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Sopwith Snipe

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Template:Infobox Aircraft The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF), designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War and was arguably the definitive fighter of the Allied side by the end of the First World War.

Design and development

The Snipe was designed in 1917 by Herbert Smith, the chief designer of the Sopwith Company. It was intended to be the replacement for Sopwith's most famous aeroplane, the Sopwith Camel, which had performed remarkably well during the First World War since it had entered service in 1917, and gained fame for its exploits during the war. The Snipe began production in 1918, with more than 4,500 being ordered. Prototype Snipes had a number of minor technical problems which were rectified by Sopwith. In March 1918, an example was successfully evaluated by No.1 Aeroplane Supply Depot (No.1 ASD). Lieutenant L N Hollinghurst (later to become an Ace on Sopwith Dolphins and then an Air Chief Marshal) flew to 24000 ft in 45 minutes. The aircraft entered full service that year, the last year of the war, and first joined No. 43 Squadron RAF. The Snipe also saw service with No. 4 Australian Flying Corps (AFC) from October 1918 and No. 208 Squadron RAF converted from Camels in November, too late for the Snipes to see action. Post-WW1, the aircraft was in use with the Canadian Air Force (CAF), but ended service with the Canadians in 1923, a year before the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was formed.

The Snipe's structure gave far better visibility for the pilot in the cockpit compared to the Camel. Although not a fast aircraft for 1918, it was very maneuverable, and much easier to handle than the Camel. The Snipe also had a superior rate of climb, and much better high-altitude performance compared to its predecessor allowing it to fight Germany's newer fighters on more equal terms. Further modifications were made to the Snipe during the war and post-war. The Snipe was built around a single Bentley BR.2 rotary engine though its origins in the Camel design was still quite evident. It had a max speed of 121 mph compared with the Camel's 115 mph (185 km/h) and an endurance of three hours. Its armament consisted of two forward 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns and was also able to be armed with up to four 25 lb (11 kg) bombs, identical to the Camel's armament.

Operational history

Sopwith Snipe

The Snipe entered operational service near the end of the First World War yet it would prove to be a potent fighter despite its brief involvement in the war, performing a variety of duties. One of the most famous incidents in which the Snipe was involved, occurred on 27 October 1918 when Canadian Major William George Barker from No. 201 Squadron RAF, a veteran combat pilot and decorated multi-victory ace, was flying over the Forêt de Mormalin France.

Barker's Snipe (No. E8102) had been brought with him for personal evaluation purposes in connection with his UK-based training duties and was therefore operationally a "one-off". The engagement with enemy aircraft occured at the end of a two-week posting to renew his combat experience as Barker was returning to the UK. While on his last operation over the battlefields of France, Major Barker attacked a two-seater German aircraft and swiftly shot it down. However, Barker was soon attacked by a Fokker D.VII, which after some resistance, was shot down by the Canadian. Major Barker, by himself, was subsequently attacked by about 60 German Fokker D.VIIs in formation, an aircraft that was widely considered to be the ultimate German fighter design of the First World War. In the engagement, Barker was wounded three times, losing consciousness momentarily on each occasion. The ensuing melee was observed by hundreds of thousands of Allied troops. The final combat report of the incident (not written by Barker, due to his injuries) lists claims for three enemy aircraft (although four are referred to in the citation for his Victoria Cross). Barker managed to return to British lines safely where he crashed his Snipe.

The Snipe gained a significant number of combat victories in its short operational history during the war. In 1919, the Snipe also took part in the Allied intervention on the side of the White Russians during the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks. A small number of RAF Snipes were actually captured by the Bolsheviks and pressed into service. The production of the Snipe ended in 1919, with just under 500 being built, the rest were cancelled due to the wide-ranging postwar cuts imposed on the British armed forces. Selected as the standard postwar single-seat fighter of the RAF, the last Snipes were retired by that service in 1926.

Production

There was only one variant the Snipe Mk I , but production was by several companies including Sopwith, Boulton & Paul Ltd, Coventry Ordnance Works, Napier, Nieuport and Rushton Proctor & Co Ltd.

Operators

 Australia
 Canada
 United Kingdom

Specifications (Snipe)

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General characteristics

  • Crew: 1

Performance

  • Endurance: 3 hours
  • Time to altitude: 9 min 25 sec to 10,000 ft (3,050 m) Armament

    References

    • Franks, Norman. Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I (Aircraft of the Aces). London: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-317-9.

    External links

    Related content

    Related development Sopwith Salamander

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