What Was The Best British Fighter Of World War One:
Candidate #10 - The Sopwith Triplane
The first great fighter to be flown by the RNAS (predecessor to the Fleet Air Arm), one of only two major triplane fighters to see significant service during any war (the other being the Fokker Dr.1), and legendary as being the mount of the so-called ‘Black Flight’, the Sopwith Triplane was briefly the best British fighter on the western front. Whilst lightly armed and prone to performance issues in a dive, the Triplane could outmaneuver the Albatros D.III and as demonstrated by Raymond Collishaw and his Canadian colleagues, it was a favoured mount for aces. Australia’s two greatest aces of WWI, Robert Little and Stan Dallas, also flew the Sopwith Triplane.
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What Was The Best British Fighter Of World War One:
Candidate #9 - The Sopwith Pup
The Pup (officially known originally as the ‘Scout’) was the first great British fighter and for a period in the middle of World War One was the dominant response from the RFC and RNAS against early German Albatros types. A highly maneuverable yet easy to fly biplane, the Pup was also the first fighter to see ship-launched naval fighter duty in the world. With the advent of later German and Allied fighters from 1917 onwards the Pup was used far less on front line duties, being used more for training and home defence in Britain.
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What Was The Best British Fighter Of World War One:
Candidate #7 - The Sopwith Camel
The Camel is without doubt the iconic Allied biplane of World War One. Responsible for the destruction of more enemy aircraft than any other British or French type during the war, the Sopwith Camel was a highly maneuverable fighter scout. Potentially a problem for the unskilled pilot, it served with the RFC, RNAS and RAF as well as the Allied air forces of Belgium, Russia, Australia and the US. Superseded late in the war by the Sopwith Snipe the Camel would be an understandable winner of this poll for the best British fighter of WWI.
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Trainer Thursday Pic #1
The Avro 504K…standard trainer for RFC/RNAS/RAF pilots during World War One
Servicing a RNAS Sopwith Triplane, Western Front WWI
