Возможно, первый истребитель союзников Sopwith Camel был вершиной развития истребителей того времени. Их было построено около 5450.
This view of an F.1 Camel shows the concentration of pilot, engine and armament around the centre of gravity. With all the heavy bits near the middle, the aircraft was highly manoeuvrable.

Один из самых известных британских истребителей периода Первой мировой войны - Sopwith F. 1 Camel. Самолеты строились большой серией, но принимали участие в боях только на заключительном этапе войны.

Mr A. F. Carlyle’s Sopwith F.1 Camel replica (145-h.p. Warner Super Scarab) G-AWYY/C1701 now based at Old Warden, was demonstrated in public for the first time by Neil Williams on October 31, 1976. Built in 1969 as the Slingsby Type 57 for a Universal Pictures film which never materialised, it joined a flying circus in Virginia, USA, as N1917H. It returned to Britain last May and was overhauled by the Shuttleworth Trust, making its first flight after restoration on October 25. The engine is a 145 h.p. Warner Super Scarab radial.

Leisure Sport's Sopwith Camel C1701 photographed in October 1981

The Slingsby Camel during its flight tests at White Waltham on March 4, 1969.

Tony Harold flying the ex-Leisure Sport Sopwith Camel replica on its last outing from White Waltham on May 30, 1982. It is now owned by the FAA Museum at Yeovilton.

The same aircraft at White Waltham on May 30, 1982 shortly after its last flight.

Leisure Sport’s airworthy Sopwith Camel replica.

Probably the most famous Sopwith aircraft of all, so famous that the Arabs named an animal after it! The Camel was first ordered by the RNAS, in January 1917, and No 4 (Naval) Squadron was operational with the type in June that year.

Sopwith Camel F6456 was flown extensively on trials at RAE Farnborough. This picture, taken in March 1923, shows the aircraft with auxiliary mid-bay flying wires.

The FAA Museum’s newly acquired Camel reproduction following its repaint to represent B6401.

Joe Fall’s last Sopwith Camel ‘Anna’ when he was attached to 9 (Naval) Squadron, RNAS.

Joe Fall in Camel ‘Maude II’.

First World War atmosphere was recreated by Leisure Sport Ltd. at the Queen's Jubilee Air Display at White Waltham 14-15/5/77 by combat between the Warner Scarab-powered Fokker Triplane and Sopwith Camel replicas G-BEFR and G-AWYY, flown by pilots dad in uniforms of the day

A superb study of a new F.1 Camel just as its Clerget rotary fires, blasting a cloud of exhaust smoke and burnt castor oil lubricant fumes into the face of the unfortunate gentleman on its tail. The prop-swinger can be seen ducking away on the extreme left of the picture, while a man in a white overall looks over the shoulder of the chap in the cockpit. Awaiting attention in the background is F.1 B6203 of the third and last Sopwith batch. By far the greater number of Camels were built by sub-contractors.

“Letsie I,” a standard Sopwith F.1 Camel with a 110 h.p. Clerget rotary, outside the Sopwith test depot in 1916.

Another Sopwith Camel flown by Joe Fall when he returned to 9 (Naval) Squadron, late summer 1917.

A standard Clerget-powered F.1 Camel fresh from the factory, the marked dihedral of its lower wings contrasting with the level upper surface. The first F.1 was passed by Sopwith's experimental department on December 22, 1916, and deliveries commenced on May 7 the following year. The name Camel was unofficial, being bestowed on the type by service pilots owing to the accentuated humped fairing over the gun breeches.

Sopwith Camel B6360, shipped to the Aegean in late 1917, was one of twenty handed over to the Greek Government at Mudros in 1918

Sopwith Camels of No 3N Sqn RNAS at Aire/Treizennes in early 1918, with B7275 nearest the camera. Camel B7184 arrived at the squadron on January 14, 1918, and was captured just nine days later; it was from the same production batch, and similarly painted.

Истребители 209-й эскадрильи RAF, апрель-май 1918г.

После Первой мировой войны самолеты Camel стояли на вооружении 17-ти эскадрилий первой линии британских ВВС. На снимке, сделанном в марте 1919 года, самолеты 28-й эскадрильи.

A line-up of 9 (Naval) Squadron Sopwith Camels, showing the different markings applied to each aircraft. Each carries a name underneath the cockpit, none of which are discernible on the original print. Serial number of the first aircraft is B57, which would make it a Clerget-powered 1F1 built by Clayton & Shuttleworth for the RNAS.

More colour schemes, this time on No. 10 (Naval) Squadron's Camels.

