This ‘Images Of War series book under the Greenhill books imprint features rare photographs from veterans collections rather than official war archives and its a great collection of images. The proven format of concise text, supporting a large image collection, is followed, concluding with full colour images from recent photography. – Very Highly Recommended.
NAME: Images Of War, Siege Of Malta 1940-42, Rare Photographs From Veterans' Collections FILE: R3121 AUTHOR: Anthony Rogers PUBLISHER: Greenhill Books, Pen & Sword BINDING: soft back PRICE: £14.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War II, World War 2, Second World War, Mediterranean, Malta, Gibraltar, Malta Convoys, air war, bombing campaign, fighters, 'Faith', 'Hope', 'Charity', Spitfire, Hurricane, Me109, Ju87, Luftwaffe, Italian Air Force, RAF, FAA, coastal forces, submarines, warships, shipyard, Grand Harbour, George Cross Island
ISBN: 1-78438-459-3
PAGES: 161 IMAGE: B3121.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/uxstm8p DESCRIPTION: This 'Images Of War series book under the Greenhill books imprint features rare photographs from veterans collections rather than official war archives and its a great collection of images. The proven format of concise text, supporting a large image collection, is followed, concluding with full colour images from recent photography. – Very Highly Recommended. The Island of Malta is in a unique category. During WWII it was vital to Britain in the Mediterranean campaigns. That made it a prime target for Italian and German aircraft and its waters for Axis warships and submarines. It was a small target area and by many views at the time, it should have quickly fallen to the enemy, cutting Gibraltar off from the RN fleet based in the Eastern Mediterranean at Alexandria. It would also have cut the British supply line through the Suez Canal and would have led to British defeat. That it survived and hosted aircraft, coastal craft and submarines attacking German and Italian supply lines between Italy/Sicily and North Africa was a major triumph. The Maltese civilian population was in a difficult position. Although many loyally supported the British, some had strong connections with Sicily and Italy, leaving them open to pressure from the Fascists via relatives in Axis territory, divided loyalties and in some cases strongly anti-British attitudes. All faced the daily heavy bombardment from the air and a severe shortage of rations and supplies. For the military personnel there was a chronic shortage of everything. The equipment shortages were so serious that every store was searched intensively for anything of use. In this desperate scavenging, three crated Fleet Air Arm Sea Gladiator biplanes were discovered and pressed into service as fighters defending against massed Italian bomber formations. These biplane fighters were named 'Faith', 'Hope', 'Charity' and for a time were THE air defenders of Malta. Equally desperate efforts were made to force convoys through from Gibraltar and Alexandria at great cost, bringing fuel, food, ammunition, military aircraft and supplies. From 1940 to 1942, Malta stood defiant. Uniquely the Island of Malta was awarded the George Cross in addition to the many individual decorations awarded to those serving in Malta. This book is a visual recognition of courage against impossible odds, when Malta became the most bombed place on Earth. Not only did Malta stand against this bombardment, but it became host to aircraft, mosquito craft and submarines that interdicted the vital supply lines to the Afrika Korps and its Italian allies. By sinking supplies of fuel, ammunition and reinforcements to Rommel, the British were able to chase the Axis forces West and then to land an Anglo-American force to trap the Axis troops in a pincer that gave total victory to the Allies in North Africa and began the process of rolling back the Nazis to final defeat.