Category: Malta

DOUGLAS-HAMILTON, James. The Air Battle for Malta: The Diaries of a Spitfire Pilot. 208p., bibliog., illus., index. Edinburgh: Mainstream, 1981. ISBN: 0906391202.

Although an air force book it includes interesting material on the air cover for approaching convoys. A second edition was published by Airlife in 1990.

RIXON, Frank.  Malta GC Remembered: Servicemen and Civilians Recall the Siege of Malta in World War II. 184p. Bognor Regis: Woodfield, 2005. ISBN: 1903953944.

A collection of stories, hitherto unpublished in book form, reveals a wide range of experiences of soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians on and around the island during World War Two.

PEARCE, M. J. Between Hostile Shores: Mediterranean Convoy Battles 1941-1942 (Britannia Naval Histories of World War II). 360p., bibliog., illus., index. Plymouth: University of Plymouth, 2013. ISBN: 1841023531.

Contains two Naval Staff History Battle Summaries, Nos. 18 and 32. These describe the major Mediterranean and Malta convoy operations, along with extracts from an unusual official document containing technical descriptions and plans of battle damage suffered by four Royal Navy warships escorting Mediterranean convoys - Nelson, Queen Elizabeth, Liverpool and Indomitable. Extracts from orders and despatches also give contemporary accounts of planning and the views of senior officers in command.

LLEWELLYN-JONES, Malcolm.  The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys: a Naval Staff  History. xvii, 154p., illus. London: Routledge, 2007. ISBN: 0415390958.

A facsimile reproduction of the Naval Staff History, originally issued by the Admiralty in 1957 as a confidential book. Describes the convoy operations in the Mediterranean to relieve Malta, covering the period from the beginning of 1941 until the end of 1942. Has a good new introduction.

JACKSON, Bill. Air Sea Rescue During the Siege of Malta: An Eyewitness Account of Life with HSL107 1941-43. xx, 375p., bibliog., illus., index. Leicester: Matador, 2010. ISBN: 1848764723.

An autobiographical tale of life with the Air / Sea Rescue teams based in Malta. Focussing on High Speed Launch (HSL) 107 which rescued close to 100 pilots during the siege of Malta, he captures the spirit and camaraderie of this close knit group.

THOMAS, David A. Malta Convoys 1940–1942: The Struggle at Sea. 234p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Cooper, 1999. ISBN: 0850526639.

An up-to-date assessment of well-worn ground.

SPOONER, Tony. Supreme Gallantry: Malta’s Role in the Allied Victory 1939–1945. xxvi, 358p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Murray, 1996. ISBN: 0719557062.

Malta is renowned for its courage under attack. This is the first account of Malta as a base for attacks on Axis Forces. The offensive roles of the Navy and FAA are well covered.                     

SMITH, Peter C., & WALKER, Edwin. The Battles of the Malta Striking Forces (Sea Battles in Close-Up, 11). 120p., illus., index. London: Ian Allan: Annapolis: NIP, 1974. ISBN: 0711005281.

Recounts the very successful operations of Force K from April to December 1941. Another of this excellent small series.  

OLIVER, R. Leslie. Malta Besieged. 176p., illus. London: Hutchinson, 1944.   

Takes up the story from where his earlier work ended and continues the story up to the defeat of Italy.                              

MIZZI, Laurence. When War Broke Out. vi, 233p., illus., index. Valletta: Progress Press, 2000. ISBN: 9990930600.

A collection of fifty reminiscences of the events of 10th and 11th June 1940. Of marginal naval relevance, but useful background.

CARUANA, Joseph. Destination Malta: The Surrender of the Italian Fleet, September 1943. 80p., illus. Rabat: Wise Owl, 2010.

A good account of this important event.

CARUANA, Joseph. The Battle of Grand Harbour: July 26, 1941. 63p., illus. Rabat: Wise Owl, 2004. ISBN: 999323253X.

A brief account of the Italian attempted raid by MTBs of the 10th Flotilla.

Mediterranean Convoy Operations. Supplement to the London Gazette of Tuesday, 10 August 1948, Number 38377, pp.4469–4512.

Despatches from Admiral A. B. Cunningham on the Excess convoy to Malta in January 1941, from Admiral Somerville on the Substance convoy of July 1941, and the Halberd convoy of September 1941, from Admiral Curteis on the Harpoon convoy of June 1942 (with as an appendix a report of proceedings from Captain C. C. Hardy of Force X), and from Admiral Syfret on the Pedestal convoy of August 1942. Reprinted in 2014 in a collection of nine despatches edited by John Grehan as  The War at Sea in the Mediterranean 1940-1944  and published by Pen & Sword Maritime (ISBN: 1783462221).

