By early 1917, the Royal Flying Corps was being torn apart over the Western Front. British pilots flew outdated aircraft against superior German Albatros D-series fighters. In just one month, over 300 airmen were lost. The average life expectancy of a new pilot at the front was estimated at just 17½ flying hours.

In late February 1917, after the bloody battles of the previous year, the exhausted German army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line—a shorter, stronger defensive front that was easier to hold and required fewer troops. As British patrols followed the retreat, they soon became bogged down by devastated terrain and well-prepared defenses. This new line quickly became the focal point of Allied operations for 1917.

French Commander-in-Chief Robert Nivelle promised to end the stalemate with one massive offensive. His plan called for French forces to attack along the Aisne, while the British and Canadians would strike further north at Arras, Vimy Ridge, and Bullecourt. Air superiority was considered essential. General Hugh Trenchard, commander of the Royal Flying Corps, was a firm believer in offensive air power. He wanted his airmen over enemy lines, not loitering safely behind their own.

When the Battle of Arras began, British guns fired more than 2½ million shells in the preliminary bombardment—over a million more than at the Somme. As troops went “over the top,” a creeping barrage of artillery rolled ahead of them, and the initial results were impressive. Overhead, the RFC was tasked with close air support, reconnaissance, bombing, and artillery spotting. But by spring 1917, many RFC aircraft were showing their age.

Since late 1916, the Germans had enjoyed the upper hand in the air war. The Albatros D-series fighters gave German pilots a clear edge over many contemporary British types. Reconnaissance and bomber crews still flew slow, vulnerable machines like the B.E.2, R.E.8, and F.E.2b—easy prey for the faster, twin-gunned Albatros fighters. Fighter protection was provided by Nieuport 17s and Sopwith Pups, but these lagged behind the German machines in speed and firepower.

Despite this, RFC crews continued their missions. Reconnaissance flights were sent out daily. Pilots and observers carried out artillery spotting, trench photography, and low-level bombing runs, often at slow speeds directly over enemy trenches. It was dangerous work at the best of times. The British refusal to issue parachutes to pilots made survival even less likely. And things were about to get worse.

In March 1917, a new German fighter squadron arrived at the front: Jagdstaffel 11, commanded by a young cavalry officer named Manfred von Richthofen—the Red Baron. Under his leadership, Jasta 11 became one of the most feared units in the sky. Some sources attribute over a third of all British aircraft losses in April 1917 to this single squadron.

German infantry officer Ernst Jünger later recalled, “During these days there was a whole series of dogfights which almost invariably ended in defeat for the British, since it was Richthofen’s squadron they were up against. Often five or six planes in succession would be chased away or shot down in flames.” Heavy casualties created a desperate shortage of RFC pilots. Training programs were shortened, and new recruits were rushed to the front with only the bare minimum of flying hours. Many lasted only a day or two before being killed.

The Germans had drawn their own lessons from earlier reverses in 1916. They reorganized their air service, forming dedicated fighter squadrons—Jastas—led by experienced aces and equipped with Albatros D.III fighters. These units were fewer in number than RFC squadrons but benefited from a defensive strategy. German pilots flew almost exclusively over their own lines. They could choose when and where to attack and, if shot down and lucky enough to survive, usually fell on friendly soil rather than into captivity.

By the end of April 1917, the RFC had lost 245 aircraft with 211 aircrew killed or missing and 108 captured. The German air service lost only 66 aircraft. The British called this period “Bloody April.” It was the lowest point of the war for the Royal Flying Corps. Yet even under horrific losses, the RFC continued to fulfill its mission. Squadrons flew relentlessly throughout the Arras offensive, photographing German positions, directing artillery fire, and bombing targets deep behind enemy lines. Artillery observation proved especially vital, allowing British guns to dominate large sections of the front.

In the end, the British gained about 3½ miles—a modest advance in absolute terms, but the greatest movement since trench warfare began in 1914. That momentum, however, soon faded. German reinforcements arrived, and once again the fighting sank back into static trench warfare, leading to the offensive being called off in mid-May.

