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139evocative aspect to the book, as does the inclusion of two excellentpaintings by the well-known aviation artist, Nicolas Trudgian. However,there is much more to this book than a wide selection of excellentillustrations. Jonathan Falconer has, as usual, carried out his research in ameticulous fashion, and the great merit of his book is that it encapsulatesall aspects of the epic Dams Raid in one superbly produced volume.At a time when it seems to be the fashion for modern journalists andhistorians to sit in their comfortable chairs and find fault with operationsthat helped produce the peace that they enjoy, it is appropriate thatJonathan Falconer reminds us of the gallantry and sacrifice of so manyyoung men of the Dam Busters. Although my private library contains allthe other books describing this operation, I suspect that this volume willbe the one I refer to most frequently. It is strongly recommended.Air Cdre Graham PitchforkBritish Built Aircraft %u2013 Vol 2, South West & Central SouthernEngland by Ron Smith. Tempus; 2003. %u00a316.99.As its title suggests, this book is the second in a series, the first ofwhich was reviewed in Journal 29 (qv). The content and presentation aremuch as before %u2013 thumbnail sketches of aircraft manufacturing concernswithin the region, supported by contemporary advertisements andnumerous photographs, including a different picture of the BE2e thatappeared in Vol 1, still masquerading as a BE2c. My main reservation is,as before, to do with the index, which simply isn%u2019t up to the job. Forinstance, the south west is helicopter country and, as one would expect,the narrative dealing with Westlands makes reference to GKN, but GKNdoes not feature in the index. Similarly, appropriate mention is made ofthe activities of British Burnelli, but this is another omission from theindex.Publication of the second volume reveals another problem with thisseries %u2013 duplication. Because the first fifty-odd pages present anhistorical overview of the national aviation industry, they are prettymuch the same as the first fifty pages of Vol 1. There has been a littleadaptation (and the previously noted errors in the table of British aircraftproduced in significant quantities during WW II have been corrected) butit does mean that almost a quarter of the book is much the same as Vol 1.If this pattern is sustained, one is going to have to buy this sameredundant quarter with each new volume, which is bad news for the