Sopwith Camel

History

Although the Sopwith Camel (officially the Sopwith Biplane F. 1) was designed as a replacement for the Sopwith puppies, the camel is actually an evolution of the type. The single-seat biplane was a decisive blow to the Allied air campaign and entered service in large numbers by the end of February 1918. The aircraft participated in what was considered to be the largest aerial battle of the war in November of the same year.

By the end of the war, camels were the main combatants of the British wars and would gain a respected presence in popular culture for decades to come.

The Camel prototype was equipped with a 110 hp Clerget 9Z engine. The first flight took place at Brookland in February 1917, paving the way for a pre-production batch of the F. 1/3.

The Camel was deployed on the front lines in June 1917 and immediately achieved its first aerial victory??, defeating stunned German pilots who, unfortunately, found themselves encountering capable pilots under Camel control. The main production model became the Camel F.1 (the official name Sopwith Biplane F.1 was largely ignored).

In configuration, the camel has staggered isometric wings (with a V-shape in the lower part), with only one pair of parallel support struts. The design consisted of a substructure made primarily of cloth-covered wood with a light-alloy skin over the forward fuselage near the engine.

The pilot sits under the wing on the stern. In fact, all major systems were intentionally placed within the forward 7 feet of the fuselage, including the main landing gear, engines, wings, weapons and pilots.

The weapon consists of 2 x 7.7mm Vickers machine guns fired through the propellers through broken gears (i.e. synchronised). The word "camel" comes from the hump formed by the fairing on the breeches of these gun installations.

Power for the F.1 model comes from a Clerget 9B 9-cylinder rotating 130-horsepower engine, capable of reaching speeds of 115 mph, a top speed of over 20,000 feet per hour, and a range of 300 miles.

In practice, camels proved so difficult to fly, especially for inexperienced pilots, that it gained notoriety for killing unskilled pilots. The powerful gyroscopic effect of the Clerget engine, combined with the forward shift of the center of gravity, seems to have forced the Camel pilot to earn the respect of the aircraft. Conversely, the same torque and forward positioning of all major systems improved maneuverability over contemporaneous systems to the point that camel pilots could rely on responsive right turns almost at will. The natural torque produced by her engine allows the pilot to achieve quicker turns, using that power to his advantage in tight dogfights. However, this plane is known for having a particularly violent spin effect when stalling, no doubt due to the same torque effect.

During production, a number of engines were found on Camels, including the Clerget type as well as the Bentley BR1, Gnome Monosoupape and Le Rhone 9J series.

In the end, the Sopwith Camel is thought to have destroyed nearly 1,300 enemy aircraft (some sources say it was as high as 3,000), making it the most successful Allied aircraft of the war. Despite its success as an air fighter, the Camel - like most other aircraft designs in the War of 1917 - slowly withdrew from regular use as a dedicated air fighter against a new generation of aircraft. As a result, the Camel saw its last days as a ground attack platform, and for this it fulfilled that role particularly well.

And the Germans fielded the equally effective Halberstadt CL. As the character's IV model, the camels were equally deadly to advancing enemy formations - noting their participation in the German offensive in March 1918, which was actually Germany's "last breath".

Camels served in World War I until the last days of the conflict and the signing of the armistice. Several forms have somehow survived in the postwar world.

Variants other than the main production model F.1 include the 2F. 1. A navalized camel with a short wingspan, foldable wings, a removable tail for easy storage, only a synchronised 7.7mm Vickers machine gun, and a 7.7mm Lewis machine gun on the upper wing.

These are usually powered by a Bentley BR1 engine. As the Sopwith Camel "Cartoon", a night fighter armed with two Lewis machine guns appeared on the upper wing and excelled in home defense against German Gotha bombers.

A more interesting design alternative appears in the proposed T.F.1 "Trench Fighter" - a dedicated ground attack model with a 7.7mm down-sloping machine gun firing through the cockpit floor (a more natural weapon arrangement, for engaging ground targets, especially those that are too pitted). In this design, some armor is designated to protect the pilot and engines, important attributes to consider at low altitudes where small arms fire inevitably comes into play.

Canadian Roy Brown piloted his Sopwith Camel on April 21, 1918, and was officially credited with shooting down legendary German ace Manfred von Richthofen (the "Red Baron" himself). Despite official acknowledgments, recent research on the subject suggests that Richthofen was indeed shot down by ground fire, and several other names may have contributed to his eventual death.

Nearly 5,500 Sopwith Camel biplanes were produced.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes