Siege of Malta (1940)
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The Siege of Malta was a significant military event in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II that occurred between 1940 and 1943 on the island of Malta. The siege was conducted by Italian and German military aircraft and ships. Malta was one of the most intensively-bombed areas during war – a total of 3,000 raids occurred during the two years of the siege. During the siege, 1,493 civilians died and 3,674 were wounded. Between June 1940 and December 1942 the RAF fighters claimed some 863 Axis aircraft shot down (true losses were around 570 aircraft in action) for the loss of 289 Spitfires and Hurricanes in action, and some 844 aircraft of all types lost to all causes in the air and on the ground. The Luftwaffe alone claimed some 446 Allied aircraft (of all types) shot down.
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[edit] Background
Due to the strategic position of Malta (see map) it was a key fortress for either the Axis or allied powers – notably, the island is in the middle of the Mediterranean near Africa, Italy and Turkey. It had been, since 1814, after two years of Napoleonic occupation, a part of the British Empire – and its geographical importance had been noted by Britain for the entirety of the occupation. It was hence used as a significant military and naval fortress during this time – it happened to be the only military base between Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt. Despite its position, the British had moved the headquarters of the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet from Valletta, Malta in the mid-1930s to Alexandria, Egypt, as such, it was under-resourced when Italy declared war on Britain on 10 June 1940. This was due to the strategic decision that the island, far from Britain and near Italy, could not be defended, and resources should not be wasted in the attempt. Only 4,000 soldiers and 3 obsolete biplanes were stationed on the island, with 5 weeks' worth of food. Nevertheless, the island was a strategic threat to Italy and the Axis powers, its anti-shipping squadrons and Royal Navy submarines a potential threat to supply and communications between Europe, Italy and North Africa.
[edit] First phase
The day after declaring war on Britain on 11 June 1940, Italy attacked the island. Most Axis land forces had been committed to the invasion of Crete, so Italy resorted to aerial bombardment to prevent Malta from being a threat. On the first day 10 Italian Cant bombers dropped bombs on Grand Harbour and Hal Far.
There were few aircraft on Malta, and 3 obsolete Gloster Sea Gladiator biplanes were pressed into service, becoming immortalized with the names Faith, Hope and Charity. They were initially unable to fly from Luqa Airfield as it was not finished, and operated out of Hal Far.[1] Initially, the Italians flew at around 5,500 m; later they dropped to 3,000 m to improve bombing accuracy. British major R. I. K. Paine later stated that "[after they dropped down], we bagged one or two every other day, so they started coming in at [6,000 m]. Their bombing was never very accurate. As they flew higher it became quite indiscriminate." Journalist Mabel Strickland said "The Italians decided they didn't like [the Gladiators and AA guns], so they dropped their bombs [30 km] off Malta and went back."
When the British government saw the effectiveness of the defence with virtually no resources they reversed their previous policy and decided that Malta should be defended and reinforced. This policy was steadfastly maintained throughout the war. From then until the end of the siege Allied convoys with naval escorts resupplied the island. Both sides were aware of the strategic importance of Malta, and large forces were committed with desperate fighting and massive losses[2].
By the start of July, the Gladiators had been reinforced by Hawker Hurricanes and the defences organised into Number 261 squadron. Twelve were delivered by HMS Argus. During the first five months of combat, the island's aircraft claimed around 37 Italian aircraft destroyed or damaged and resulted in Italian fighter plane pilot Francisco Cavalera saying, "Malta was really a big problem for us— very well defended". 330 people had been killed and 297 seriously wounded on Malta.
In January 1941, the German Fliegerkorps X arrived in Sicily as the Afrika Korps arrived in Libya. The presence of the German Luftwaffe led to a notable increase in the bombing of Malta. The appearance of a staffel of Bf-109E fighters (7 Staffel Jagdgeschwader 26) led to a sudden and marked increase in Hurricane losses to the experienced Luftwaffe fighter pilots.
In January 1941 aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious arrived in Grand Harbour and was attacked by Junkers Ju-87 (Stuka) dive bombers, resulting in severe damage, with 126 crew dead and 91 wounded.
