Malta, the Hurricane Years, 1940-41

Malta, the Hurricane Years, 1940-41
Author: Christopher F. Shores
Publisher:
Total Pages: 488
Release: 1987
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Research has taken over ten years as the authors have pieced together information gleaned from official records, surviving participants or relatives.

Malta

Malta
Author: Christopher Shores
Publisher:
Total Pages: 457
Release: 1987
Genre:
ISBN:

Malta Besieged, 1940–1942

Malta Besieged, 1940–1942
Author: David G. Williamson
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2007-07-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781597235

This WWII military study sheds new light on the legendary Siege of Malta, combining a detailed narrative with provocative strategic analysis. The heroic defense of Malta against the Axis powers is one of the most famous episodes of the Second World War. For more than two years this tiny island was the critical to maintaining control of the Mediterranean and essential to the outcome of the North African campaign. David Williamson, in this thought-provoking reassessment, examines the strategy underpinning British determination to hold on to the island. Expertly researched and vividly detailed, Malta Besieged sheds new light on the motives for persisting with such a costly defense against huge odds. he also explores the question of the islanders’ loyalty to the British crown. His incisive analysis takes account of the tactics employed by both sides, the political thinking and decision-making at the highest levels and the grim reality of the destruction and suffering on the ground.

Malta 1940–42

Malta 1940–42
Author: Ryan K. Noppen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2018-02-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472820614

In 1940, the strategically vital island of Malta was Britain's 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 1940–41 to fail, and then how the German intervention came close to knocking Malta out of the war. Using stunning full colour artwork, this fascinating book explains why the attempt by the Axis powers to take the British colony of Malta ultimately failed.

Air Battle of Malta

Air Battle of Malta
Author: Anthony Rogers
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2017-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 178438190X

In the Second World War, Malta was besieged for nearly two and a half years, during which time a decisive air war was waged between Britain, Italy and Germany.This is part of that story, from the early days in June 1940, when only a few Gladiator biplanes were available to combat Italian bombers and fighters, to the intervention of the Luftwaffe and the tenuous defense by outclassed Hurricanes, culminating in the desperate months of fighting following the arrival on Malta of the Spitfire in March 1942.What became of the many aircraft destroyed over the Maltese Islands, and what was the fate of their pilots and crews?More than a thousand aircraft were lost. Many crashed into the Mediterranean; others came down on Malta and the neighboring island of Gozo. This book focuses on the latter some 200 British, Italian and German machines, and the fate of their pilots and crews. It reveals where those airplanes fell, thus providing a record that will continue to be valued by future generations.This comprehensive volume documents all known aircraft crash sites in and around the Maltese Islands and provides the circumstances of each loss are related in detail with accounts from both sides.In Germany especially there are many still unaware of the fate of family members who never returned after the Second World War. This book reveals what happened to some who even today are still officially listed as missing.

A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945

A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945
Author: Christopher Shores
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
Total Pages: 962
Release: 2012-06-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 190980875X

This first volume in the seminal series on World War II aerial combat, pilots, and tactics that “reads like an encyclopedia on the subject” (Portland Book Review). In the early days of World War II, both Allied and Axis powers extended the theater of war to North Africa, where hard-fought battles were conducted in the harsh desert. But before anyone could claim victory on the ground, they had to hold dominion in the air. Here, historian Christopher Shores has combined his books Fighters over the Desert and Fighters over Tunisia into one volume, as well as adding updated information about the deadly fighter aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and maritime units active in the Mediterranean. Full of in-depth research and featuring essential maps, this is “an intimate introspection by these men of their experiences and the respect that they shared not only for each other but also their adversaries” (The Military Reviewer).

Churchill and Malta's War 1939-1943

Churchill and Malta's War 1939-1943
Author: Douglas Austin
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 439
Release: 2010-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1445620391

The meticulously researched account of the defence of Malta and its role, importance and contribution to the Allied effort during WW2.

Hurricanes in Action Worldwide!

Hurricanes in Action Worldwide!
Author: Adrian Stewart
Publisher: Pen and Sword Aviation
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2022-12-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526788713

The Hawker Hurricane was the RAF’s most valuable fighter asset in the Second World War, yet even today is relatively under-appreciated by the general public. Yet from the early months of the war it was the single engine fighter most often encountered by the Luftwaffe and during the Battle of Britain it made 80% of the successful interdictions of enemy formations. As this superbly researched book written by a leading authority on the air war reveals, this was only the start of the Hurricane’s war service. Its reliability and versatility ensured that variants saw action in more war theaters worldwide than any other fighter. Indeed, as the RAF’s Official History recalls ‘Everywhere the Ubiquitous Hurricane was to be seen’. This book follows the ‘Hurri’ to Russia, Malta, North Africa and as far afield as Burma, Sumatra and Java. Seaborne versions fought in the Battle of the Atlantic and defended the Mediterranean convoys. In the ground attack role Hurricane fighter bombers made countless sweeps over occupied Europe. Pilots’ first-hand accounts supplement the text. Readers are left in no doubt as to the massive contribution that the Hurricane made to ultimate victory.

The Rise of Germany, 1939–1941

The Rise of Germany, 1939–1941
Author: James Holland
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Total Pages: 794
Release: 2015-10-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0802190901

An account of the early years of World War II based on extensive new research: “A genuinely fresh approach . . . exceptional” (The Wall Street Journal). James Holland, one of the leading young historians of World War II, has spent over a decade conducting new research, interviewing survivors, and exploring archives that have never before been so accessible to unearth forgotten memoirs, letters, and official records. In The Rise of Germany 1938–1941, Holland draws on this research to reconsider the strategy, tactics, and economic, political, and social aspects of the war. The Rise of Germany is a masterful book that redefines our understanding of the opening years of World War II. Beginning with the lead-up to the outbreak of war in 1939 and ending in the middle of 1941 on the eve of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia, this book is a landmark history of the war on land, in the air, and at sea. “Magnificent.” —Andrew Roberts, New York Times–bestselling author of The Storm of War