Siege: Malta 1940-1943

From Publishers Weekly
During World War II the tiny island of Malta commanded both Allied and Axis supply routes in the Mediterranean and was an important intelligence listening post for the Allies. From June 1940 until August 1943 it was subjected to heavy bombardment by Italian and German planes (262 air raids in one month alone), yet the islanders and the British garrison not only survived but assisted in turning Malta into a launching pad for a counteroffensive. Winston Churchill called the island "that unsinkable aircraft carrier." Although Bradford's book is oddly devoid of individuals, he conveys in magnificent detail the privations of the defenders and the ingenuity with which they coped with bombs, starvation and the threat of invasion. The relief and exultation with which the island-saving Santa Marija convoy was greeted is movingly described. Bradford's previous books include Ulysses Found and Julius Caesar. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Bradford, author of an earlier work on the great siege of Malta by the Turks in 1565, has written a lush, almost romantic, narrative of the more familiar siege of 1940-43. His vivid account of an Axis air blitz that surpassed anything suffered by England is marred by a tendency to present the Maltese as simple and enduring folks loyal to their betters. This distortion is corrected in Charles A. Jellison's Besieged ( LJ 2/15/85). Bradford is more accurate, but not particularly original, in describing the island's increasing importance as an air and naval base athwart Axis supply lines to North Africa, and in presenting the natural features that made invasion, as opposed to neutralization, so difficult. Interesting reading for general readers; repetitive for scholars. Dennis Showalter, History Dept., Colorado Coll . , Colorado SpringsCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
The siege of Malta began in June 1940 and lasted until the end of 1942, making it the longest in the history of warfare. Day and night the tiny island of Malta (21 miles long, 12 miles wide) was the most heavily bombed place on earth. Malta's importance was its location. Strategically placed between Sicily and North Africa, the island dominated supply routes between occupied Europe and the forces under Rommel in North Africa. Malta remained what Churchill called "an unsinkable aircraft carrier." "This remarkable book is a fitting sequel to Bradford's THE GREAT SIEGE, an earlier story of Malta's siege by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1565. The two can be read separately or together, but one thread of continuity shines out: the absolutely invincible courage of the Maltese people." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)

From the Publisher
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Situated halfway between Europe and Africa, Malta played a central role in the battles for the mastery of North Africa. The island was the vital supply base for British and Imperial troops in the to-and-fro desert campaigns against first Italy and then Germany and Rommel's Afrika Korps. The three-year siege of Malta was one of the longest sieges in history. In this thrilling account the author, who first came to know and love Malta whilst serving with the Royal Navy during the Second World War, paints a vivid picture of the suffering of the island and its population. He draws on personal accounts and reminiscences of the participants; he tells of the occasional despair that turned to joy when the convoys got through with much-needed supplies and of the bravery of both the civilians and the armed forces stationed there that won for Malta the George Cross.


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