Air Battle of Malta: Aircraft Losses and Crash Sites, 1940 - 1942 9781784381882, 1784381888

Citation preview

james holland

anthony rogers

In the Second World War, Malta was subjected to continual air attacks during a siege lasting nearly two and a half years.

Of more than 1,000 aircraft destroyed during the battle, many disappeared into the Mediterranean or were written off in landing; others crashed among the Maltese Islands. This book focuses on the latter – identifying the crash sites of some 200 machines, and the fate of their pilots and crews.

MALTA

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 defence by outclassed Hurricanes, culminating in the desperate months of fighting following the arrival on Malta of the first Spitfires in March 1942.

of

served in the Royal Marines on Malta. He was a photojournalist in the 1980s and 1990s, covering wars on three continents. Author of several books, he has a keen interest in events that occurred in and around the Mediterranean during the Second World War.

A IR BAT T LE

‘A compelling and utterly fascinating account of one of the greatest air battles of the Second World War and the crash sites that exist today’

What stories lie behind the many aircraft destroyed over the Maltese Islands?

anthony rogers

AIR BAT TLE of

MA LTA Aircraft Losses and Crash Sites

1940–42

There are those still unaware of the fate of family members who never returned after the Second World War, or who have little or no idea where loved ones met their end. This book documents all known aircraft crashes that occurred in and around the Maltese Islands during 1940–42, describing in detail the circumstances of each loss and what became of the pilot or crew, including some who even today are officially listed as missing. The immediacy of eyewitness accounts from both sides provide a fascinating perspective of an epic battle – much of the material is previously unpublished, not least the narratives by those who were there.

anthony rogers

Front jacket photograph: Messerschmitt Bf 109 en route to Malta (Alfred Hammer via Dr Jochen Prien); Crashed Junkers Ju 88 1346/M7+AK (Author’s Collection) Back jacket photograph: Bofors gun position overlooking Grand Harbour (Author’s Collection) Jacket design: www.spikyshooz.com

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AIR BATTLE OF MALTA

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AIR BATTLE OF MALTA AIRCRAFT LOSSES AND CRASH SITES 1940–42

ANTHONY ROGERS

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First published in 2017 by Greenhill Books, c/o Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S. Yorkshire, S70 2AS www.greenhillbooks.com © Anthony Rogers 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. ISBN 978-1-78438-188-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data available Typeset by JCS Publishing Services Ltd, www.jcs-publishing.co.uk Printed and bound in Malta by Gutenberg Press

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CONTENTS List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction xi 1 June–August 1940 Italy joins Germany in the war against Britain and France – the Regia Aeronautica commences operations against Malta – Gladiators ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Charity’ – arrival of first Hurricanes

1

2 September–December 1940 Gladiators and Hurricanes against 2 a Squadra Aerea of the Regia Aeronautica

5

3 January–April 1941 Arrival of X. Fliegerkorps of the Luftwaffe – ‘Illustrious Blitz’ – Hurricanes outclassed by Messerschmitt Bf 109s of 7./J.G.26

9

4 May–December 1941 The Luftwaffe is redeployed – the Regia Aeronautica resumes offensive operations – the Luftwaffe returns with II. Fliegerkorps.

28

5 January–February 1942 Hurricanes and anti-aircraft guns against II. Fliegerkorps of the Luftwaffe

47

6 March–April 1942 Malta is reinforced with Spitfires – air war intensifies

60

7 May 1942 Spitfires replace Hurricanes in battle against Axis raiders

88

8 June–September 1942 Malta continues to hold out – Axis summer offensive – Operation ‘Pedestal’

115

9 October 1942 Failure of the last Axis air offensive

143

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Air Battle of Malta

10 November–December 1942 Axis operations against Malta are scaled down – Malta goes on the offensive

150

Appendices I Aviation Losses 1940–42: Malta and Gozo 155 II Abbreviations 186 III Regia Aeronautica in the Air Battle of Malta 188 IV Luftwaffe in the Air Battle of Malta 189 V Comparative Ranks of the Royal Air Force, Regia Aeronautica and Luftwaffe 190 Notes 191 Bibliography 208 Index of Personnel 211 Index of Places 217

