, as an aid to a ground assault by the Belgian Army. Though handicapped by lack of incendiary ammunition he punctured two balloons, causing the observers to bail out and the balloons to collapse to the ground.
Finally, on 25 April Coppens scored his first victory by downing a Rumpler two seater. On 8 May he finally found his metier, when he shot two balloons down in flames.
A week later, using his usual tactics of close range fire, Coppens cut a balloon loose from its ties. It bounced up beneath him and momentarily carried his Hanriot skyward. After his aircraft fell off the balloon, he restarted its engine and flew back to base. The balloon sagged into an explosion.
Later when on another attack run, he got shot at from a balloon. He parked his plane on top of the damaged balloon, shut down his engine in order to protect its propeller, and waited until the balloon descended to slide off the balloon and fly away.
From then on, Coppens' record was spectacular. Between April and October 1918 he was credited with destroying 34 German
observation balloons and three airplanes, nearly as many victories as Belgium's other five aces combined. Unlike most fighter pilots of World War I, who used .303 caliber or 7.92 mm guns, Coppens used a larger bore 11 mm
Vickers machine gun
The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...
, having upgraded his weaponry prior to June 1918.
In June, he was promoted to ''sous lieutenant'', thus becoming an officer. His royal blue plane with its insignia of a thistle sprig wearing a top hat became so well known that the Germans went to special pains to try to kill him. On 3 August he shot down a balloon booby-trapped with explosives that when detonated from the ground narrowly missed killing him. The flaming wreckage of the balloon "fell swift as doom on the watching
erman Erman Rašiti may refer to:
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* Erman Güraçar (born 1974), Turkish footballer
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staff officers, killing many and injuring the rest".
On his last mission, 14 October, Coppens downed a balloon over
Praatbos and was attacking one over
Torhout
Torhout (; french: Thourout; vls, Toeroet) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Torhout proper, the villages of Wijnendale and Sint-Henricus, and the hamlet of De Dr ...
when he was severely wounded by an incendiary bullet, smashing the tibia of his left leg and severing the artery. Coppens crash landed near
Diksmuide
(; french: Dixmude, ; vls, Diksmude) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke ...
and was taken to hospital, where his leg was amputated.
Coppens achieved all his victories flying a
Hanriot HD.1
The Hanriot HD.1 was a French World War I single-seat fighter aircraft. Rejected for service with French squadrons in favour of the SPAD S.VII, the type was supplied to the Belgian Army′s (Belgian Military Aviation) and the (Military Aviat ...
fighter.
After the war
![Belgian First World War Official Exchange Collection Q65884](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Belgian_First_World_War_Official_Exchange_Collection_Q65884.jpg)
For his wartime service he was knighted, becoming Willy Omer Francois Jean Coppens de Houthulst, for a forest in his squadron's operating area. He was decorated by Belgium, France, Britain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and Serbia. His memoir, ''Days on the Wing'', were published in 1931 and reissued in the 1970s as ''Flying in Flanders''.
Between the two World Wars Coppens was Belgian
air attaché
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
to four nations. In September 1928, despite his disability, he set a parachute jump record by leaping from 19,700 feet (6,005 meters); this record stood for four years. He retired to Switzerland in 1940, organising resistance work and marrying. In the late 1960s he returned to Belgium and lived his last five years with fellow Belgian ace
Jan Olieslagers's only daughter until his death in 1986.
Medals and awards
National
* :
**Created 1st Baron Coppens de Houthulst, in 1960.
**Officer of the
Order of Leopold, with Palm.
**Commander of the
Order of the Crown
**Commander of the
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgi ...
, with swords
**
Croix de Guerre 1914–1918
Croix (French for "cross") may refer to:
Belgium
* Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut
France
* Croix, Nord, in the Nord department
* Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...
with 27 Palms and 13 Bronze Lions
** 2nd class,
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
.
**
Yser Medal
**
Fire Cross 1914–1918
The 1914 – 1918 Fire Cross ( nl, Vuurkruis 1914–1918, french: Croix du Feu 1914–1918) was a Belgian military decoration awarded to all holders of the so-called "Fire Card" which was awarded to all who came under fire at the front during the ...
**
1914-1918 Commemorative War Medal
**
Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918
**
Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal
Foreign
* :
**
Croix de Guerre 1914–1918
Croix (French for "cross") may refer to:
Belgium
* Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut
France
* Croix, Nord, in the Nord department
* Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...
with 2 Palms
**
Commander of the Légion d'honneur
* :
Grand Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
*
Order of Nichan-Iftikhar (Tunisia)
*
Order of the Black Star
The Order of the Black Star (''Ordre de l'Étoile Noire'') was an order of knighthood established on 1 December 1889 at Porto-Novo by Toffa, future king of Dahomey (today the Republic of Benin). Approved and recognised by the French government on ...
(
Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...
)
* :
Order of Isabella the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
* :
**
Officer of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus
**
Silver Medal for Military Valour
**
Croce di Guerra
The War Cross for Military Valor ( it, Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare) is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war.
Appearance
The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscri ...
1914–1918
* :
War Cross with Golden Cross in Palm
*
War Cross (Poland)
*
Knight of the Order of Virtuti Militari (Poland)
*
Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal
*
Officer of the Order of the White Eagle with Swords (Serbia)
* :
**
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
**
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
See also
*
List of World War I aces from Belgium
Although Belgium was neutral as the initial attacks of World War I were launched, it was soon invaded by Germany and partially overrun. The Belgian Air Force had been founded in 1909, and now found itself struggling to survive and expand under the ...
Footnotes
References
* Norman Franks, Russell Guest, & Gregory Alegi (1997). ''Above the War Fronts''. Grub Street, London.
First World War Who's WhoWilly Omer François Jean Coppens de Houthulst, The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War I*Jon Gutman and Harry Dempsey (2005) ''Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 (Aircraft of the Aces)''
*Pieters, Walter M. (1998). ''Above Flanders' Fields''. Grub Street (London).
External links
"theaerodrome.com" a full list of Coppens' victories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coppens, Willy
1892 births
1986 deaths
People from Watermael-Boitsfort
Aviation in World War I
Belgian World War I flying aces
Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Commanders of the Order of Leopold II
Recipients of the Military Cross
Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Knights of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor
Recipients of the Cruz de Guerra
Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor