What bombers were derived from the Camel and the Snipe in the First World War?

The modified Camel, known as the "TF.1" (trench fighter 1), flew on 15 February 1918. It carried two fixed Lewis guns firing downward and forward at a 45-degree angle, plus a third mounted on the upper wing. The downward-firing guns proved of little use, since they were almost impossible to aim. The TF.1 did not enter production, but the information gained from its trials was used in the design of the Salamander.

Work on a more advanced armoured fighter, conceived as an armoured version of the Sopwith Snipe, began in early 1918. The front part of the fuselage was a box of 605 lb (275 kg) armour plate that formed an integral part of the aircraft's structure and protected the pilot and the fuel system. The new aircraft used the same Bentley BR2 rotary engine as the Snipe, covered by an unarmoured cowling. The armament was changed to a conventional pair of synchronised Vickers guns in front of the cockpit, as on the Snipe, before the first prototype was completed.

The first prototype began flight trials at Brooklands aerodrome on 27 April 1918. A total of 1,400 Salamanders were ordered. Production continued for several months after the Armistice, with at least 497 aircraft completed.