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ILLUSTRATIONS Plates

1 10 July 1940: Savoia-Marchetti S.79 of 195a Squadriglia over Grand Harbour 2 Fiat CR.42 (MM4368) after crashing at Wied il-Għajn on 16 July 1940 3 Flight Lieutenant George Burges of Malta’s Fighter Flight in Gladiator N5519 4 July 1940: at Gibraltar en route to Malta, Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm pilots and a naval rating on board HMS Argus 5 James MacLachlan as a squadron leader during a visit to the United States 6 Personnel of the three Services at the crash site of a Junkers Ju 87 7 26 February 1941: part of the wreckage of Ju 87 5152/6G+ER of 4./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 8 Bombardier George Dale of 10th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery with wreckage of Ju 87 5718/6G+PR 9 Sergeant Charles MacDougal 10 Sunderland L2164 of 228 Squadron in Mistra Bay 11 Hurricane V7430 12 Sergeant Fred Robertson after being awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal 13 Royal Irish Fusilier posing with trophies 14 27 April 1941: Sunderland L5807 of 228 Squadron ablaze at Kalafrana 15 Crew of an 18 Squadron Blenheim after a ditching off the south-east coast on 13 December 1941 16 Oberleutnant Viktor Schnez with Oberleutnant Georg Lust in November 1941 17 Burnt-out wreckage of Ju 88 1346/M7+AK 18 During a visit to Malta in 2000, Viktor Schnez discusses events of 3 January 1942 with eyewitnesses Peter Micallef and John Galea 19 9 March 1942: a crewman descends by parachute near the burning wreckage of Ju 88 8680/3Z+JP at Ħal Far 20 Tail section of the 6./Kampfgeschwader 77 machine 21 Rhodesian Pilot Officer Douglas Leggo before his commission 22 Sergeant Archie Steele while serving in 615 Squadron 23 Mosquito of 69 Squadron 24 Curious onlookers examine a Bf 109 of 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 that crashlanded near Paola on 1 April 1942 25 Leutnant Herman Neuhoff of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 26 Lieutenant Clifford Clark of the Royal West Kents 27 Sergeant Ernie Broad with Australian, Jack Yarra 28 Pilot Officer Phil Wigley with Pilot Officer Ron Noble

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29 Bf 109 shot down by AA near Ħal Far on 14 April 1942 30 Flight Lieutenant Rhys Lloys of 185 Squadron with a wing panel from Hauptmann Krahl’s Bf 109 31 Pilot Officer ‘Tex’ Putnam 32 Stuka 2075/S7+JP after crashing on the shore at Żonqor on 3 May 1942 33 Flight Lieutenant Norman MacQueen of 249 Squadron 34 Unteroffizier Heinrich Becker, while in Germany in Ergänzungsgruppe/Jagdgeschwader 53 35/36 On 8 May 1942, Becker was shot down and taken prisoner 37/38 Ju 87 of 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3, shot down by AA at Senglea on 10 May 1942 39 Australian Sergeant ‘Tony’ Boyd of 185 Squadron 40 Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham of 601 Squadron 41 Bomber crashed at Ta’ Qali 42 Dismantled fighter of 152a Squadriglia 43 Crash site in 1989 of Spitfire of 126 Squadron, with the remains of both Hispano cannon firmly embedded 44 Savoia-Marchetti S.84bis of 4o Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre, destroyed by Spitfires of 249 Squadron on 4 July 1942 45 1997: John Galea indicates the crash site of a Spitfire 46 A Ju 88 of 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 crashing at Kirkop at 23:46 hours on 20 July 1942 47 One of four 3.7-inch AA guns at XHB 8, near Bengħisa 48 Macchi C.202 (MM7842) shot down by 249 Squadron’s Sergeant George Beurling 49 ‘Screwball’ Beurling with the rudder and ‘cat and mice’ emblem of 378a

Squadriglia from Sergente Maggiore Gelli’s Macchi 50 Leutnant Heinz Heuser of 1./Kampfgruppe 806 51 Canadian Pilot Office Rod Smith of 126 Squadron in the UK after his Malta tour 52 Flying Officer Ian Lindsay of 185 Squadron 53 Unteroffizier Heribert Wagner of 5./Jagdgeschwader 53

