To describe this cadre of Belgians as merely “colorful” would be a profound understatement. We could easily add such descriptives as: legendary, intrepid, undaunted, courageous, adventurous, etc. What follows are profiles of a few Belgian World War I “ace” pilots who made their dynamic presence known in a new kind of military warfare. Consider…
World War I was the first major conflict involving the use of aircraft. Initially ballons like Germany’s Zeppelin Air Ships were used for reconnaissance. These “lighter than air” ships were used to report enemy troop movements and to correct artillery fire. It was not long after the onset of the war that “heavier than air”— namely airplanes—came into military use.
Founded in 1909, the Belgian Air Force is one of the world’s oldest air services. By 1911 the new air force, carrying the name Compagne des Ouvries et Aerostiers established its first military aviation school. The school consisted of five pilots, two mechanics and one airplane given by King Albert. In August 1914 when neutral Belgium was invaded by Germany, this tiny air force was exemplary in that it produced a surprising number military aviators known as “ace” pilots.
Perhaps the best-known “ace” aerial fighter was Willy Coppens (1892-1986)— a man known as the “ballon buster.” To take down a reconnaissance ballon was no easy task. Often ballons were defended by machine gun units onboard and on-the ground. There was also the danger of a hydrogen explosion replete with shrapnel should the airplane get too close. Between April and October 1918 Coppens was credited with destroying 34 German observation ballons and 3 airplanes. In one instance Coppens disabled a ballon but it bounced up beneath his plane and carried his immobile plane skyward. Finally, his aircraft fell off the ballon, Willy was able to restart his plane while the enemy ballon exploded as it fell to the ground. His exploits were so well known that the Germans went to special pains to kill him. On his last mission in West Flanders, Coppens crash-landed, smashing his tibia and severing his artery. He was taken to a nearby hospital where his leg was amputated. But that did not stop Willy. In 1928 after the war Coppens set a parachute jumping record from 19,700 feet (6,00 metres)— a record that stood for many years. In the 1940’s he retired to Switzerland organizing Belgian resistance efforts. In 1930 Willy Coppens was knighted by King Albert.
Outside Antwerp’s International Airport is a statue of Jan Olieslagers ( 1883-1942)—a Belgian motorcycle and aviation pioneer who set records with both types of machinery. In 1902 as a motorcyclist, Jan was the first to go 100km. per hour and was the reigning world champion. By 1909 he turned to aerial aerobatics. At the beginning of WWI, the German government tried to recruit Olieslagers for duty but he dedicated himself to Belgium’s military aviation program. He became the first Belgian to claim an aerial victory when he forced down a German Aviatik. Jan followed with a string of 97 dogfights with 23 victories. In 1917 he fainted while on a mission and crash landed near Les Moeres on the French/Belgian border. He was taken to the hospital in a coma but came out of it a few days later. Known as the man to take it to the Germans, Jan spent his retirement instructing rookie pilots into their entry into the “art of aerial warfare.”
With 511 combat sorties,185 ariel fights, 11 ballon busters, a few crash landings replete with serious wounds, André de Meulemeester certainly ranks as one of Belgium’s most prolific flying aces. Yet it was Andre’s fashionable social circle that has launched him into the pantheon of “colorful figures.” The son and grandson from a long line of Bruges brewers and politicians, Andre married into a family of high government officials. The couple lived in a splendid rococo home along one of the canals in Bruges. So grand was their Bruges home that it was the scene for motion pictures amongst them : L’empreinte du Dieu (or Two Women) and The Nun’s Story with Audrey Hepburn. The de Meulemeester family often hosted many guests of honor including Queen Elisabeth of The Belgians, many Belgian Prime ministers (e.g. Achiel Van Acker, Paul, van Zeeland, Joseph Pholien and many more), papal representatives, presidents of banks and many high-ranking civil servants. The de Meulemeester couple also kept alive the comradeship with the Belgian pilots of the Great War with weekend long dinner parties called Club Mystére.
Fernard Jacquet (1888-1947) was the son of a wealthy landowner and educated at the Royal Military Academy. He qualified as a pilot in 1913. Jacquet flew reconnaissance missions near Namur at the onset of WW I. However, that was not enough action for this aggressive Belgian pilot. He volunteered for special missions where he would increasingly “push the envelope” —-often penetrating deeper into German defenses looking for a fight. When not flying combat missions he made a habit of driving the roads near the front with a mounted machine gun on his automobile. When the Germans invaded Belgium again in World War II Jacquet became an active member of the Belgian Resistance. He was imprisoned at the Hue Fortress where he was held until the war’s end. Fernand Jacquet is the only Belgian pilot to receive the prestigious British Distinguished Flying Cross.
Edmond Thieffry (1892-1929) was born in Etterbeek and studied law in Leuven. Known as “The Flying Judge” Edmond , in his own unique way, married legal skills with aerial combat. At the onset of The Great War, he was conscripted and subsequently captured by the Germans. He escaped on a motorcycle to the neutral territory of The Netherlands. Arrested by Dutch Military Police he used his legal knowledge and his Dutch language skills to talk his way out of internment. He traveled to Antwerp and rejoined the Belgian Air Force. Noted for his exactitude and courage, he crash landed so many aircraft that he was assigned to only single- seat fighters as no one would fly with him. This did not stop Thieffry from gaining official status as an “ace” with many confirmed aerial victories. In February, 1918 he was shot down near Kortrijk and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war in Germany. After the war The Flying Judge continued practicing law but also remained active in aviation. He devised a business plan to inaugurate an air link between Belgium and the Belgian Congo. After getting support from King Albert, he flew the 8,200 km. to Leopoldville—making this flight the first Belgium/Congo air connection. Thieffry returned to a hero’s welcome in Brussels. During his second test flight however, Edmond Thieffry was killed in a crash near Lake Tanganyika in the Congo.
Most would be surprised to know that Herman Göring — yes, that infamous war criminal— earned his military bona-fides as an aerial fighter ace. We might also be surprised to know that the namesake of the French Open ( think tennis), a man named Roland Garros, was a French pilot had who earned the moniker as “the world’s first aerial fighting ace.” Let us not forget Baron von Richthofen, aka the “Red Baron”, who is forever known as “the ace of all aces.” Collectively these men have been popularized to the point as being “modern knights” in a cult of popular heroes. Although the Belgian Air Force was small and struggled to survive against the more powerful German air force, it cannot be denied that Belgium also produced very “colorful cast of characters” !
