Marking the 40th year of continuous publication, the Spring 2025 issue opens with Robert Tholl’s vivid account of 1st Lt. Miner C. Markham’s service with the 99th Aero Squadron, drawn from the pilot’s own memoirs. Steven Suddaby continues his series on German bombing operations, this time focusing on the Eastern Front. Thomas F. Margiotti reflects on American pilots whose wartime experiences shaped postwar aviation. Michael O’Neal details the Golden Age Air Museum’s SPAD XIII replica honoring Lt. Paul Baer, and also recounts the loss and repatriation of Major Harry B. Anderson. The issue concludes with Peter Kilduff’s “Between the Bookends,” reviewing recent publications on WWI aviation.
Steve Suddaby has more than generously provided us with his research on bombing missions during World War I, initially for Allied operations over the Western front, and now for over 1700 German bombing raids. He has also prepared a database and timeline of German raids during the first battle of Britain, and is offering us over 300 World War I-era maps. This wealth of information can be found here.
We're reducing the price of all available back issues prior to Volume 36, and to back volumes for Volumes 32-35 (the complete Volume 31 is no longer available). These are the original issues of Over The Front, not the Amazon reprints. All back issues up to Volume 35 No. 4 (Winter 2020) are now $10 (plus shipping outside the US). Complete volumes, if available, from 2005 through 2020 are all now $40; complete volumes from before 2005 remain at $20 a volume, again plus shipping outside the US. Back volumes and issues for 2021 and later remain $60/volume and $20/issue (plus shipping if outside the US).
We are pleased to announce preliminary plans for the upcoming League of World War I Aviation Historians Seminar, scheduled for Fall 2025. While final details, including the venue and exact dates, are still under review by the board, we are preparing for another engaging and informative event. For further details, including about submitting papers, see the article at https://overthefront.com/about/otf-seminars
We open with Christophe Cony’s look at some of the captured German aircraft, as exhibited in Paris in 1918. Carl Bobrow then introduces us to early German motion picture pioneer Oskar Messter, who was also a pioneer in developing roll-film cameras for military reconnaissance work. One day in Flanders during October 1918 is the topic of Walter Pieters and Alain Van Geeteruyen’s article, and Steven Suddaby begins a multi-part series on German bombing missions on mainland Europe. The issue wraps up with Peter Kilduff’s look at some of the newest books bearing on World War aviation.
Our biennial seminar brings together historians, researchers, and enthusiasts dedicated to the study of World War I aviation. Attendees can expect a comprehensive program featuring presentations from leading experts, insightful discussions, and valuable networking opportunities.
