The Sopwith Camel F1 was the Allies premier fighter in WWI. If the pilot was experienced and adept at flying he could usually master the quirks of the Camel, if not, the pilot in training frequently died. It was a very powerful aircraft powered by a rotary engine. The power and torque generated by the engine coupled with the masses of the motor, the pilot, guns, ammo and fuel in one small area gave the Camel a very tight turning radius to the right. Taking off was hazardous as the pilot had to apply considerable left rudder and aileron to avoid torquing the airplane into the ground once it took off. The Camel was a match for the German triplane at turning to the right, so an experienced Allied pilot could whip the Camel to the right and come onto the tail of even a Fokker Dridecker. It was said that some pilots made a 270 degree right turn rather than a left turn as it was quicker that way. The Camel and the SE5a spelled the end of the Germans in the air, even in their new Fokker DVIIs. There were just too many Camels and SE5as. Baron von Richthofen was shot down in his Dr.III probably by A.R. Brown flying a Camel. It was also employed as a carrier aircraft, in the smaller 2F.1 version. The 2.F1 was also used a "parasite" fighter suspended from and dropped by airships.

Technical Details
The Camel F1 was powered by the 95kW Clerget 9B rotary engine. It had a maximum speed of 113 mph (182 km/h), with a ceiling of 19,000 ft (5800 m). It was armed with two belt-fed Vickers 0.303 machine guns. Pilots flying Camels accounted for more Axis planes shot down than in any other aircraft.

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Image from: E. Parks, Fighters. The World's Great Aces and Their Planes. Permission to be requested.