Maps

1 The Central Mediterranean 2 The Maltese Islands 3 Aircraft Crash Sites: Gozo and Comino 4 Aircraft Crash Sites: West Malta 5 Aircraft Crash Sites: East Malta

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book has evolved from an earlier work (Battle over Malta) and describes the circumstances of some 200 final sorties flown during 1940–42 by those who served in and with the Royal Air Force, and also by their opponents in the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe. The intention is to record for posterity not only how, but also where those flights ended. If a record was kept of aviation losses in the Maltese Islands during the Second World War, its whereabouts is unknown. Existing war diaries and Malta Police reports sometimes make reference to aircraft crashes, but frequently without stating where they occurred. In order to glean as much information as possible it was therefore necessary to look at army, navy, air force and local police records. Other invaluable sources were personal diaries and eyewitness accounts. To better understand a battle one should know the region concerned, and to this end there were numerous exploratory trips to Malta and Gozo. Such an undertaking would have been impossible but for the invaluable assistance and cooperation of Robert Farrugia in Malta. It has also involved well over 700 hours of research at The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) in Kew, England, where in excess of 300 documents were examined. In addition there were visits to the Imperial War Museum (London) and the RAF Museum (Hendon) and fruitful correspondence with the Royal Marines Museum (Eastney) and Air Historical Branch (London). In Malta, Frederick Galea and the late Philip Vella of the National War Museum Association dealt with my many enquiries. At Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin-Reinickendorf, Germany, Frau Pierenz and Viktor Lahme assisted in obtaining details from Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldungen (German Air Force personnel loss reports). Hans-Jürgen Wagner undertook further research at WASt on my behalf. The Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr (Germany), Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. (Germany), the German Embassy in London and Ministero Della Difesa (Italy) were all very helpful, as was Colonnello Paolo Magro at the Italian Embassy in London. Along the way many selflessly gave of their time to offer advice, corroborate events and provide their own recollections. They include former military personnel J. N. Allen, John Alton, Ron Backhouse, H. J. S. (John) Beazley, Howard Bell, Thomas Black Jimmy Booth, L. P. S. (Pat) Bing, Fred Callus, Carmelo Cassar, Phil Chandler, Emanuel Ciantar, Clifford Clark, Franklin F. Clark, George Dale, D. J. (John) Eaborn, Gordon Farquharson, Dave Ferraby, Ted Filby, Phil Francis, Stan Fraser, John Galea, Bob Garraghan, Doug Geer, Steve Haffenden, P. L. Hammond, N. P. W. (Pat) Hancock (Honorary Secretary/Treasurer of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association), J. S. Houghton, Professor Quentin Hughes, Bill Jackson, Lars Larsen, R. L. Ledbrook, P. G. (Graham) Leggett, George Lord, P. B. ‘Laddie’ Lucas, The Honourable Judge Ian McKay, W. E. (Bill) Metcalf, Reg Morse, Thomas Neil, Leo Nomis, Malcolm

