Sopwith F.1 'Camel' F1445 

 

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      ‘The Dark Knight’

Designed in 1916 the prototype finally flew in late February 1917.  Initially ordered by the RNAS, the RFC quickly recognized the potential of the stocky little fighter.  Due to the instantaneous response of the controls, a tendency to spin and the fact that the nose dropped sharply in a right hand turn the F.1/ 2F.1 would kill many novice pilots.  An experienced pilot  giving the machine a measure of respect would find it a capable gun platform in a dogfight. The F.1 was given the nickname “Camel” because of the hump fairing over the Vickers gun breeches.  Standard armament for the F.1 was two .303 Vicker Machine guns. . Engine installations ranged from the 110,130,140  &150 hp rotary types from either Clerget, LeRhône, Gnome, Admiralty & Bentley.

 

This is the Eduard kit #8057.  I replaced the kit Clerget rotary with a modified Atlee resin Monosoupape ‘Gnome’ item.  Simulating the interior rigging with fine wire. Interplane and Cabane struts had fine wire inserted into pre-drilled holes at their ends. The rigging is monofilament.  The tail skid is modified brass. The sight is scratchbuild to match those installed on these aircraft. Otherwise it was built per the instructions. Decals for the national markings are from The ‘Aeromaster’ Fighting Camels Pt. I.. Personal and unit markings are from various sources.

 

This kit is built to represent a Sopwith F.1 ‘Camel’ F1445.  It was first assigned to one fight of the 27th Aero. Around Aug.3 1918 it was sent to USAS depot at  Orly for refit.  Arriving at the 185th Aero at the beginning of Oct. 1918 it was  assigned as the Commander’s aircraft. The 185th Aero was the  only night fighter unit of the AEF in late 1918. Flown by Major Hartney on October 22, 1918 during a night patrol, he fired point blank at a Gotha Bomber.  Hartney’s own account says that ‘...it was after the bomber had been located then lost by the searchlights that he found the machine again when the waist gunner of the Gotha shined a flashlight into the left nacelle to check on the motor’s operation...’  This enabled Hartney to sight in on his target. Several weeks after the war a Gotha was found in a wooded area with its left side nacelle and fuel tank riddled.      

 
            

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