A marvellous panoramic view of the Montrose hangars, circa 1917/18. The two machines in the foreground are an Avro 504J, on the left, with a lot of indecipherable writing on its propeller blades, and a Sopwith F.1 Camel; and behind the Avro is a Sopwith Pup with banded interplane struts. Worthy of note in the distance, right of centre, is an extremely long striped windsock, and near its base stands the station ambulance.

Sopwith 1F.1 Camel C8, one of a batch of 200 built by the Nieuport and General Aircraft Co Ltd, is dwarfed by Handley Page O/400 D9703, constructed by Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd of Lincoln.

The best-known aircraft fitted with a Clerget was the Sopwith Camel; the type used Clerget 9Bs and 9Bfs. Other aircraft powered by Clergets included the Sopwith Triplane and 1 1/2 Strutter, Avro 504K and Nieuport 12.
Dick Day's Camel makes a fly-past

Sopwith Camel being launched from the airship R23 during post-war parasite fighter experiments.

Мотор, вооружение, топливо и кабина пилота были размещены на Camel очень компактно, в результате чего самолет обладал очень хорошей маневренностью.

Head-on view of the Clerget-engined Camel, showing the flat top wing and the 54° lower dihedral.

This Sopwith Camel show one of the many colour schemes used by pilots during W.W.1.

This Sopwith Camel "Happy Hawkins" must have been a colourful sight with its gaudily decorated wings and fuselage.

На киле этого "Кэмела" из 9-й эскадрильи изображен портрет популярного комика Джорджа Роби. Точно такой же рисунок был и на брауновском B3893.
Kinkead quickly mastered the tricky Sopwith Camel. This is B3881 of 9 (Naval) Squadron, bearing a cartoon of comedian George Robey on its fin.

Еще одна жертва "Битвы при Ле-Катё" (под этим названием вошел в английскую историографию рейд на аэродром Бюзиньи 18 марта 1918 г): совершивший вынужденную посадку "Кэмел" (сер. №C6720) капитана Лаксмора (рядом с трофеем стоит Ганс Кирш тайн, которому засчитали эту победу)

Канадский летчик Уильям Баркер одержал 52 победы в воздушных боях, летая на истребителе Sopwith F.I Camel. В октябре 1918 года он был награжден Крестом Виктории.
Maj William Barker (27 October 1918).

Истребитель Сопвич "Кэмел" Кубанского дивизиона и английский летчик Сэмюэл Кинкэйд, воеавший совместно с кубанцами на Волге в 1919 году

Английский капитан, инструктор латвийских летчиков, у самолета Сопвич "Кэмел", Рига, апрель 1920г.

This Camel was probably a unit hack, judging by the garish decoration and lack of armament. The photograph was taken at a training establishment on the South Coast. The serial number on the fin is very faint on the original, but appears to be E1430.

Sopwith F1 Camel of the Greek Naval Air Service H2 Flight at Moudros in 1918.

Joe Fall (right, front) in front of a Camel aircraft at the School of Aerial Fighting at Freiston, summer 1918.

Joe Fall pictured with his Sopwith Camel when he returned to 9 (Naval) Squadron, 1917.

Sopwith’s foreman, Jerry, in shirt sleeves, with a visiting “boffin” from Kingston.

Lt Cdr Glaseby, RNAS, Hawker's assistant test pilot.

Mr R. Dallas Brett, OBE, this month’s contributor, took these photographs at Sopwith’s Brooklands test depot in 1917, when he was working there during his school holidays (lucky chap!). He is seen here, aged 16, posing in front of a Clerget-engined F.1 Camel.

Sopwith-built F.1 Camel B3950, last of the second Sopwith-built batch, has an engine run-up prior to testing. Standard armament was a pair of fixed 0.303in Vickers machine guns synchronised to fire between the propeller blades. Because engine, fuel, pilot and armament were all closely grouped at the front, and because of the rotary engine's powerful torque reaction, coarse rudder was required to correct tendencies of the nose to rise in a left-hand turn and drop in a turn to the right. This made the Camel a tricky machine to master, but endowed it with extraordinary combat manoeuvrability.

Сопвич "Кэмел", аэродром Спилве, лето 1920г.

Хотя "Сопвич Кэмел" в конце Первой Мировой войны считался одним из лучших истребителей, в составе ВВС Эстонии эта машина не проявила себя в качестве грозного бойца и использовалась, в основном, исключительно для демонстрации воздушной мощи

Camel B7184 in its new colours after having been acquired by Lt Otto Kissenberth, who, unusually, wore spectacles when flying.

11 августа 1918г.: взлетевший с баржи, буксируемой кораблем "Редут" в Северном море, суб-лейтенант Стюарт Д. Кули сбил немецкий дирижабль L.53.
Culley mounts his Sopwith Camel (11 August 1918).

