After some discussion, Winston Churchill convinced the British War Cabinet that no concessions should be made. The RAF was, however, making life difficult for the German submarines, which had to pass by the British naval and air base at Gibraltar to reach the contested waters. [112] No. Rommel could now look forward to offensive operations with the support of the Luftwaffe in North Africa. [77] Geisler, commanding the remnants of Fliegerkorps X, could only count upon mine-laying aircraft from Kampfgeschwader 4 (KG 4) and Ju 87s in night operations. [79], On 1 June, Air Vice Marshal Forster Maynard, Malta's Air Officer Commanding, was replaced by Air Commodore Hugh Lloyd. During World War II Malta was in a pivotal position. Small numbers of reinforcements arrived; five at the beginning of March, another six on the 18th. On 23 January she slipped out of Grand Harbour, and arrived in Alexandria two days later. In addition 111 churches, 50 hospitals, institutions or colleges, 36 theatres, clubs, government offices, banks, factories, flour mills and other commercial buildings suffered destruction or damage — a total of 30,000 buildings in all. The vast flight deck offered a target of 6,500 square metres. The Regia Aeronautica began the aerial bombardment of the island. After the bombing of HMS Illustrious, most of the civilians moved out to safer surroundings. Certainly bringing in more supplies would have made greater strategic sense, before risking going on to the offensive and thus in turn risking the wrath of the enemy. In 1947 self-government was introduced. They could not offer the air support Rommel needed at the frontline. One notable loss was the Geschwaderkommodore of KG 77, Arved Crüger. Of the 73,991 men sent by sea, 71,881 (97 per cent), arrived in Africa. Clothing was also hard to come by. Amongst the most congested spots was Valletta, the capital and political, military and commercial centre. [157] Out of the 14 merchant ships sent, nine were sunk. Kesselring handed over Luftwaffe fuel to Rommel, but this merely denied the German air units the means to protect the ground forces, thereby increasing the effectiveness of British air superiority over the frontline. [120], The British Navy and Air Commanders, as well as Governor Dobbie, argued for modern aircraft, particularly the Spitfire, to be sent to Malta. [21] Such a turn of events would have split the area in two and the British could not have transported supplies between their strongholds in the east and west without severe danger. This formation was to interdict Axis convoys. [74], During the first four months of German operations, the Luftwaffe had dropped 2,500 tons of high explosives on Malta. Now, with improved radar and quicker take off times (two to three minutes) and improved air-sea rescue, this became possible. [98], In concert with Royal Navy submarines, the RAF and FAA sank 108 Axis ships (300,000 grt) between June and September. Most aircraft were clustered together on open runways, presenting tempting targets. On 16 Oct, the medical officer from RAF Kalafrana examined No 5166 Pino Armando who had sustained a colles fracture. A constitution was prepared. On 21 May, the force was sent to join the Battle of Crete. Nevertheless, the operation was vital in bringing in much-needed war materials and supplies. The ships were named the Santa Marija Convoy because the 15th August is the religious feast of the Virgin Mary.In 1943, Malta was one of the launch pads for the Allied invasion of Sicily and later push into Italy. Malta was bombed more heavily in 1942 than the whole blitz of London. An urgent supply convoy from Gibraltar to Alexandria (Operation Tiger) coincided with reinforcements for the Mediterranean Fleet, two small convoys from Egypt to Malta, and 48 more Hurricanes flew off HMS Ark Royal and Furious in Operation Splice. Malta was a significant military and naval fortress, being the only Allied base between Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt. your own Pins on Pinterest Dönitz argued that he did not have the resources to protect the convoy, though the escort of the ship exceeded that which the Allies could have afforded to give a large convoy in the Atlantic at that point in the war. The mounting shipping supply losses affected Geisler's ability to support Erwin Rommel and his forces, which caused tension between the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe. Ten Italian SM 79s had drawn off the carrier's Fairey Fulmar fighters while the escorting cruiser HMS Bonaventure sank the Italian torpedo boat Vega. The last air raid over Malta occurred on 20 July 1943. The second was Hitler himself. On 10 May 1942, the Axis lost 65 aircraft destroyed or damaged in large air battles over the island. [16], While there were concerns that the island, far from Britain and near Italy, could not be defended, the British decided in July 1939 to increase the number of anti-aircraft guns and fighters on Malta. On 11 and 17 August and 24 October 1942, under the