Days On The Wing
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: No dust jacket - cloth/board in good condition
Pages: Good
In the blood-soaked skies above the Western Front, one pilot rose above all others to become Belgium's greatest ace of the First World War — Days on the Wing is his extraordinary story. Written by Willy Coppens de Houthulst, the memoir chronicles the breathtaking combat career of a man who claimed 37 confirmed aerial victories, specialising in the daring and dangerous art of attacking enemy observation balloons, earning him the legendary title The Balloon Buster. Translated by A. J. Insall and republished by Arno Press in 1980, this gripping first-hand account presents the visceral reality of early aviation warfare with the intimacy and authority of a man who lived it. Beyond the dogfights and death-defying missions, the narrative illustrates the profound courage and ingenuity demanded of pilots in an era when aircraft were fragile and tactics were written in real time with devastating consequence. Coppens writes with an unadorned clarity that makes the danger feel immediate and the camaraderie deeply human, situating his personal odyssey within the broader tragedy of a world at war. For historians, aviation enthusiasts, and readers drawn to tales of exceptional individual valour, this rare memoir remains a vital and compelling document of the Great War's aerial theatre — one that leaves the reader wondering how any man flew into those skies and came back at all.
Author: Willy Coppens De Houthulst
Format: Hardback
Published: 1980, Arno Press (A New York Times Company)
Genre: WW1
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: No dust jacket - cloth/board in good condition
Pages: Good
In the blood-soaked skies above the Western Front, one pilot rose above all others to become Belgium's greatest ace of the First World War — Days on the Wing is his extraordinary story. Written by Willy Coppens de Houthulst, the memoir chronicles the breathtaking combat career of a man who claimed 37 confirmed aerial victories, specialising in the daring and dangerous art of attacking enemy observation balloons, earning him the legendary title The Balloon Buster. Translated by A. J. Insall and republished by Arno Press in 1980, this gripping first-hand account presents the visceral reality of early aviation warfare with the intimacy and authority of a man who lived it. Beyond the dogfights and death-defying missions, the narrative illustrates the profound courage and ingenuity demanded of pilots in an era when aircraft were fragile and tactics were written in real time with devastating consequence. Coppens writes with an unadorned clarity that makes the danger feel immediate and the camaraderie deeply human, situating his personal odyssey within the broader tragedy of a world at war. For historians, aviation enthusiasts, and readers drawn to tales of exceptional individual valour, this rare memoir remains a vital and compelling document of the Great War's aerial theatre — one that leaves the reader wondering how any man flew into those skies and came back at all.