In 1940, the strategically vital island of Malta was Britains last toehold in the central Mediterranean, wreaking havoc among Axis shipping. Launching an air campaign to knock Malta out of the war, first Italy and then Germany sought to force a surrender or reduce the defences enough to allow an invasion. Drawing on original documents, multilingual aviation analyst Ryan Noppen explains how technical and tactical problems caused the original Italian air campaign of 194041 to fail. But the Luftwaffe then intervened, its formidable aircraft and new tactics coming close to knocking Malta out of the war. He goes on to explain how the air battles reached their peak in 1942, and why the devastating Axis campaign ultimately failed.
The author shows the reasons for the failure of the Italian air operations against Malta in the years 1940-1941, the intervention of the German Luftwaffe and the climax of the air battle for Malta in 1942.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Noppen, R. K./Turner, G. (Illustr.)
Title
Malta 1940-42. The Axis' air battle for Mediterranean supremacy
Details
English text, paperback, battlescene artwork in colour, aerial bird\'s eye views, 3D diagrams, maps. 96 pages.