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Oxley, Denis Parker, Jim Pickering, Jack Rae, Frank Rixon, Peter Rothwell, Conyers Rutter, T. C. (Charlie) Savage, Bob Sergeant, Alan Sheppard, Bill Sheppard, F. E. (Ted) Shute, Peter Simpson, Rod Smith, Jim Somerville, Tony Spooner, Don Stones, Bill Strawbridge, Peter Thompson, Peter Watson, Bill Welford, Pat Wells, Phil Wigley and Roger Woodhouse; also former Luftwaffe pilots Heinrich Becker, Joachim Louis, Hermann Neuhoff, Heinz Riedel and Viktor Schnez, and Gino Battaggion, Generale Francesco Cavalera and Silvio De Giorgi, formerly of the Regia Aeronautica. Thanks, too, to Brian Cook, Honorary Secretary of the 89 Squadron Reunion Club, and D. P. F. ‘Mac’ McCaig, Honorary Secretary/Treasurer of the 249 Squadron Association. Much useful information was acquired from ‘Malta Police Reports on Air Raids for 1942’, courtesy of Charles Debono of Heritage Malta. Among the sport diving community, Louis Bonavia and Raniero Borg were especially helpful. I am also grateful to Horst Amberg, Joe Azzopardi, Oliver and Diana Barnham, Dr George M. Boffa, the family of the late Ernie Broad, Squadron Leader Rodney Burges, Tony Busuttil, Don Caldwell, Martin Chetcuti, Gavin Cooper, George Curmi, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MP, Jamie Duquette, Carmen Fenech, Francis Galea, Alfred Gatt, Joseph Grima, John Hamlin, Chris John, Gordon Lindsay, Lydia Lord, Carlo Lucchini, Lex McAuley, Sean Morrison, Phil Nobbs, Ena O’Connell, John Ormrod, Dr Jochen Prien, Philip and Wendy Rogers, Lieutenant Mark Said (Armed Forces of Malta), Elizabeth Scratton, Chris Shores, Edgar Smith, John Weal and John Wigley. Among the excellent wartime titles that have since been republished are Malta Spitfire (2002) and Spitfires over Malta (2012). Extracts from both are reproduced with kind permission of Michael Leventhal at Greenhill Books, and Paul Lovell respectively. In addition, Brian Cull and Roland Symons generously provided material intended for their own publications. Images in this book derive from various sources including former military personnel and their families. Others appear courtesy of the National War Museum Association, the Royal Irish Fusiliers Regimental Association and Laidlaw Auctioneers & Valuers. Thank you to Peter Wilkinson for producing the maps, and to Jessica CuthbertSmith for her impeccable copy-editing. Last but certainly not least I extend my gratitude to the late Phil Wigley and the delightful Sonja Stammwitz, both of whom took on the laborious task of translating German material.

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INTRODUCTION As a youngster I was fascinated when my mother told me about her experiences as a little girl on Malta during the Second World War. Sometimes she would venture far from her village, she said, and together with other children would be among the first at the scene when an aeroplane was shot down. Her recollection of one particular event bears distinct similarities to what happened at Żebbuġ on 3 January 1942, when Oberleutnant Viktor Schnez was taken prisoner after baling out of his Junkers Ju 88: We saw a ’plane come down … and reached it before the ARP [Air Raid Police] and everybody else … It lay at the bottom of a crater, but the pilot wasn’t there. He had jumped with a parachute. I seem to remember him climbing out of a hole and then being surrounded by a crowd of women. One of them had a bowl of hot ‘coffee’ and she threw this in his face.1

What makes my mother’s tale all the more remarkable is that I would one day meet Viktor Schnez. In September 2000 he returned to Malta together with his wife, Gudrun. I was among those who accompanied them to where the Ju 88 had crashed more than fifty-eight years before. One story impressed me more than any other. My mother had been instructed to take some soup, prepared from the meagre rations available, to one of the menfolk employed at a local gun site. During the journey there was an air raid, the intensity of which terrified my mother. As nearby anti-aircraft guns opened fire, she crouched against a stone wall and looked up at the bursting shells and attacking aircraft, one of which received a direct hit and began to descend, out of control, directly overhead. As the panic-stricken child fled, the doomed aircraft slammed into the ground where she had been sheltering moments earlier. In the confusion, the soup bowl and its precious contents were lost. This so concerned my mother that she was reluctant to return home, fearing a scolding for being careless. When she eventually explained what had happened, she was teased by one of her brothers, who considered the subject a source of amusement for years afterwards. Whenever the incident was mentioned, my mother would become terribly upset. Of course, it wasn’t the loss of the soup that caused the reaction. Somewhat insensitively, I asked to be shown where the aircraft had crashed. My mother refused. She died in 1986, without ever taking me to the scene of that eventful day. Some might think that after two and a half years of aerial warfare, during which more than a thousand aeroplanes of all types were lost, Malta must be a veritable aircraft graveyard.2 However, a large number of aircraft disappeared over the Mediterranean. Many were written off after emergency landings at aerodromes on Sicily or Malta. This book focuses mainly on the remainder, the more than 200 aeroplanes that crashed in the countryside and residential areas of Malta and Gozo.