respective actions, Operation Bellows, Operation Baritone and Operation Train, it brought another 85 Spitfires to Malta. [81] This was achieved using 170-gallon ferry tanks. In response to the threat Malta was now posing to Axis supply lines, the Luftwaffe renewed its attacks on Malta in October 1942. The Axis organised a convoy to relieve the difficulties. The two main fighter squadrons, No. Dimensions. Then, USS Wasp and HMS Eagle despatched 47 more aircraft (Operation Calendar) on 13 April 1942. In return the Islands were under constant attack, in a game of return fire. In June, Hitler attacked the Soviet Union under Operation Barbarossa. Mines sank another 179 ships of 214,109 long tons (217,545 t) in total. [94] In September 1941, No. You can see 'Faith', now restored, in the National War Museum, Fort St. Elmo, Valletta. FLEET AIR ARM, MALTA 1943, SQUADRON 828 Sub Lt. W.A.Forster In 1943, I was posted to an operational unit 828 Squadron, Halfar,Malta, as an Observer-Airgunner. The reluctance of the Italians to act throughout 1940 was strengthened by the Battle of Taranto, in which the Italian surface fleet was severely damaged by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It had a population of around 250,000 in June 1940,[14] all but three or four per cent of them native Maltese. The Maltese Islands went through a golden Neolithic period, the remains .... Malta has often been called the ‘Fortress Island' due to the great mass of military architecture that can be seen everywhere. Around 180 German and 300 Italian aircraft would carry out the directive. [181] On 16 October, it was clear to Kesselring that the defenders were too strong. [178] HMS Furious also delivered many Spitfires. [109] The damaged Kandahar was scuttled the next day by the destroyer HMS Jaguar. [99] In October, 18,800 tons of Axis shipping was sunk. Below is a table charting Axis losses in shipping to Libya, June 1940–January 1943: This article is about the Siege of Malta during World War II. Malta was one of the most intensively bombed areas during the war. By 15 December, half of these vessels were either in the Mediterranean, or on their way to the Theatre. Lascaris War Rooms: Turning the clock back to 1943... - See 3,929 traveler reviews, 1,568 candid photos, and great deals for Valletta, Malta, at Tripadvisor. [36] The Wellingtons arrived in October, from No. RAF and Royal Navy anti-shipping squadrons and submarines posed a significant threat to Axis supply and communications between Europe and North Africa, and both sides soon recognised the importance of Malta in controlling the Mediterranean. At the time of these first air raids, the defending fighters on Malta consisted of obsolete Gloster Sea Gladiators, in the Hal Far Fighter Flight. Within hours, the first bombs had dropped on Malta. Some 60% of Axis shipping was sunk in the second half of 1941. The Bf 109F was more than a match for the outdated Hawker Hurricanes. There were three fundamental reasons for this. In February 1941, the Deutsches Afrikakorps (German Africa Corps, or DAK) commanded by Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) Erwin Rommel was sent to North Africa to prevent an Axis rout. By the end of May 1942, Kesselring's forces had been reduced to just 13 serviceable reconnaissance aircraft, six Bf 110s, 30 Bf 109s and 34 bombers (mostly Ju 88s): a total of 83 compared with several hundred aircraft two months earlier. [42] On 14 January 1941, U Class submarines arrived, and the submarine offensive began in earnest. [91], Besides preparing for offensive operations and reinforcing the RAF on the island, Lloyd also rectified many of the deficiencies. 450 SQUADRON RAAF PREPARE KITTYHAWK FIGHTER BOMBER AIRCRAFT FOR OPERATIONS SUPPORTING THE INVASION OF SICILY. [97] No. They had successes, but suffered heavy losses when they began operations on 20 September 1940. [116] The pressure increased and in January the RAF lost 50 Hurricanes on the ground and another eight shot down in combat. On the night of 15/16 April 1941 Axis ships were intercepted by Commander P.J. The third was to attack the bombers head-on. [43], German intervention over Malta was more a result of the Italian defeats in North Africa than Italian failures to deal with the island. Particularly during the Siege of Malta from 1941 to 1943, RAF Luqa was a very important base for British Commonwealth forces fighting against Italy and Germany for naval control of the Mediterranean and for ground control of North Africa. The British had only a few only a few dighters on the Island when Italy declared War. GROUND CREWS OF NO. [113] Actual Axis losses amounted to 135 bombers (80 German) and 56 fighters plus a number of other aircraft. The entire navy would be involved as well as 500 aircraft. [103] Soon after, Force K was reinforced by the arrival in Malta of Force B with two light cruisers, HMS Ajax and Neptune, and two K-class destroyers, Kimberley and Kingston, on 27 November 1941. The Italians deployed 54,000 mines around Malta to prevent it being supplied. All but one reached the island. This convoy proved critical to saving Malta, as its supplies were deemed to be essential when the Germans returned in December. