Kurt Küppers should not be confused with Kurt Küpper.
| Kurt Küppers | |
| Birth Date: | 1894 |
| Allegiance: | Germany |
| Branch: | Aviation |
| Rank: | Leutnant |
| Unit: | Flieger-Abteilung 45, Jagdstaffel 6, Kampfstaffel 14 |
| Commands: | Jagdstaffel 48 |
| Awards: | Iron Cross First Class (which presupposes prior award of the Second Class) |
Leutnant Kurt Küppers was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.[1]
Kurt Küppers was born in 1894, birthplace unknown. An early interest in aviation led him to gain pilot's license No. 492, granted on 22 August 1913.[2]
See also: Aerial victory standards of World War I. Küppers was serving in the Luftstreitkräfte when World War I began. However, his first known assignment was as a pilot of two-seater reconnaissance aircraft in the vicinity of Dunkirk in 1916. After that, he served on the Eastern Front with Flieger-Abteilung (Flier Detachment) 45, a recon unit. Although it goes unmentioned in records, he must have undergone fighter pilot's training, because his next posting was to a fighter squadron, Jagdstaffel 6 (Jasta 6), in March 1917. Between 16 March and 12 July 1917, he scored four aerial victories.[2]
However, in August 1917, Küppers transferred to Kampfstaffel (Tactical Bomber Squadron) 14 as a bomber pilot; there he flew a Gotha bomber to convey his friend Fritz Lorenz on several raids on England. Küppers returned to Jasta 6 in October. He scored his fifth credited aerial victory on 23 November 1917.[2]
On 16 December 1917, he was tasked to form and command a new fighter squadron, Jagdstaffel 48 (Jasta 48). On 6 March 1918, he scored his sixth and final victory. He remained in command of Jasta 48 until he was relieved from combat on 23 August 1918.[2]
Having won the Iron Cross First Class,[3] Kurt Küppers survived World War I to slip into obscurity. He is known to have died on 24 June 1971.[2]