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With the passing of time, it is inevitable that some crash sites can no longer be identified. During an aerial engagement on 13 May 1941, Flying Officer Innes B. Westmacott of 185 Squadron was shot down in the Għar Lapsi area. A few days later, on 20 May, Pilot Officer A. J. (Tony) Reeves of 261 was shot down, his fighter probably crashing between Żebbuġ and Siġġiewi. Westmacott and Reeves survived. Other Hurricane pilots were a lot less fortunate. Flying Officer John S. Southwell of 261 Squadron was killed in action on 22 March 1941 (a Hurricane tail section, possibly from his aircraft, was recovered from Ras il-Qammieħ in the late 1990s). Sergeant Raymond Ottey of C Flight, 261 Squadron died when his Hurricane was lost in unknown circumstances on 2 May 1941, probably at or near Ħal Far. On 19 July 1941, Sergeant John D. McCracken of 126 Squadron was killed during a night takeoff. His Hurricane is recorded to have crashed 3 miles north-east of Mtarfa.3 Almost all Spitfire crash sites have been located, one exception being that of Flight Sergeant Peter C. Terry of 185 Squadron, killed in action on 7 July 1942. Some losses were omitted due to insufficient information or conflicting details. They include Maryland AR739 of 69 Squadron, which failed to return from a reconnaissance mission over Sicily on 10 August 1941. The aircraft, still carrying two 500-pound bombs, stalled a mile or so east of Luqa aerodrome. Of the threeman crew, the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Paul Wylde, and observer, Sergeant Richard Mutimer, were killed in the crash; the wireless operator/air gunner, Sergeant Campbell Clark, was critically injured and died the following day. On 16 October 1941, Flying Officer Samuel McAllister (pilot) and Sergeant Edward Brenton lost their lives; a third crew member, Sergeant W. E. Martin, survived when a 107 Squadron Blenheim came down on land, possibly in the area of Żurrieq. In the early hours of 20 June 1942, a Lockheed Hudson delivery aircraft of 1 Operational Training Unit crashed on approaching Luqa aerodrome. The observer, Sergeant Francis Grosvenor, was killed and three of the crew were injured. On 1 December 1942, two Beaufighters of 272 Squadron took off from Ta’ Qali on an offensive patrol to North Africa. One of the aircraft was equipped with bombs, but before it could gain sufficient height, the port engine partially seized. The unarmed bombs were jettisoned, following which Wing Commander J. K. Buchanan force-landed the Beaufighter in a field not too far from the aerodrome. All three of the crew survived. Offshore losses still to be discovered include a Spitfire that was shot down on 18 March 1942 and plunged into the sea either in St Paul’s Bay or beyond: Pilot Officer Harold Fox (249 Squadron) was killed. On 8 April 1942, Flight Lieutenant Philip Heppell (249 Squadron) survived after his Spitfire disintegrated around him, apparently as a result of ‘friendly’ anti-aircraft fire; possibly the wreckage fell in Grand Harbour. Less than a week later, on 14 April 1942, three Beauforts were lost off the south coast of Malta. One ditched not far from Wied iż-Żurrieq, but was probably recovered after the war as scrap metal, a common fate of accessible shallow-water wrecks. Nearly all Regia Aeronautica and Luftwaffe losses have been accounted for. Exceptions include a German aircraft said to have crashed in Triq is-Sienja