SHORES, Christopher, CULL, Brian, & MALIZIA, Nicola. Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942. 704p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Grub Street, 1991. ISBN: 094881716X.

A daily diary which takes account of FAA and RN activity and takes up where its predecessor leaves off. It continues until victory was assured.

A rather pedestrian retelling of the story enlivened by some well chosen reminiscences from the oral history archives of the Imperial War Museum.

An excellent account by a historian of growing stature. A detailed operational account.

A straightforward chronological account of the events of the siege.

A detailed factual history and roll of honour.

"The heart-pounding highlights of this underwater war," in which for 16 months in 1941-42 the Malta submarines devastated the enemy supply routes.

Another account of the air defence of the island describes it at the height of the siege. Inevitably has some naval material.

A detailed and clear account of an important battle. A second edition was published in 1987.

A daily diary which takes account of FAA and RN activity. A substantially revised second edition was published in 2001 as Hurricanes Over Malta (ISBN: 1902304918).

A popular account of the Pedestal convoy, stressing its crucial importance to the survival of the island.

A comprehensive history with a good account of the WW2 coastal defences.

SPOONER, Tony. Faith, Hope and Malta GC: Ground and Air Heroes of the George Cross Island. xi, 166p., bibliog., illus., index. Swindon: Newton, 1992. ISBN: 0907579582.

Vignettes describing the defence of Malta. Reprinted by Crecy Publishing in 2008, ISBN: 0907579582

CULL, Brian with GALEA, Frederick. Marylands over Malta, including the Exploits of the Legendary Wg Cdr Adrian Warburton, DSO & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, DFC (USA). 174p., bibliog., illus. Rabat, Malta: Wise Owl Publications, 2014. ISBN: 9789993297673.

A detailed operational account of the US built planes transferred from France and used mainly for photo reconnaissance in Malta and North Africa. A good account from prolific Maltese authors.

DAVIES, Caroline. Convoy. 95p. Blaenau Ffestiniog: Cinnamon Press, 2013. ISBN: 9781907090851.

A debut collection of original poetry based on the Malta convoys in which her grandfather served. Based firmly on historical events.

JACOBS, Peter. Fortress Island Malta: Defence and Re-supply During the Siege. xii, 228p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2016. ISBN: 9781783463329.

 The author is a former RAF navigator whose father served on the destroyer Wishart in Malta convoys. Although the focus of the book is the well known convoys, he offers an interesting air warfare perspective.

MIZZI, John A. Operation Pedestal: the Story of the Santa Marija Convoy. vii, 68, [20]p. Valletta, Midsea Books, 2012. ISBN:9789993274063.

This heavily illustrated account marks the seventieth anniversary of the convoy and includes a substantial Roll of Honour.       

HASTINGS, Max. Operation Pedestal: The Fleet that Battled to Malta 1942. xxxiii, 428p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Collins, 2021. ISBN: 9780008364946.

A good account of the convoy, sympathetic to the Royal Navy, and delivered in his usual trenchant and judgemental style.

WELDON, H. E. C. Drama in Malta (A Personal Flash-back). 133p., illus. [n.p.: British Army of the Rhine, c.1946].

The siege as seen by an officer of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Another edition may have been published by Gale & Polden in 1947, but no copy has been traced. Republished in 2004 by Naval & Military Press (ISBN: 1845740246).

MACE, Martin & GREHAN, John. The War at Sea in the Mediterranean 1940-1944. xvi, 256p., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2014. ISBN: 1783462221.

Reprints nine despatches from the London Gazette with a brief introduction, namely 38273, the Action off Calabria; 38023, the attack on Taranto; 38281, the Battle of Cape Spartivento; 38031, the Battle of Matapan; 38287, action against an Italian convoy in April 1941; 38377, the major Malta convoys of 1941-42; 38073, the Battle of Sirte; 38432, Coastal Force Actions in the Levant in 1942-3; 38426, Actions in the Aegean in late 1943.

FRASER, Ian. Personal Memories of World War II. 107p., [n.p.]: sifi publishing, 2012. ISBN: 9781480056749.

An autobiography. Aged 20 he joined the FAA in 1939. After training he was seconded to the RAF 252 Squadron in late 1940 where he flew Beaufighters. The squadron soon moved to Malta the Crete then Egypt where he was shot down. After almost six months in hospital he was sent to South Africa to recover before returning to the UK. He then returned to active service in Malta with 828/830 Squadron on night operations. Rising to command the squadron. In mid-1943 he was shot down over the Sicilian coast. After six days in a dinghy he was rescued by a German ship. He was transferred to Stalag Luft III as a POW and was imprisoned for the rest of the war.

McDONALD, Paul. Malta’s Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton DSO, DFC, DFC (USA). xviii, 324p., illus. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2015. ISBN: 9781473860087.

