Product Description: Responsible for destroying 1294 enemy aircraft between June 1917 and November 1918, the Camel was the most successful fighting scout employed by either side in terms of the sheer number of victories that it scored. The Camel was renowned for its sensitivity and need for skill and experience, and casualties amongst pilots undergoing training on the type were very high. More than 5490 examples were constructed, and this book covers its combat use on the Western Front, in Palestine, on the Italian front, in the Home Defence role in the UK and in Russia.
Dogfighting in a Camel...Jolly, Good Fun! To my mind, the Sopwith Camel was the ultimate British dogfighter of WWI. If novice RAF pilots survived their first flights in the squat, humpbacked Camel - and many didn't - they found the biplane a dogfighter par excellence, possessing tremendous turning capability.
Noted author Norman Franks chronicles Camel aces in this Osprey 'Aircraft of the Aces' book, #52 in the series. Dozens of RAF pilots claimed five or more kills, Camel pilots eventually being credited with over 1,200 victories following its service introduction in May 1917. Some names in Franks' book - 'Billy' Barker, Arthur Cobby, Donald MacLaren and Roy Brown - are well-known; others less so.
Dozens of black & white photos illustrate the text, including some wonderfully atmospheric shots, along with 14 pages of unusually crisp color profiles by Harry Dempsey.
The Camel instilled great confidence in its pilots. You have to smile reading accounts in the book wherein outnumbered Camel pilots fearlessly pitch into gaggles of German fighters, later recalling "we had quite good fun...while it lasted."
If anything, Franks' book could have used a few more pages to tell the Camel story. Given the large number of Camel aces, Osprey would have been well advised to add a few more pages to the book for more combat accounts.
Another delightful title from Norman Franks and from Osprey!
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