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Introduction

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(Water Mill Street), Kalkara. One possibility is that this was a Stuka of 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader shot down during an attack on Grand Harbour on 4 May 1941 with the loss of Unteroffiziere Heinrich Becker (pilot) and Karl Wiersgowski. Both were buried at a local cemetery and later reinterred at Cagliari (St Michele) Communal Cemetery in Sardinia. (A Cant. Z.1007 also fell in the area on 10 May 1942.) Another Ju 87 is said to have come down in Triq il-Gendus (Bull Street) in nearby Cospicua. Among souvenirs collected at the time was a bomb carrier with Werknummer 2189. However, if the number relates to the machine rather than an aircraft component, it does not appear to correspond with any of the Ju 87s known to have been lost over Malta. One of the most baffling mysteries concerns a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that allegedly crashed in the general area of Salina. According to a credible eyewitness, such an aircraft came down more or less intact within 100 yards of Il-Widna at Ta’ San Pietru; the pilot was killed. Further ‘evidence’ is provided by flying goggles on display at Malta’s National War Museum labelled as having been retrieved in September 1942 from a Messerschmitt at Salina. Yet no such loss is corroborated by available German or British records. What, then, exists from the Battle of Malta? An unforgiving terrain ensured that even when it fell from a great height, an aircraft barely penetrated the rocky earth and more often than not broke up on the surface. This was no doubt welcomed by those tasked with clearing up afterwards. No relevant records have been found, so one can only surmise that the wreckage was eventually deposited at a convenient collection point. Certainly, in early 1941 there were at least two aircraft dumps – one at the Dockyard and another at Kalafrana. Some wartime accounts mention other disposal areas at or close to aerodromes. In the early 1980s, construction work at the western edge of Ta’ Qali uncovered what appeared to be such a site, revealing all manner of items. If there are similar locations, however, their whereabouts are largely forgotten. Most, but not all, of whatever the military left would eventually have been carted off as scrap. Numerous battles took place over southern Malta, as shown by the concentration of aircraft crash sites in the region and, if anything is to be found, it is likely to be among the cliffs and ravines and in the small fields that predominate there. This might be little more than easily overlooked fragments of aluminium and shattered Perspex. Sometimes, though, a farmer will have utilised a convenient piece of airframe or incorporated an aircraft part in one of the field rubble walls that are characteristic of Malta’s agricultural areas. What have survived are a good number of military structures. They include numerous defence and beach posts, as well as the concrete emplacements of heavy anti-aircraft gun positions. In 1981, Brigadier Alfred Samut-Tagliaferro, CBE, had this to say about the fate of the guns themselves: Following the decision to discontinue Coast and Heavy Anti Aircraft artillery in the British Army, our defences were dismantled in the early 1960s and their guns and associated armament were cut up and sold as scrap iron for a relative pittance!4

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After the end of the Second World War, Britain’s armed forces continued to take advantage of Malta’s strategic position. Military facilities were retained at Kalafrana, Safi and Qrendi. The aerodromes at Ħal Far and Ta’ Qali were operational for years before they were eventually decommissioned. But, for as long as the Royal Air Force (RAF) maintained a presence on Malta, Luqa remained as its main base. (A small civil airport was also established on the eastern edge of the wartime aerodrome.) The last British units departed Malta in 1979. The site of RAF Luqa was expanded to incorporate the modern Malta International Airport, as well as the Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta. Ħal Far and Ta’ Qali have both undergone much redevelopment, with the latter providing a suitable location for Malta’s Aviation Museum. Some former barracks were privatised. Pembroke in particular has been transformed, partly into a residential area and partly into a hotel complex. Manoel Island, a wartime submarine base, had been heavily bombed. It was left largely abandoned and derelict until a multi-million-euro facelift turned the area into a tourist attraction. The Dockyard area, the focus of so much attention during Italian and German air attacks, may from a distance appear much as it did before so many of its buildings were reduced to rubble. But a closer inspection of surviving original architecture will reveal the scars of countless bomb splinters. After 1945, Grand Harbour remained a regular port of call for the Royal Navy and, later, hosted visiting warships of the Sixth Fleet of the United States Navy. Today, the port caters mainly for merchant ships and cruise liners. Much of the war debris that littered the harbour has been removed, and whatever is still there lies in murky and dangerous waters. There are a number of museums devoted wholly or in part to Malta’s role in the Second World War. The National War Museum is the oldest of these and owes its origins to a group of local enthusiasts who, on 29 July 1974, established the National War Museum Association (NWMA). On 30 May 1975, the Association opened a War Relics Exhibition at Lower Fort St Elmo, in Valletta. The success and rapid expansion of the collection led to the inauguration of the National War Museum on 5 November 1979. Among Association members there were those with a particular interest in acquiring aviation artefacts. Aeroplane wrecks were discovered by local sport divers and detected by surveys undertaken by the Italian Navy. Remains were also recovered, albeit unintentionally, by dredgers and fishing vessels. In 1975, a Pegasus 9 aero engine was found off Marsa by the port dredger Anadrian. The following year, parts of a Spitfire of 1435 Squadron were recovered from Dwejra Bay, Gozo, where it was deposited after crash-landing on the clifftop on 27 March 1943. On 11 September 1976, the wreckage of a Bf 109 F snagged in the nets of the trawler Hannibal, by which time the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries had issued a departmental order to all government trawlers to retain for the museum any non-hazardous wreckage recovered during trawling operations. Before the year was over, scuba divers also raised a Wright 14-cylinder engine from a 69 Squadron Maryland shot down by Bf 109s on 15 February 1942 (see pp. 57–8). In 1977, divers recovered various items