A biography of the legendary RAF pilot “Warby” and his role in the defence of Malta which is interwoven with the story of Adrian his relationship  with Christine Ratcliffe.

BARNHAM, Denis. Malta Spitfire Pilot: Ten Weeks of Terror, April-June 1942. 208p., illus. London: Grub Street, 2013. ISBN:9781909166035.

He arrived in Malta as a fresh and inexperienced pilot and this journal records his first 200 operational hours in these bitterly fought months. First published in 1956 as One Man’s Window, q.v. Reprinted by Frontline in 2020, ISBN: 9781526766748.

BARNHAM, Denis. One Man’s Window: An Illustrated Account of Ten Weeks of War, Malta April 13th to June 21st, 1942.  201p., illus. London: Kimber, 1956.

He arrived in Malta as a fresh and inexperienced pilot and spent some two hundred operational hours at the height of the siege. A journal of his time on the island.

A transcription of the unofficial squadron diary from its formation in April 1941 to its disbanding in August 1945. Fullest for the period of the siege. Although there is little naval material it is very atmospheric.

HOGAN, George. Malta: The Triumphant Years, 1940-43. 208p., illus., index. London: Hale, 1978. ISBN: 0709171153.

A history and personal set of reminiscences written as a tribute to the spirit of the people. A paperback edition was published in 1988 and reprinted in 1994 (ISBN: 9990930295).

McDONALD, Paul. Ladies of Lascaris: Christina Ratcliffe and the Forgotten Heroes of Malta’s War. xii, 322p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2018. ISBN: 9781526745453.

An English dancer, she moved to Malta in 1937. She joined the RAF in 1941 and worked in the Plotting Room at Lascaris. A fascinating story with much evocative material on the arrival of convoys and the attacks on Illustrious in harbour.

CULL, Brian, with GALEA, Frederick. Fighters Over Malta: Gladiators and Hurricanes 1940-1942. 491p., bibliog., illus., index. Stroud: Fonthill, 2018. ISBN: 9781781556634.

A highly detailed account of the gallant band of RAF and Commonwealth pilots who flew Gladiators and Hurricanes in defence of Malta between June 1940 and April 1942, when help in the form of Spitfires finally arrived. Partly based on newly discovered personal diaries and papers

CULL, Brian, with GALEA, Frederick. 249 at Malta: RAF’s Top-Scoring Fighter Squadron. 224p., bibliog., illus., index. Stroud: Fonthill Media, 2017. ISBN: 978-1781555545.

249 Squadron arrived in Malta late in 1941 and claimed some 245 air victories by the time the squadron moved on. A comprehensive work of reference.

CRABB, Brian James. Operation Pedestal: The Story of Convoy WS21S in August 1942. x, 262p., illus., index. Donington: Paul Watkins, 2014. ISBN: 9781907730191.

With over one hundred photographs and detailed appendices this is a very detailed account of the convoy.

DELVE, Ken. Malta Strikes Back: The Role of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre 1940-1942. 252p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2017. ISBN: 9781473892446.

Explores the roles of leadership, external support and community spirit and the parts they played during this period of the war.

ROGERS, Anthony. Air Battle of Malta: Aircraft Losses and Crash Sites 1940-1942. 220p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Greenhill, 2017. ISBN: 1784381888.

Of more than 1,000 aircraft destroyed during the battle, many fell into the Mediterranean or were written off in landing, and at least 200 crashed among the Maltese Islands. This book documents all known aircraft crashes that occurred in and around Malta and Gozo during 1940-42, describing in detail the circumstances of each loss and what became of the pilot or crew, including some who even today are officially listed as missing. An excellent piece of research.

OSBORNE, Richard. The Watery Grave: The Life and Death of HMS Manchester. xx, 244p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Frontline, 2015. ISBN: 1473845858.

This account of her building and career focuses on what was to be the longest court martial in Royal Navy history. Torpedoed for the second time in a year during the Pedestal convoy, her captain chose to scuttle her off the Tunisian coast.

CAMERON, Ian. Red Duster, White Ensign: The Story of Malta and the Malta Convoys. xii, 218p., bibliog., illus. London: Muller, 1959; Garden City: Doubleday, 1960.

A good account of the struggles to keep Malta supplied and the first full account of the Malta convoys. Published in paperback as Five Days to Hell; reprinted in 1974 by White Lion.  

ALDRIDGE, Arthur, with RYAN, Mark. The Last Torpedo Flyers: The True Story of Arthur Aldridge – Hero of the Skies. xiv, 336., illus., index. London: Simon & Schuster, 2013. ISBN: 9781471102752.

