Battle over Malta: Aircraft Losses & Crash Sites 1940-42

by Anthony Rogers

From 1940 to 1942, supremacy of the skies over Malta was bitterly contested by the RAF, the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe. Victory was eventually achieved, but at great cost, by the RAF together with Malta-based ground forces, the Royal Navy and the Mercantile Marine. The desperate air battles have since passed into legend, epitomized by the early exploits of a few Royal Navy Sea Gladiator biplane fighters, taken over by the RAF and immortalized as Faith, Hope and Charity. More than a thousand aircraft of all types were lost before the fighting was over. Many crashed into the Mediterranean, and others fell on Malta itself. Anthony Rogers has painstakingly researched the background to nearly 200 of these crashes, interviewing eyewitnesses and surviving aircrew, to provide a unique record of events. The authors detailed and descriptive account includes a series of narrative snapshots that reveal just how bitter the air battle for Malta actually was. His work is supplemented with more than thirty wartime photographs, many of which are published here for the first time, and includes a use full section on aviation museums and collections on the island.

244 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Graham Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. The use of contemporary eyewitness accounts from both sides gives a human perspective to the air war over the island nation.

The various crashes are detailed in chronological order, and includes in its appendices a table containing all the details of each crash, full endnote references and a properly compiled index, making it an invaluable reference work.