The air defense of Malta is a story of struggle, hardship and eventual success against a determined enemy. This book was published in 1954 and shows some of the attitudes of the time against an enemy that was still rather fresh in the mind of the author. It is the tale of going from nearly nothing in terms of the island's air defenses to the turning point in 1943 when it was clear that the Axis was no longer in any condition to succeed.

In 1940, Malta was an important stopping place for the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet. The war had not yet reached North Africa and most of Great Britain and the Commonwealth was focused on western Europe. That all changed in June of 1940 when Italy declared war on the Allies. Now there was a need for defenses on Malta, but little was available. There were anti-aircraft guns, but no fighter protection. All that was available were four crated Sea Gladiators left by the Navy in storage.

These planes were soon to be uncrated, reassembled and made flyable thanks to the efforts of the few RAF types and their Maltese fitters. Pilots were scrounged from what was available and Malta's fighter flight came into existence. As there were no spares, it was decided that only three of the planes would be used for active combat.

And so it was that these small biplane fighters went up against the seemingly overwhelming Italian Air Force who flew from Sicily just a scant few miles away. Of the six pilots, only one had ever flown a Gladiator before, so it was very much an on the job training situation for the entire group. Not only that, but all of the Italian planes they encountered were faster than the Gladiators so catching the bombers was a daunting task indeed. Fortunately, the Gladiator was an excellent dog fighter and very much able to hold its own against the faster CR.42 and Macchi 200 aircraft with which it frequently fought.

After a lack of initial success, lessons were learned and these three aircraft were able to hold their own against the Italians, frequently causing the bombers to drop their load in the seas instead of on Malta. However, the planes were frequently damaged and at times there was only one available for combat. Thanks to the herculean efforts of the ground crew, these planes were kept in the air. After several weeks of multiple daily raids, the aircraft situation was getting bleak. Eventually some Hurricanes joined the three Gladiators and while not out of the woods by a long shot, the situation did gradually improve, though the addition of the Germans into the mix in 1941 nearly spelt the end.

This is one of those books that everyone should read. It is superbly written and puts the reader right into the mix of things. It is one of those true life sagas that could not have been scripted any better by Hollywood. A gripping tale that I know you will thoroughly enjoy and I can most easily recommend to you.

August 2010

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