The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult to handle, to an experienced pilot it provided unmatched maneuverability. A superlative fighter, the Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the war. Near the end of the conflict, it also served as a ground-attack aircraft.

The Camel has frequently appeared in literature and popular media. One example is the "plane" represented by Snoopy's doghouse in the Peanuts comic strip, when he imagines himself as a World War I flying ace and the nemesis of the Red Baron.

Source: Wikipedia, "Sopwith Camel", available under the CC-BY-SA License.

As Described In

Red Baron: The Camel's exceptional maneuverability makes it the best dogfighter of the war. However, it's a tricky plane to fly, and novices should avoid it.

Knights of the Sky: The Sopwith Camel has the distinction of having destroyed more enemy aircraft than any other Allied type. The successor of the Pup and Tripe, the Camel had none of the easy handling that its predecessors had. It had a very heavy 130 horsepower engine acting like a huge gyroscope; it could out-tum any German fighter (with the possible exception of the Fokker Triplane). The nickname comes from its slightly hump-backed appearance created by the cowling over the twin Vickers machine guns in its nose.