This is very good. The working up of Dolphins and Snipes to battle readiness - which means correcting all sorts of niggling malfunctions that should never have been allowed to leave the factory - is a great story, largely from the mouths of the men who had to do it, as the author has been collecting personal reminiscences for years. What a shame they did not arrive earlier in the War, as they were both very advanced aircraft, and the epitome of the progress made in four short years. The book starts with descriptions of the aircraft and goes on to the Aces who flew them. Then a section on Dolphin markings and, for those of us who love them, lots of profiles and scale drawings.

I find the language a bit difficult at times; the idea of 'flaming' a balloon for example, makes me think this book is aimed at the American market, and why not - lots of them were flown by Americans. The author obviously shares my suspicion of claimed victories - as he says, he is always astonished that pilots were able to note the exact time for their combat reports when they were in the middle of a dog fight! This is another excellent Aircraft of the Aces Volume.