Sopwith Triplane Aces of World War 1

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #62

by Norman L.R. Franks, Tony Holmes (Editor), Harry Dempsey (Illustrator)

The inspiration behind the iconic Fokker Dr I, Sopwith's Triplane was built as a replacement for the company's hugely successful, and much loved, Pup. Thanks to its massive wing area, the revolutionary Triplane boasted an unmatched rate of climb and greatly improved manoeuvrability. Indeed, when the type made its combat debut in late 1916, the Triplane could easily out-fight any other aircraft operated by either side. Used exclusively by the Royal Naval Air Service and the French Navy, theTriplane had a far greater impact on the aerial war over the Western Front than its meagre production numbers really deserved. Pilots such as Ray Collishaw, Bob Little and Roderic Dallas all enjoyed success in the bloody struggle for aerial supremacy over the Western Front in 1917. The first volume in print devoted exclusively to Triplane aces, this book includes numerous first-hand accounts, detailed appendices, more than 90 rare photographs and over 40 all-new colour profiles and planforms.

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2004

About the author

Norman Leslie Robert Franks was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II.

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2004, 'Sopwith Triplane Aces of World War 1' is number 62 in the ever popular 'Osprey Aircraft of the Aces' series of military aviation books. This volume looks at aces who flew the Sopwith Triplane, a pleasingly attractive fighter aircraft used by the RNAS and allegedly the inspiration for the Fokker Dr1. The aces detailed are numerous, as the aircraft was an excellent design albeit under-armed. This makes for some fine reading, nicely illustrated throughout, and split midway by the usual several pages of well-captioned colour profile artworks. Just terrific.