The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International - Autumn 2016, features a photograph of a captured Sopwith Baby 8153 on the cover. The rear cover features colorful 3-D artwork by Dragan Saler of Serbian aeroplanes in the Balkan Wars with additional detail of the Serbian officers’ cap badges and the flag of the Kingdom of Serbia. If you check out the web site link above, you can get additional sample pics of the current issue.

Cross & Cockade International is a non-profit UK based group known as the First World War Aviation Historical Society that publishes their journal four times a year. They also provide a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front.

This issue kicks off with the conclusion of Stewart K. Taylor’s deep dive into Canadian Sopwith Triplane Pilots of Naval 1 Squadron with Part 2 of “A Little Bit of Heaven…A Little Bit of Hell”. This part focuses on an unpublished personal account by Ed Desbarats of the flying service in WWI. Presented in a diary format, this story provides a unique insight to being a WWI RNAS pilot from Canada. The diary starts with his enlistment and continues with his voyage to England to begin his flight training. After completing advanced flight training, Desbarats sails to France to join 12N Squadron to complete his training before formally joining 1N Squadron on the battlefront. Complemented with photos of 1N Squadron pilots, Combat Reports, and of course Triplanes, this account provides an intimate look into WWI.

Paul Leaman chimes in with his latest in his series of Seaplanes with a short article on a Sopwith Schneider Seaplane and a Sopwith Baby Seaplane. The article includes 5 photographs of the Sopwith Schneider 3717 after its capture along with an Atlas drawing of the seaplane. Three photos of the Sopwith Baby 8153 in German hands round out the article. Boris Ciglić contributes a nice piece on the ‘The Birth of an Air Service’, focusing on early Serbian aviation. This article is supported with 44 black and white photographs and Dragan Saler’s color artwork on the back cover and the back inside cover.

Peter Cowlan returns with an improved perspective that sheds new light on his previous article in CCI 47/1 on the Short Admiralty Type 166 Seaplane.

Trevor Henshaw dives into more detail on ‘Morane Saulnier Aircraft of the RFC on the Western Front’. Although the different Morane Saulnier aircraft are briefly described, the focus is on their operational use with the RFC. Paul Hare supplements his previous article on the Royal Aircraft Factory in ‘R.A.F. to R.A.E. The Latter Days of the ‘Factory’ as the politics of the British establishment continue to rain havoc. Several unique photographs are included, notably several of the prototype F.E.9. A.D. Harvey provides another RAF Air Intelligence Report from October 1918 in ‘Aeronautical Activity in Germany’ providing interesting commentary from the RAF perspective. Mick Davis provides a short photo essay on the 51 Reserve/Training Squadron. The Bookshelf section is a review of WWI aviation specific books and magazines with this issue totaling sixteen.

Topics

• Editorial by Mick Davis
• A Little Bit of Heaven…A Little Bit of Hell, Part 2 by Stewart K. Taylor [Page 47.173]
• Atlas of German and Foreign Seaplanes: The Sopwith Schneider Seaplane by Paul Leaman [Page 47.184]
• The Birth of an Air Service: Serbia: by Boris Ciglić [Page 47.194]
• The Short Type 166 Seaplane: Supplementary details: by Peter Cowlan [Page 47.203]
• Morane Saulnier Aircraft of the RFC on the Western Front, 1914-17: by Trevor Henshaw [Page 47.215]
• R.A.F. to R.A.E. The Latter Days of the ‘Factory’ by Paul Hare [Page 47.224]
• Aeronautical Activity in Germany, RAF Intel Report Oct-1918: commentary by AD Harvey [Page 47.230]
• Logbook: 51 RS/TS Markings by Mick Davis [Page 47.233]
• Fabric: Queries and Feedback by Mick Davis
• Bookshelf
• Serbian Aeroplanes in the Balkan Wars- by Dragan Saler

Its another great issue from Cross & Cockade and I’m quite impressed with the quality. If you are into early/WWI aviation; this journal is an incredible source of information that will have you on the edge of your seat for the next issue. My thanks to Cross & Cockade International and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great issue.

Highly recommended!