Malta Strikes Back: The Role of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre 1940-1942 by Ken Delve

Author:Ken Delve [Delve, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: HISTORY / Military / Aviation
ISBN: 9781473892453
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2017-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

Petrol remained the key to operations in North Africa and on 1 December the Blenheims scored a brilliant success with the sinking of the 10,540-ton tanker Iridio Mantovani. This was a joint air-sea operation that also involved Force K, and the cruiser Aurora was involved in the sinking. The Aurora also shelled and sank the destroyer Alvise da Mosto the same day. For the next two weeks, aircraft achieved no sinkings despite a number of attacks being made, the only successes being by surface ship and, more particularly submarines. A Blenheim of 107 Squadron was lost during an anti-shipping sortie on the 4th. The target was Messina and the squadron was after ferry boats, and trying out the new forward armament fitting. Sergeant R.G. Kirby (Z7775) was last seen being pursued by three fighters; he was shot down and the only survivor was Sergeant J. Hughes, who became a PoW. That night, the Wellingtons of 40 Squadron were back at Naples, losing R1066 (Flying Officer D.F. Hutt) to fighter attack. The two pilots survived as PoWs and the other four crew were killed. For a while the Blenheims had taken on an increased role in attacking land targets, and it was on one such target on the 8th that 18 Squadron lost two aircraft. The target was Catania airfield and the four aircraft went out at sea level to avoid detection. At some point someone in the formation called that an aircraft had been sighted, and when the formation broke away two of the Blenheims collided. They were Z7613 (Pilot Officer J.A. Barclay) and Z9719 (Sergeant W.J. Cumming), and all six aircrew were killed.

Although Italian attacks on Malta had been infrequent, certainly in terms of scale and effectiveness, they were still being totalled up and on 1 December an Air Ministry press release announced ‘Malta’s Thousandth Air Raid’. This is phrased as a success and praises the people of Malta and their resilience. While it is an undoubted piece of propaganda, and thus had its ‘errors’, it is also essentially true in its recognition of how resilient the Maltese had proved to be (and it was not over yet) in the face of air attack.

A 109 pilot poses in his life vest; the chances of being picked up in the area between Sicily/North Africa and Malta were reasonably good, as both sides operated rescue services.

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