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, in command of Axis forces in North Africa, recognised its importance quickly. [163], Park had faced Kesselring before during the Battle of Britain. He was able to gain the ascendancy in North Africa once again. Of the 340 fighters that had passed through or stayed on the island since the war began, only 28 remained. 249 Squadron RAF arrived, taking over from No. RAF losses amounted to 23 Spitfires shot down and 20 crash-landed. [1], For example, in July 62,276 tons of supplies was landed by the Axis, half of the figure in June. [63], In contrast, the Hurricanes were patched up and cannibalised beyond their expected service life. It was the 1,175th raid since the war began. The Islands were always high on the enemy's agenda. From April throughout the summer that year, the Islands were pushed to the brink, almost to capitulation. [126] The reinforcement of Malta by carrier ("Club Runs") became more frequent through 1942. The Hurricanes were able to focus on the Axis bombers and dive-bombers at lower heights, while the Spitfires, with their superior rate of climb, engaged enemy aircraft at higher levels. [3], In the tiny but densely populated island, 5,524 private dwellings were destroyed, 9,925 damaged but repairable, and 14,225 damaged by bomb blast. The methods would have great effect in October when Kesselring returned. The slackening of German air activity had allowed the number of aircraft to increase, but the RAF still had fewer than 60 machines of all types. This was at the request of the medical officer of the Italian Battle Cruiser Julio Cesare. Noté /5. All livestock had been slaughtered, and the lack of leather meant people were forced to use curtains and used tyres to replace clothing and shoe soles. Kesselring complained. At one of the bases, Ta' Qali, 841 tons of bombs were dropped, because the Germans believed the British were operating an underground hangar. Three other destroyers and 11 merchant vessels were also sunk. The raids were designed to affect the morale of the population rather than inflict damage to dockyards and installations. There were several raids per day. The following Battle of Taranto was a victory for sea-air power. [24], The Italians flew at around 20,000 feet. [172], Wing Commander Patrick Gibbs, OC 39 Squadron, The offensive was also by air. Italy capitulated soon afterward, on September 8. [88] In May 1941, 47 Hurricanes were flown into the island. This is the only tour available in Malta which is dedicated to Malta’s British history. 2,000 aircraft over the course of the campaign. Some 11 days later, news of the Soviet counterattack during the Battle of Stalingrad increased morale even more. The loss of nine submarines and their trained crews and commanders was serious. Frame: Depth 55 mm, Height 720 mm, Width 1120 mm. [138], The Allies moved to increase the number of Spitfires on the island. 20th June 1943: King George VI visits North Africa and Malta For obvious reasons the visit had been kept a dead secret, but at 5 a.m. the Maltese were informed … [149], Operation Pedestal, 11 August: A general view of the convoy under air attack showing the intense anti-aircraft barrage put up by the escorts. The Islands' strategic location once again made it centre stage in the theatre of war in the Mediterranean: a key stronghold from which the Allies could sustain their North African campaign and from which they could launch their eventual attack on mainland Italy. Another went through the armoured deck and exploded deep inside the ship. [155] The eastern convoy was forced to turn back after a series of naval and air engagements, despite the British ships still having 20 percent of their ammunition left. IN THE BACKGROUND ARE VICKERS WELLINGTON, HANDLEY PAGE HALIFAX, DOUGLAS C47 DAKOTA AND B24 LIBERATOR AIRCRAFT. Holland 2003, pp. I., II., and III. The Kriegsmarine sent nearly half of all the German U-Boats on operations in the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea to support the effort against Malta. In 1947, the Islands were granted some £30 million to help rebuild. Malta did send Bristol Beauforts to engage the Italian fleet and German U-Boats attacking the convoy. It had taken part in the Battle of Taranto which handed naval supremacy to the British, which put it at the top of the Axis' target list. Second, small numbers were quicker to position and easier to move around. [100] During November, submarines cut Axis supplies to Africa by 62 per cent of the total sent that month. Axis forces in North Africa were denied around half of their supplies and two-thirds of their oil. Unfortunately no bomb-proof pens were available as the building project had been scrapped before the war, owing to cost-cutting policies.
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