He left Oxford aged 19 in 1940 and volunteered for the RAF. He spent a brutal two years in the UK and Mediterranean flying Beauforts in such actions as the Channel Dash and the defence of Malta. In 1942 he moved to a quieter theatre based on Ceylon.

GREAT BRITAIN. Ministry of Information. The Air Battle of Malta: The Official Account of the R.A.F. in Malta, June 1940 to November 1942. 95p., illus. London, H.M.S.O., 1944.

Gives good if one-sided accounts of the defence of the island and the attacks on the convoys.

Anecdotal reminiscences covering wartime and post-war entertainment in Malta.

A detailed and comprehensive daily diary of the work of the rescue launches with much incidental naval detail.

His anti-aircraft battery served mainly in Malta.

A charming, autobiographical account of the convoy. Fowler was PO Tel on Spiraea in the refuelling group.

A heavily illustrated account which quotes extensively from primary sources.

A well illustrated history of this key island. WWII is covered in some 75 pages.

Published under a pseudonym by Bryan Perrett, this is the story of the Pedestal convoy as seen by a DEMS Gunner on Ohio.

An eyewitness account by a local Maltese.

Life in besieged Malta; by the governor's daughter.

The usual excellent Grub Street day by day account, with some limited naval information.

A good account of the exploits of the epic trio.

A trained surgeon, he enlisted in the RAF in 1942 and was sent to Malta as a medical officer. He was based at Hal Far and was particularly close to the FAA Albacore crews. His tales of the siege.

Woolley was Senior Electrical Officer Minesweepers with what he called a sideline in mine recovery. This is based on his papers, some of which are published as appendices.

A well-informed and critical account giving full prominence to the role of the RN.

Taken from the battalion war diary and rich in contemporary drawings, this gives a good account of the supporting role of infantry during the siege.

A mix of reminiscence, family history and archive material assembled by a local historian.

The small airfield at Gozo was built to provide air support for the HUSKY landings on Sicily.

A journalistic impression of the island at war.

Published to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the award of the George Cross to the Island. Various rolls of honours and lists are used to exemplify the sufferings of the island and its defenders. A mine of information.

A novel strategic view of the siege and Churchill's interest in the island, as seen from his ministerial papers.

A set of anecdotes with some limited naval interest.

A Maltese author gives his view of Malta at war from 1940 to 1943.

He served with the Royal Malta Artillery throughout the siege.

A memorial list, arranged by Squadron, with some background material. A second expanded edition was published in 2005.

The fighter ace describes the core period of the battle for Malta.

830 Squadron saw over two years of non-stop action in Malta while its Swordfish fought to cut the supply routes from Italy to North Africa. A well-illustrated account, full of personal recollections.

A collection of one hundred tales told during a veterans' reunion held in Malta in 2005. Half are naval. Reluctant

An attempt to view the war from the Maltese viewpoint and how the siege affected the island.

A proficient retelling of a well known story.

A contemporary record of events.

The author had served as a volunteer nurse throughout the siege when this was written in 1943. A graphic picture of the difficulties of life on the island in those years.

Includes excellent accounts of the transfer of 249 Squadron to the Middle East, on Furious to Gibraltar and Ark Royal for the fly-off to Malta. Also concludes with an attack on the convoy taking him to Cairo. A good read.

"How a crippled ship and two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II". An original view of the Pedestal convoy and the story of the Ohio.

Originally published as a part work, this is a huge miscellany of facts, tales, photographs, documents, newspaper accounts and reminiscences.

A civilian account of the siege, based on much oral memory.

Reminiscences, poems, and pictures, many on naval matters.

A largely photographic record of the island's defence. One section is devoted to the convoys fought through by the RN.

Air-Marshall Lloyd is mainly concerned with the role of the RAF, whether as air defence or on anti-shipping strikes, but this is inextricably linked with the role of the Navy.

A good photo collection mainly from the archives of the Imperial War Museum.

A social history from the Maltese viewpoint.

A good fresh account of the siege by a much admired young historian.

A history of Malta's various sieges, concentrating on that of WWII and taking the tale of bravery, in a patriotic manner, up to May 1943. US title: Malta Epic.

A factional account of the defence of Malta, seen through the eyes of an anti-aircraft battery. Reprinted by Windrow & Greene in 1994 (ISBN: 1859150012).

Translated from the Maltese original first published in 1979, this is a vibrant account of teenage wartime life during the siege.

The author joined up in 1939 and this autobiography is largely concerned with an eight-week tour based in Malta with 107 Squadron and flying Blenheim's on anti-shipping strikes.

An officer of the General Staff describes how it felt to live in Malta under siege, sustained by infrequent convoys, submarines, and fast minelayers.

An attempt to create a day by day record from the invitation available at the time.