A Sopwith "Camel" carried on a cruiser. It may be recollected that it was a "Camel" from a cruiser which brought down a Zeppelin.

С палубы корабля "Пегасус" взлетает истребитель Sopwith 2F.1 Camel. Самолет 2F.1 легко отличить от F.1 по установленному в центре верхнего крыла пулемету Lewis.

One of single-seater fighters which beat the "Albatros" and Fokker Triplane was the Sopwith "Camel" with 150 h.p. B.R.1 rotary engine
"The Camel of 1917 ... possessed extreme manoeuvrability"

Самолет Camel разрабатывался фирмой "Sopwith" по собственной инициативе в дополнение к истребителю SE.5a. Он безупречно служил на Западном фронте и стал любимым самолетом многих асов британских ВВС.

Истребитель Sopwith 2F.1 Camel, хорошо виден установленный на верхнем крыле пулемет Lewis. Стандартно на самолетах 2F.1 ставился мотор Bentley.

Морской 2F.1 Camel был вооружен одним пулеметом Vickers, установленным перед летчиком и одним пулеметом Lewis над верхним крылом. Lewis для перезарядки в полете можно было развернуть вниз. На фотографии - Camel ВМС Великобритании, Эдинбург, 1919 год.
Sopwith 2F.1 Camels. The fuselage of this version was constructed in two sections for easy stowage on board naval vessels.

Artistically serialled B2402 is a 1917, Hainault Farm-based Sopwith Camel F.1/3 night fighter (note "blacked-out" markings), with twin Foster gun mountings. Production N.F. Camel F.1/3 built by Royston Proctor.

Following experiences in the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917, in which low-flying aircraft were used extensively for “strafing runs” (leading to a correspondingly high attrition rate), Sopwith developed the sole Camel Trench Fighter (T.F.1), armed with a pair of downward-firing Lewis guns and fitted with armour plating.

Некоторое количество истребителей Camel закупила авиационная служба США, однако уровень подготовки американских летчиков не позволял в большинстве случаев освоить маневренный, но сложный в управлении британский самолет.

Typical Aerial Derby machine: Sopwith "Camel" (130 h.p. "Clerget").

After being re-built by an enthusiast, Cmdr. Frank Tallman, this perfect Sopwith Camel is now flying again in the U.S.A.

"CAMEL-FLAGED": We are indebted to Mr. Grenville G.O. Manton for this photograph of a Sopwith "Camel," until recently his property, which he had modified somewhat. It was fitted with a 40-45 h.p. Anzani engine, and flew quite satisfactorily, though naturally, with a greatly reduced performance.

The one and only taper wing Camel, with single wide-chord interplane struts.

The sole example of the Sopwith F.1/1 taperwing Camel, tested at Martlesham Heath in May 1917. Powered by a 130 h.p. Clerget rotary, its wings tapered from 5ft chord at the centre section to 3ft 6in at the tips, and wide, plank-like interplane struts were fitted. Its performance proved no better than that of the standard Camel, and as the wing would have been more complicated to build it is no surprise that the type was abandoned. A B.E.2e is in the background.

Unarmed Sopwith Pup B2192, built by Whitehead Aircraft Co Ltd, Richmond, Surrey, was the personal aircraft of Major E. L. Foot, MC, of the Gosport School of Special Flying. It was in this aircraft that Maj Foot led a “circus” of Pups in formation aerobatics over the RFC Training Camp at Beaulieu, Hants, on September 7, 1917. Its engine is a 100 h.p. Gnome Monosoupape rotary, with extra cooling louvres in the top of the cowling. The tail of Camel B5157 can be seen behind.

The two-seat Camel trainer was introduced after these flying notes were written.

Bristol Fighters, Sopwith Snipes, a Camel, an S.E.5a, a Fokker D.VII and a Sopwith Scooter await the day's flying at the first Hendon Pageant, 1920.

Somewhat after the style of the camouflage applied to the Navy's Dreadnoughts are these variations painted on the wings of Sopwith Camels.

Fitters hard at work in the engine installation bays at X Aircraft Park. From right to left, the aircraft include an Airco D.H.9 (awaiting its engine), a Nieuport Scout, an S.E.5a, another D.H.9 and a Sopwith F.1 Camel. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force had been formed in March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray.

A Ruston Proctor-built 150 h.p. Clerget 9Bf in the RAF Museum’s Sopwith Camel, F6314, at Hendon. The staggered pushrod entry holes coincide with the two valve cams within the cambox. Note the data stamped on the propeller

AT THE SCHOOLBOYS' EXHIBITION: One of the attractions was a Sopwith "Camel," used in the Great War, compared with a modern Hawker "Fury."