The devastating losses of Bloody April made it brutally clear that the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service needed new aircraft—faster, stronger, better armed. Back in England the previous year, at the Sopwith factory in Kingston-upon-Thames, chief designer Herbert Smith had already begun work on such an aircraft: the Sopwith F.1.

The new Sopwith fighter retained a conventional layout for its time: a wire-braced wooden box-girder fuselage, aluminum cowling around the engine, plywood panels around the cockpit, and fabric-covered wings and tail. It was a direct development of his earlier, successful Sopwith Pup. While the two looked similar, their flying characteristics could not have been more different.

The Pup was light, forgiving, and famously easy to fly. British ace James McCudden called it “a remarkably fine machine for general all-round flying… so extremely light and well-surfaced that, after a little practice, one could almost land it on a tennis court.” The new F.1, however—quickly nicknamed the “Big Pup”—was larger, heavier, and far more demanding. It was the first British-designed single-seat scout to enter widespread front-line service with twin synchronized Vickers machine guns mounted in front of the cockpit. A synchronization gear allowed the guns to fire through the rotating propeller without striking the blades. A metal fairing over the breeches prevented freezing at altitude. This humped fairing gave the aircraft its famous name: the Camel.

On December 22nd, 1916, Australian aviation pioneer Harry Hawker flew the first prototype from Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey—then a major hub of British aviation and today home to a museum commemorating its legacy. Unlike the Pup’s docile handling, the Camel was twitchy and unforgiving. Its engine, fuel, and guns were all clustered in the nose. Combined with the rotary engine’s powerful gyroscopic effect, this made the Camel highly unstable. Left turns were sluggish and tended to bring the nose up; right turns could be extremely tight with a noticeable tendency to drop the nose. Many pilots preferred to make a sweeping 270-degree right-hand turn rather than a simple 90-degree left.

The Camel had a top speed of about 113 mph, a range of roughly 300 miles, and a service ceiling around 19,000 feet. It quickly gained a grim reputation among trainees. Its awkward center of gravity, razor-sharp controls, and tricky ground handling caused many crashes on takeoff. If it stalled, it could drop into a vicious spin that was difficult to recover from. For an inexperienced pilot, the Camel could be deadly.

Lieutenant Colonel L.A. Strange of the Central Flying School recalled in Recollections of an Airman: “In spite of the care we took, Camels continually spun down out of control when flown by pupils on their first solos.” To reduce the accident rate, he and Lieutenant Morgan modified several Camels by replacing the main fuel tank with a smaller one, allowing dual controls to be installed. This, along with more structured dual instruction, significantly reduced training fatalities.

Yet the very quirks that made the Camel dangerous in novice hands made it deadly in the hands of an expert. Its instability and ultra-responsive controls gave it extraordinary agility in combat. Pilots joked that flying the Camel offered a choice between a wooden cross (death), a Red Cross (wounds), or a Victoria Cross (heroism). Aviation historian Robert Jackson wrote that in the hands of a novice, the Camel “displayed vicious characteristics that could make it a killer.” But under a firm, skilled pilot, it became “one of the most superb fighting machines ever built.”

The Camel arrived on the Western Front in June 1917. No. 4 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, based at Bray-Dunes just north of Dunkirk, was the first unit to operate it. They wasted no time. On June 5th, Flight Commander Alexander MacDonald Shook recorded the first official Camel victories, shooting down a German Albatros D.III and a two-seater while on patrol over the Belgian coast. These brought his tally to five, making Shook an ace. There are claims of an earlier Camel victory by him on June 4th near Nieuport, but that encounter has no official confirmation.

On June 13th, No. 70 Squadron became the first RFC unit to re-equip with Camels, reaching full operational strength by early July. Based near Arras just behind the front, they saw their first action on the evening of June 27th. Captain Clive Collett, flying Camel B3756, shot down an Albatros D.V over Épehy, marking the first confirmed Camel victory by an RFC pilot. By September, the New Zealand-born Collett had scored 11 kills.

On July 12th, Captain Webb, flying the same Camel B3756, shot down a German reconnaissance aircraft. Five days later, on July 17th, Webb led a patrol of Camels over Belgium and encountered Jasta 11—the Red Baron’s famous squadron. In the ensuing battle, Collett and his fellow Camel pilots used their aircraft’s agility and concentrated firepower to shoot down five German aircraft and seriously wound another pilot. The encounter was a stunning reversal compared to Bloody April only a few months earlier.