Axis forces attacking Malta decreased later that year as German resources were diverted to fighting the Red Army on the Eastern Front. But in December 1941 German forces turned their attention back to Malta and continued bombing intensively. Fuel, food, and munitions all had to be imported, and resupply became very difficult and expensive in resources: the island was almost cut off. 31 Allied ships were lost to bombing raids. The defenders had claimed some 191 aircraft shot down from June 1940 to December 1941, while losses were some 94 fighters.
In March 1942 the first contingent of 15 Spitfires Mk V's flew into Malta from aircraft carrier HMS Eagle; the first Spitfires to serve overseas. The reinforcement of Malta by carrier became more frequent through 1942. Spitfires were flown into Malta from the carrier HMS Eagle on the 7 March 1942. No. 601 and 603 Squadron Spitfires arrived on 20 of April, then the US carrier Wasp and HMS Eagle depatched 59 more Spitfires.
Throughout this period of the war Royal Navy submarines, RAF bombers and Fleet Air Arm torpedo planes operating from Malta were wreaking havoc on Axis shipping, severely curtailing vital supplies and reinforcements to the German and Italian forces in North Africa.
By this time the island appeared to the Axis forces to be neutralised, and they decided that there was no need for such intensive bombing raids[citation needed] and diverted their resources to other areas.
On 15 April 1942, King George VI awarded Malta the George Cross, the highest civilian award for gallantry in the Commonwealth, normally awarded to individuals: "to honour her brave people, I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history". President Franklin Roosevelt, describing the wartime period, called Malta "one tiny bright flame in the darkness".
In the first six months of 1942, there was only one 24-hour period without air raids. During the greatest times of starvation it is said that foods were rationed to "three boiled sweets, half a sardine and a spoonful of jam a day".
[edit] Second phase
Britain took advantage of the decrease in Axis attacks to fly in 61 Spitfire aircraft from HMS Furious, which immediately improved the aerial defensive situation, although food, ammunition, and aviation fuel remained critically short. Operation Pedestal was a major attempt to resupply Malta with a convoy of 14 merchant ships supported by 44 major warships, including battleships and aircraft carriers, and diversionary naval attacks by the Mediterranean Fleet at the other end of the Mediterranean[3]. The convoy was attacked relentlessly in the early days of August. On 13 August the surviving merchant ships started arriving at Malta, ending on 15 August 1942, the feast of Santa Marija (St Mary), a public holiday on Malta, with the British-crewed U.S. tanker SS Ohio; she had been hit by torpedoes, bombs, and a crashed dive bomber, but survived with her vital but highly explosive aircraft fuel. The cost: 5 transports survived out of 14; 1 aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers and a destroyer were sunk, and a carrier and 2 cruisers badly damaged.
The Luftwaffe responded with a renewed wave of attacks in October, but the Allied efforts in the Middle East were beginning to have their effect, and supplies were reaching Malta. As the Axis forces were progressively defeated in North Africa, the siege of Malta was lifted.
[edit] Further reading
- Attard, Joseph. The Battle of Malta (London, 1980)
- Bradford, Ernle. Siege: Malta 1940-1943 (New York, 1986)
- Hogan, George. Malta: The Triumphant Years, 1940-1943 (London, 1978)
- Jellison, Charles A. Besieged: The World War II Ordeal of Malta, 1940-1942 (Hanover, NH, 1984)
- McAulay, Lex. Against All Odds: RAAF Pilots in the Battle for Malta, 1942 (Milsons Point, Australia, 1989)
- Shores, Christopher and Brian Cull. Malta: The Hurricane Years, 1940-41 (London, 1987)
- Smith, Peter C. The Battles of the Malta Striking Forces (London, 1974)
- Spooner, Tony. Supreme Gallantry : Malta's Role in the Allied Victory, 1939-1945 (London, 1996)
- Caroline Vernon. Our Name Wasn't Written - A Malta Memoir (Canberra, Australia, 1992)
- Wingate, John. The Fighting Tenth: The Tenth Submarine Flotilla and the Siege of Malta (London, 1991)
