We are welcome to argue about many issues, but that the most catastrophic event ever to hit Malta since recorded history was World War II should be beyond debate. World War I had only grazed Malta marginally, leaving minor casualties, but, overall, its financial impact on the island had almost been benevolent. The boom of far-away frontline battlegrounds translated in Malta into a boom for a drowsy economy. Your death was my wealth.

Abutting the Auberge de Castille on the Merchants Street side, Palazzo Parisio suffered heavy damages.Abutting the Auberge de Castille on the Merchants Street side, Palazzo Parisio suffered heavy damages.

Nothing resembling this happened during World War II. Malta suffered what is claimed to be the highest concentration of exploding cordite per square mile, more than anywhere else in the whole world. The siege proved generous with famines, losses, destruction, bereavements, epidemics, all the biblical curses struggling for primacy. 

Buildings in the ditch below the Upper Barrakka were devastated but the lift miraculously survived.Buildings in the ditch below the Upper Barrakka were devastated but the lift miraculously survived.

The war did not discriminate – there was enough pain for everyone, lest anyone complain of being left behind. 

The area now occupied by the Evans Laboratories at the St Elmo end of Valletta, with the damaged Nibbia church. Scroll right to see more photos.

The area now occupied by the Evans Laboratories at the St Elmo end of Valletta, with the damaged Nibbia church. Scroll right to see more photos.

All that was left of the Plaza Cinema, next to the law courts in Strada Reale, Valletta.

All that was left of the Plaza Cinema, next to the law courts in Strada Reale, Valletta.

People saving the furniture from homes in Valletta hit on November 25, 1941.

People saving the furniture from homes in Valletta hit on November 25, 1941.

But, despite everything, life limped on, for the many who counted daily survival a miracle; as for the few, those vampires who saw in the misery of others once-in-a-lifetime occasions to plump their wallets. Free markets withered in the same proportion that black markets flourished. People learned to live embraced by a lingering, suffocating fear, some sparse on heroism, many profuse on stoicism.

The Cottonera area, close to the naval dockyard, was a favourite target for air raids.The Cottonera area, close to the naval dockyard, was a favourite target for air raids.

From my collections of old postcards and photos, I have selected a number of visual testimonials to the widespread material devastation inflicted by the ruthless Fascist and Nazi war machine. 

Valletta was a favourite target for the Luftwaffe. Buildings in Britannia Street stand out in the widespread devastation.

Valletta was a favourite target for the Luftwaffe. Buildings in Britannia Street stand out in the widespread devastation.

One of the many churches that suffered heavy damages: St Augustine in Old Bakery Street, Valletta.

One of the many churches that suffered heavy damages: St Augustine in Old Bakery Street, Valletta.

The choice proved anything but easy. An eloquent and haunting set of war postcards, not credited to any publisher but almost certainly by the gifted photographer Alfred Vella Gera, accounts for several of them.

All that was left of the Plaza Cinema, next to the law courts in Strada Reale, Valletta.All that was left of the Plaza Cinema, next to the law courts in Strada Reale, Valletta.

Differently from other subjects I tried to tackle earlier, the problem I encountered was not what to include but what to omit.

All images from the author's collection.

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.