Malta Civil Flag 1943-1964On August 17, 1942, a couple of days after the arrival of the four merchant ships and the tanker Ohio of the convoy Operation Pedestal (popularly known as the Santa Marija convoy), UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent a telegraph to the First Lord and First Sea Lord congratulating the Royal Navy for the efforts made to bring the vital supplies to Malta:
“Please convey my compliments to Admirals Syfret, Burrough, and Lyster and all officers and men engaged in the magnificent crash through of supplies to Malta, which cannot fail to have an important influence on the immediate future of the war in the Mediterranean…”
Any German airman daily engaged in more than one risky sortie over Malta developed a state of tension defined as ‘Maltese sickness’- Charles Debono
As Churchill clearly recognised, this was a turning point in the war in the central Mediterranean. Air and sea attacks were resumed from Malta against Axis convoys sailing from Italy to Libya. Charles Grech, in his book of wartime recollections, Raiders Passed, recalls that Malta’s situation changed immediately:
“After the arrival of this convoy, things changed dramatically in Malta. RAF aircraft flew more frequently, the gunners were now allowed to make full use of their prowess and had enough ammunition at their disposal, and, above all, the population could look to their future with some hope.
“Tension abated not because enough food had arrived, but because a breathing space of two months had been won. The worst was over…”
On the same day, a further batch of 28 Spitfires arrived in Malta, having flown from the aircraft carrier HMS Furious during Operation Baritone.
Axis convoys started to be hunted again, and several losses of merchant ships forced German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to signal to Rome that he had only 10 days of supplies left. During August 1942, the Italians unloaded 29,000 tons of supplies and 23,000 tons of fuel, representing 75 and 59 per cent respectively of those dispatched.
Meanwhile, in North Africa, General Sir Claude Auchinleck took command of the Eighth Army and succeeded in halting Rommel in the First Battle of El Alamein (July 1-27, 1942). In early August 1942, Auchinleck was succeeded by Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery.
At the same time, Churchill argued with the War Cabinet that it seemed probable that Rommel would attack before the end of August. In fact, Rommel made a second attempt to bypass or break the Commonwealth forces’ positions, but was repulsed by Montgomery in the Battle of Alam el Halfa between August 30 and September 6.
In Malta, from mid-August 1942 enemy air activity over the island started to dwindle. Thanks to this lull in attacks, the Governor, Lord Gort, decided to hold a public ceremony of the award of the George Cross on Sunday, September 13. No news was allowed to reach the outside world before it actually took place.
The presentation ceremony took place on Palace Square, Valletta, still partly piled with masonry from destroyed buildings. Detachments from the Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Police, Special Constabulary and Passive Defence Organisations lined the square. The case containing the George Cross and the citation was brought out from the Palace by Police Commissioner Joseph Axisa, who handed it to Lord Gort.
Addressing the gathering, Lord Gort said: “On my appointment as Governor of Malta, I was entrusted to carry the George Cross to this island fortress. By the command of the King, I now present to the people of Malta and her dependencies the decoration which His Majesty has awarded to them in recognition of the gallant service which they have already rendered in the fight for freedom.
“How you have withstood for many months the most concentrated bombing attacks in the history of the world is the admiration of all civilised peoples. Your homes and your historic buildings have been destroyed and only their ruins remain as monuments to the hate of a barbarous foe. The Axis Powers have tried again and again to break your spirit but your confidence in the final triumph of the United Nations remains undimmed.
“What Malta has withstood in the past, without flinching, Malta is determined to endure until the day when the second siege is raised.
“Battle-scarred George Cross Malta, the sentinel of Empire in the Mediterranean, meanwhile stands firm undaunted and undismayed awaiting the time when she can call ‘Pass, Friend, all is well in the Island Fortress’.
“Now it is my proud duty to hand over the George Cross to the people of Malta for safekeeping.”
The Chief Justice, Sir George Borg, received the case from the Governor and delivered an address, after which the case was placed on a plinth in the centre of the square, where men from the 1st Battalion The King’s Own Malta Regiment mounted guard as the crowd filed past to see the insignia and document. After this national ceremony, the George Cross was exhibited in all villages and towns in Malta and Gozo.
As the air and sea offensive from Malta against Axis convoys sailing from Italy and Greece to Libya increased, more enemy merchant ships were sunk. Italian Foreign Minister (and Mussolini’s son-in-law) Count Galeazzo Ciano wrote on his diary on September 4, 1942, about the critical situation of supplies to Rommel: “Tonight two other ships were sunk. Our supply problem is difficult.”
During September 1942, 11 Axis merchant ships were sunk, representing one-fifth of the total cargo despatched. The Axis knew it was a matter of time before General Montgomery launched his well-prepared offensive against Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
September 1942 proved to be the quietest month of the year, with only 57 day alerts, much reduced night activity and with only 13 tons of bombs dropped on the island. Axis incursions over Malta were mainly fighter sweeps.
On the other hand, the RAF carried out offensive operations over enemy bases, and also together with FAA torpedo-bombers continued their war against Axis convoys destined for Libya.
However, by the end of the month, the Axis air forces started building up in Sicily in preparation for an all-out assault on Malta. Luftwaffe fighter and bomber units stationed in North Africa, Crete and the Soviet Union were transferred to Sicily. These were reinforced by Regia Aeronautica bomber and fighter units.
The Italo-German offensive started on October 10, 1942, with a sharp increase in the number of raids, mainly aimed at the airfields. The Spitfires and anti-aircraft gunners mauled the German and Italian bombers and fighters that hurled themselves in a desperate bid to obliterate Malta’s airfields.
Field Marshal Kesselring too had confided to Marshal Ugo Cavallero, Chief of the Italian General Staff, that any German airman daily engaged in more than one risky sortie over Malta developed a state of tension defined as ‘Maltese sickness’. However these raids caused additional damage to populated areas and serious loss of life.
During the 10-day battle, the enemy flew approximately 2,400 sorties, dropping about 440 tons of bombs. The insignificant results achieved did not justify the mounting losses and the new blitz came to an abrupt end on October 20. That month there were 153 air raid alerts, which had increased due to this blitz. Some 624 tons of bombs were dropped. However, the number of air raid alerts was much lower compared to the first five months of the year.
Kesselring ordered the suspension of the bombing assault against Malta, but the island was to experience several weeks of fighter sweeps and fighter-bomber attacks designed to draw up the British fighters for destruction in the air. Nine days after the end of the October Blitz, on October 29, the final delivery of fighters arrived in Malta. These reinforcements consisted of 29 Spitfires, which were flown from HMS Furious.
Meanwhile, the shipping offensive from Malta continued. During October 1942, 44 per cent of the Axis merchant ships sent to Libya were sunk. Seventeen vessels were lost, totalling some 54,804 tons.
As a result of these losses, and in response to the pleas for supplies being received from Rommel, Kesselring ordered the Luftwaffe to transport fuel to North Africa.
After the Battle of Alam el Halfa, Montgomery started building up the Allied forces before returning to the offensive. The Second Battle of Alamein, lasting from October 23 to November 5, resulted in a decisive victory. On November 6, General Alexander telegraphed to Churchill clearly showing the outcome of the battle:
“Ring out the bells! Prisoners estimated now 20,000, tanks 350, guns 400, MT several thousand. Our advanced mobile forces are south of Mersa Matruh. Eighth Army is advancing.”
To be concluded.
Mr Debono is curator of the National War Museum in Valletta, where relevant artefacts and information can be seen.