(by W.B Bartlett; ISBN 978 1 4456 0382 7; Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4ER; 6½in x 9½in hardback; 320 pages, illustrated; £20.00)

The Dams raid went down as perhaps the most famous air-strike in history. But behind the story of the courage and determination of those who took part there lies another, darker side, both for the aircrew – many of whom died on the mission – and for those who lived below the dams in the path of the flood along the Ruhr Valley. This new account tells the story of those dramatic events through the eyes of those who were there. On reading it, the incredible bravery of those who flew the most dangerous mission they had ever been involved in emerges clearly, but also the trauma experienced by those unlucky enough to be in the path of the floods that followed. Nine of the 16 chapters of this book cover time periods between 2100hr on May 16, 1943, to 1000hr on May 17, 1943, describing the unfolding drama of Operation Chastise.

(by Mark Postlethwaite; ISBN 978 1 906592 05 9; Red Kite, PO Box 223, Walton on Thames, Surrey KT12 3YQ; 8¼in x 11¾in softback; 128 pages, illustrated; £25.00)

First published in 2002, this is a new special edition that cannot simply be described as a reprint. The first edition was very successful and quickly sold out, and in the following years many more good photographs were discovered. Hence this special edition features an extra 32 pages more than the original version, includes a brand new set of colour profiles, and wherever possible the original photos used have been replaced with over 200 new ones. The core of the book is predominantly pictorial coverage of all the more than 60 operational Lancaster squadrons of the Second World War. Each has a panel listing the relevant Group, code letters, dates operated, number of raids, Lancasters lost and general points of interest. Some of the rarely photographed units occupy one page, while others which were often in the press, such as 617 Sqn the “Dam Busters”, take up three pages. There is more information too, including
non-operational and post-war Lancaster units. A very useful reference on the “Lanc”, with lots of information which can be quickly obtained courtesy of the book’s reader-friendly layout.

JARROD COTTER

(by Peter Amos; ISBN 978-0-85130-430-4; Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 41 Penshurst Road, Leigh, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 8HL; 8½in x 12in hardback; 432 pages, illustrated; £47.50 (members £34.50); Optional appendices same size, 400 pages £19.50 – not available separately)

This is the second volume of the author’s comprehensive history of Miles Aircraft and a word of explanation is necessary. All appendices are given with the main volume on a disc, but realising that everyone may not have a PC on which to show them, a decision was made to provide a soft cover book version as listed above. While the book may be ordered alone, the appendices cannot be purchased separately. They amount to 47 and cover many additional aspects including the detailed histories of the Magister, Master and Martinet and other work on which Miles were involved – Halifax bomb doors, Spitfire work, the various X designs and much more, so for a ready-to-hand reference the Appendices section is, I feel, a must (and it is also illustrated).

(by Terry Smith; ISBN 978-0-85130-342-0; Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 41 Penshurst Road, Leigh, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 8HL; 7¼in x 9½in hardback; 944 pages, no illustrations; £37.50 (or £26.50 to Air-Britain members)

IT SEEMS HARD to believe that turboprop airliners have been around for more than 60 years, the Viscount leading the field followed by the Herald and Friendship. This two-volume set – part 1 production lists and part 2 master indices – covers all types alphabetically from the beginning. So for example the first entry is the Aeritalia/Fiat/Alenia G.222/C-27J Spartan from the first aircraft c/n 4001 to the most recent, 4172, giving model, operator and identities, while the last is the Yunshuji/Avic II Y-7/MA60, not the most well-known type! In between are all the other types, particularly useful if you want to know how many have been built, for instance the GAF Nomad, and if production has been completed, in this case it has and the number is 170.
You will find all the Hercules here, Russian types and even a few experimental types such as the Aeroprogress T-101, Aerospacelines Guppy, Ahrens AR-404, ATL Accountant and Br 940/941 to name a few. Also included are turboprop conversions from piston power, such as the Basler and other turboprop DC-3s. A number of types and designations may not be so well-known, such as the EMB-111 Bandeirulha, a version of the EMB-110 Bandeirante for the Chilean Navy. Detailed explanatory notes guide readers through such items as the complexity of Russian c/ns – a study in itself!