Experienced pilots praised Sopwith’s new fighter. Lieutenant Leonard Henry Rochford of 3 Naval Squadron said, “By the middle of July, the Camel had completely replaced our Pups. Although the Pup was a delightful little aeroplane to fly, the Camel was undoubtedly a much superior fighting machine.”

From September 1917 to September 1918, Canadian ace William George Barker, later Wing Commander and Canada’s most decorated serviceman, scored 46 victories in Camels against aircraft and observation balloons. His famous Camel, B6313, is credited with more confirmed kills than any other single aircraft of the war.

By February 1918, 13 squadrons were primarily equipped with Camels. Alongside the RAF S.E.5a and the French SPAD S.XIII, the Camel helped the Allies regain air superiority—at least temporarily. But the Camel’s story wasn’t confined to France. It also played a crucial role in the defense of Britain itself.

Starting in July 1917, the Royal Naval Air Service deployed Camels from Eastchurch and Manston to intercept German bombers, especially Gotha bombers, during daylight raids. As raids increased, the RFC redirected Camel squadrons originally intended for France to home defense duties. By March 1918, the Camel was a mainstay of British defensive units.

When German forces shifted to night bombing, the Camel adapted again. Home defense aircraft were quickly fitted with navigation lights and used as night fighters. Some underwent more extensive modifications: the twin synchronized Vickers guns were replaced by over-wing Lewis guns. This preserved the pilot’s night vision by moving muzzle flashes above his line of sight and allowed the use of incendiary ammunition too hazardous to fire through synchronized guns.

Throughout 1918, Camels intercepted incoming raids with growing success. During the last major air raid on Britain, on the night of May 20–21, 1918, a combined force of 74 Camels and S.E.5s intercepted 28 German Gotha and Zeppelin-Staaken bombers. Three were shot down by fighters, two by anti-aircraft fire, and another lost to engine trouble—the heaviest losses German bombers would suffer in a single operation over England.

At sea, the Sopwith 2F.1 Camel—often called the “Ship’s Camel”—was developed for carrier operations. It had a shorter wingspan and a detachable rear fuselage for easier storage. Many used Bentley BR-series rotary engines, better suited to maritime conditions. Armament changes were common: one of the twin Vickers might be replaced by an over-wing Lewis gun for anti-Zeppelin work.

These naval Camels operated from platforms mounted atop battleship turrets and from early aircraft carriers—notably HMS Furious, which pioneered carrier aviation by launching Camels to intercept airships and conduct reconnaissance. 2F.1s were also launched from “aircraft lighters,” specially modified barges towed at speed by destroyers, allowing fighters to be deployed far beyond the range of land bases.

By mid-1918, however, rapid technological change was catching up with the Camel. New German fighters like the Fokker D.VII exposed its limitations at higher altitudes and in sustained climbs. It couldn’t match the newer designs in overall performance. Still, its robust construction and quick handling kept it relevant in other roles. Increasingly, Camels were used for ground attack. Armed with Cooper bombs and twin Vickers guns, they strafed trenches, supply columns, and troop concentrations. These low-level missions caused heavy damage—but at high cost, as pilots faced intense ground fire and high mechanical stress during steep dives and hard pullouts.

The Camel’s eventual replacement, the Sopwith Snipe, was delayed by technical issues and production bottlenecks. It did not reach the front in significant numbers until the war’s final months. As a result, the Camel remained in front-line service until the Armistice in November 1918—and in some roles beyond that. The RAF officially retired the Camel in 1920, though several foreign air arms continued to use it for training and combat into the 1920s.

Its notoriously tricky handling became, over time, its greatest asset. The Camel was unforgiving and often fatal to rookies, but for skilled pilots it offered exceptional combat performance. In experienced hands, it was lethal—and many Camel pilots became aces. With its humped nose, compact frame, and storied record, the Sopwith Camel became one of the most iconic aircraft of the First World War. Credited with 1,294 confirmed aerial victories, it remains the most successful Allied fighter of the conflict.