Willy Coppens
| Willy Omer Francois Jean Coppens | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
6 July 1892 Watermael-Boitsfort, Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | 21 December 1986 (aged 94) De Panne, West Flanders, Belgium |
| Allegiance | Belgium |
| Service/branch | Grenadiers, Compagnie des Aviateurs |
| Years of service | 1912–1940 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 2nd Grenadiers, 1ère Escadrille de Chasse, 9ème Escadrille de Chasse, Escadrilles (Squadrons) 4, 6 |
| Awards | Order of Leopold II, Order of the Crown, Belgian Croix de Guerre, French Legion d'Honneur, Serbian Order of the White Eagle, British Distinguished Service Order, British Military Cross, French Croix de Guerre |
Willy Omer Francois Jean baron Coppens de Houthulst (6 July 1892 – 21 December 1986) was Belgium's leading fighter ace and the champion "balloon buster" of World War I. He was credited with 37 confirmed victories and six probables.
Coppens was born in Watermael-Boitsfort, son of Omer Coppens a Belgina impressionistic painter that studied in the Royal Academy of Ghent. He was conscripted into the army in 1912, to serve with the Premiere Regiment Grenadiers.
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, 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 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 in the squadron; everyone else had upgraded to Nieuport 17s. When Hanriot HD.1s 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.
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