Only belatedly had Britain’s commanders woken up to Malta’s importance, that it gave the navy a fighting chance of getting convoys through to Egypt, saving freighters 15,000 miles and forty-five days off the journey round South Africa. Malta was also a vital, unsinkable aircraft carrier that could be used as a naval and RAF base to strike against Axis supply lines. If Malta fell, North Africa would most likely follow. Then the Middle East would be threatened and the consequences after that were unimaginable. India? Turkey? Russia’s southern underbelly? It was clear – Malta had to be saved
...more
