The highly anticipated third volume in the story of the 2nd Tactical Air Force is now out and well worth the wait. In line with the earlier volumes, it is a day to day diary of operations held by this British equivalent of the 9th AF.

The 2nd TAF was basically a ground attack organization, mainly because there just weren't that many German planes to be found. Most of the Luftwaffe's focus in the last months of the war was not on the on the western front, but on the Russians, so that is where the bulk of the opposing aviation units were sent. Not that there were not targets for allied aircraft in this area, just that there weren't as many as was hoped for by kill-hungry fighter pilots.

This edition covers the war after Bodenplatte, when 2TAF units were on the move as the ground forces steadily worked their way across Europe and into Germany. These men operated where they could and for the most part, lived and worked in temporary shelters.

The book is full of Spitfires, Tempests, Typhoons and Mosquitos along with a few Mitchells and Havocs. The photos are superb and many have accompanying color profiles to further enhance the pleasure of reading about these aircraft and the men who flew them. You get the now required 'I was there' stories and in depth looks at some of the pilots and missions. I found the section on the operational use of the Gloster Meteor to be most interesting.

As this is the last volume, there are many pages of indices covering a number of subjects, including base operations and an overall set index.

This is a fitting conclusion to an excellent series of books on a part of the war that many have overlooked. It is superbly done and belongs on your bookshelf. I can recommend this one without hesitation.

November 2006

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