Thank you to Bruce Herke of Osprey Publishing and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me the opportunity to review this delightful description of the Sopwith Camel. This was a very enjoyable and informative read. I reviewed the book through the eyes of a rank novice (something I seem to be good at) when it comes to World War I aviation. I suspect many of us may have first heard of the Camel as the form-changing doghouse of Snoopy’s fantasies.

This book strikes a very nice balance of good reading and historical data. Design and development, technical specifications and variants, and operation history are covered in separate chapters. Tables of technical and performance specifications are included, along with excellent color renderings of different aircraft markings and armament. There are intriguing descriptions of tandem and monoplane versions along with naval and night fighter operations. The Camel’s predecessor, the Comic, is frequently referred to throughout the book. Purchases by the U. S. Army and Navy are described, and specific references to shipboard launching experiments are made.

I was intrigued to learn that pilots had a love-hate relationship with the Camel’s unforgiving handling characteristics, which apparently could be used to advantage by a skilled flyer in combat. There are very interesting statistics with regard to the invincibility (or so-called invincibility) of the Camel, with 413 pilots killed in action, 307 POWs captured after crashes, and 385 Camel pilots killed in accidents.

I appreciate the reference/reading list and good index contained at the end of the book. I have often found myself frustrated while trying to follow up on photos and other data, and a source listing helps. I don’t have a great deal of prior knowledge of the Sopwith Camel, and the balanced dialogue of the aircraft’s pros and cons is very nice. You will not get detailed drawings and lots of information relevant to model construction, but you will gain a healthy respect and understanding of the Camel. The final paragraph of the book sums up the Sopwith Camel quite nicely. There are considerable debates about which fighter was the supreme fighter of World War I, and that debate is not resolved in this book. However, it is quite clear that the Sopwith Camel was certainly one of the best fighter aircraft of World War One.

Thank you again to Bruce Herke of Osprey Publishing and the IPMS Reviewer Corps! It was fun, and I hope it helps.