80: Malta

 

80 years ago today (March 22, 1942) Allied Service Personnel and Civilians clear bombing debris – with the Opera House on the left -  from Kingsway in Valletta, Malta on March 22, 1942.

Malta, a group of Islands between Sicily and Tunisia, was a British Colony until 1964. It was a major British Supply and Radar Outpost during World War 2 being in the middle of the Mediterranean between the British Base in Gibraltar and British Egypt.

It was situated 50 miles from Fascist Italy and 176 miles from German-Occupied Vichy French Tunisia and was the heaviest bombed area of the whole world, in terms of area and population. The Germans and Italians hoped to starve the island out of the War. The only way being to supply the Island was through Allied Convoys by Sea (5,700 Allied Soldiers were killed in the “Malta Convoys” alone.

The Siege of Malta lasted from June 11, 1940 – November 20, 1942 with the German and Italian Air Forces making 3,000 Bombing Raids over Malta and dropping 6,700 tons of bombs. The British (along with the Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Australians and Americans) defended Malta.

The Mosta Dome (built in 1610) survived the bombings including on April 9, 1942 when a 110 lbs. German bomb landed inside the Basilica, where 300 Maltese Civilians were sheltering and praying and failed to explode.

2,301 Allied Airmen were killed and 1,300 Maltese Civilians were killed. 30,000 Buildings were destroyed.

The Siege was lifted after the American Landings in French North Africa in November 1942.

I visited Malta in April 1996 with my Class from Germany and saw the different World War 2 sites (the Mosta Dome, the Opera House Ruins, etc.) as well as other historical and cultural places.