Editing Sopwith Pup (section)

==Operational history==
[[File:Sopwith Pup side.jpg|thumb|Side view of a Sopwith Pup]]
In May 1916, the RNAS received its first Pups for operational trials with "A" Naval Squadron. The first Pups reached the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in October 1916 with [[No. 208 Squadron RAF|No. 8 Squadron RNAS]], and proved successful, with the squadron's Pups claiming 20 enemy machines destroyed in operations over the [[Battle of the Somme|Somme battlefield]] by the end of the year.<ref name="Bruce Flight p9">Bruce 1954, p. 9.</ref> The first RFC Squadron to re-equip with the Pup was No. [[No. 54 Squadron RAF|54 Squadron]], which arrived in France in December. The Pup quickly proved its superiority over the early [[Fokker D.II|Fokker]], [[Halberstadt D.II|Halberstadt]] and [[Albatros D.II|Albatros]] biplanes. After encountering the Pup in combat, [[Manfred von Richthofen]] said, "We saw at once that the enemy aeroplane was superior to ours."{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

The Pup's light weight and generous wing area gave it a good rate of climb. Agility was enhanced by having ailerons on both wings. The Pup had half the horsepower and armament of the [[German Empire|German]] [[Albatros D.III]], but was much more manoeuvrable, especially over {{cvt|15000|ft}} due to its low [[wing loading]]. Ace [[James McCudden]] stated that "When it came to manoeuvring, the Sopwith [Pup] would turn twice to an Albatros' once ... it was a remarkably fine machine for general all-round flying. It was so extremely light and well surfaced that after a little practice one could almost land it on a tennis court."{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} However, the Pup was also longitudinally unstable.

At the peak of its operational deployment, the Pup equipped only four RNAS squadrons (Nos. 3, 4, 8 and 9), and three RFC squadrons (Nos. 54, 46 and 66). By the spring of 1917, the Pup had been outclassed by the newest German fighters. The RNAS replaced their Pups, first with [[Sopwith Triplane]]s, and then with [[Sopwith Camel]]s. The RFC soldiered on with Pups, despite increasing casualties, until it was possible to replace them with Camels in December 1917.

[[File:SopPup3.jpg|thumb|Pup with 100 hp [[Gnome Monosoupape]] engine]]

===Home Defence duties===
The raids on London by [[Gotha G.IV|Gotha]] bombers in mid-1917 caused far more damage and casualties than the earlier airship raids. The ineffective response by British interceptor units had serious political repercussions. In response, [[No. 66 Squadron RAF|No. 66 Squadron]] was withdrawn to Calais for a short period, and [[No. 46 Squadron RAF|No. 46]] was transferred for several weeks to [[RAF Hornchurch|Sutton's Farm airfield]] near London. Two new Pup squadrons were formed specifically for Home Defence duties, [[No. 112 Squadron RAF|No. 112]] in July, and [[No. 61 Squadron RAF|No. 61]] in August.

The first Pups delivered to Home Defence units utilised the {{cvt|80|hp}} Le Rhône, but subsequent Home Defence Pups standardised on the more powerful {{cvt|100|hp}} [[Gnome Monosoupape]], which provided an improved rate of climb. These aircraft were distinguishable by the addition of vents in the cowling face.<ref name="Bruce Flight p10">Bruce 1954, p. 10.</ref> In 1917, the Admiralty acquired the Sopwith Pup. <ref>{{Cite book |last=Iredale |first=Will |title=The Kamikaze Hunters |publisher=Macmillan |year=2015}}</ref>

===Shipboard use===
[[File:100 years of the RAF MOD 45163717.jpg|thumb|Sqn Cdr E. H. Dunning attempting a landing on HMS ''Furious'' in a Sopwith Pup (August 1917)]]
Sopwith Pups were also used in many pioneering carrier experiments. On 2 August 1917, a Pup flown by Sqn Cdr [[Edwin Harris Dunning]] became the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship, {{HMS|Furious|47|6}}. Dunning was killed on his third landing when the Pup fell over the side of the ship.<ref name="Bruce Flight p11">Bruce 1954, p. 11.</ref> The Pup began operations on the carriers in early 1917; the first aircraft were fitted with skid undercarriages in place of the standard landing gear. Landings utilised a system of deck wires to "trap" the aircraft. Later versions reverted to the normal undercarriage. Pups were used as ship-based fighters on three carriers: {{HMS|Campania|1914|6}}, ''Furious'' and {{HMS|Manxman|1903|2}}. Some other Pups were deployed to cruisers and battleships where they were launched from platforms attached to gun turrets. A Pup flown from a platform on the cruiser {{HMS|Yarmouth|1911|6}} shot down the German [[Zeppelin]] ''L 23'' off the [[Denmark|Danish]] coast on 21 August 1917.<ref name="Bruce Flight p10"/>

The U.S. Navy also employed the Sopwith Pup with Australian pilot [[Edgar Percival]] testing the use of carrier-borne fighters. In 1926, Percival flew a Pup from a platform on turret "B" on the battleship {{USS|Idaho|BB-42|6}} at [[Guantánamo Bay]], Cuba prior to the ship undergoing a major refit that added catapults on the stern.

===Training duties===
The Pup saw extensive use as a trainer. Student pilots completing basic flight training in the [[Avro 504]]k often graduated to the Pup as advanced trainers. The Pup was also used in Fighting School units for instruction in combat techniques. Many training Pups were reserved by senior officers and instructors as their runabouts while a few survived in France as personal or squadron 'hacks' long after the type had been withdrawn from combat.