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from Beaufort DW805, which had ditched on 21 August 1942 (see pp. 139–40). Early in 1978, parts of a Ju 88 were trawled from off Salina, and on 29 January 1981, the Nalout caught in her nets the wreckage of an unidentified British machine, believed to be a bomber. In summer 1982, divers retrieved the propeller and an MG 17 machine gun from the wreck of a Ju 87 Stuka off Żonqor. Subsequently, a second gun and the Junkers Jumo 211 engine were recovered. Later still, the tail plane was retrieved from which the aircraft was identified by its Werknummer: 5297 (see pp.  19–20). The remains of what was probably another Ju 88 were brought to the surface by the trawler F1138 on 16 October 1983 (and then disposed of at a land-fill site). In May 1990, two Hispano cannon were removed from the wreckage of an unidentified Spitfire off Dragunara Point. Additional items were salvaged from Beaufort DW805 in October 1992, and in April of the following year the mainspar was retrieved from the Spitfire off Dragunara. Another Junkers Jumo 211 engine was recovered from the sea off Aħrax Point on 12 September 1993 (see pp. 93–4), followed in October by a DB601 engine from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq (see pp. 137–8). In 2002, the Cultural Heritage Act led to the dissolution of the Museums Department, which was superseded by a new government body, Heritage Malta, the responsibilities of which include the National War Museum. The museum was refurbished before reopening in 2015 with a more general theme covering Malta’s military history. However, a major part of the display is still dedicated to the Second World War. Principal exhibits include the George Cross awarded to Malta on 15 April 1942; the restored fuselage of Gloster Gladiator N5520; a Willys Jeep used during visits to Malta by General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the run-up to Operation ‘Husky’ and, later, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Also on display is the Merlin engine of Spitfire VC BR108, ditched by Flight Lieutenant Lester Sanders of 603 Squadron during a dogfight with Bf 109s on 8 July 1942, and recovered by the RAF Sub-Aqua Club in 1973 (see pp. 123–4). The Malta at War Museum located at Couvre Porte at Vittoriosa (Birgu), and the Lascaris War Rooms at St James Ditch, Valletta, are just two of the projects administered by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, a non-governmental organisation. The Malta Aviation Museum Foundation (MAMF) is also privately funded and administered. The MAMF was formed on 1 November 1994 with the ultimate aim of establishing an aviation museum. This opened at the former RAF station at Ta’ Qali on 26 April 1996. A major project of the MAMF is the restoration of historical aircraft. The first such venture was initiated following the discovery by the author of Spitfire undercarriage doors at Ta’ Qali. This led to the rebuilding of Spitfire Mk IX EN199. The Spitfire was finished in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the Victory in Europe (VE) celebrations and is today a prime exhibit at the Aviation Museum. Another undertaking by the Foundation has been the reconstruction of Hurricane Mk II Z3055, which was recovered fifty-four years after crashing off the south coast with the loss of its pilot, Sergeant Thomas Hackston (see p. 33). Until it was dissolved in mid-2016, the NWMA was closely linked with the MAMF, and artefacts that might just as easily have been displayed at the War Museum were

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instead passed on to the Aviation Museum. Acquisitions include a Rolls Royce Merlin XX engine that was raised from the seabed near Marsaskala on 23 July 2000 and very likely came from a Hurricane lost with Pilot Officer James Tew on 1 March 1942 (see p. 60). In May 2002, Charlie Grech of the trawler G. Gatto presented to the museum a Piaggio radial engine from a Z.1007 that had crashed some 16 miles from Malta. In December 2003, fragments of a Heinkel He 115 seaplane were retrieved after they were deposited on the quay at Ċirkewwa. The parts were from an offshore crash site, probably of an Allied ‘spy plane’ lost with its crew on 22 September 1941. No doubt there will continue to be other similar finds and ongoing aeroplane restorations, all of which will help keep alive the memory of a turbulent period in Malta’s long and colourful history.

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Naples

I TA LY

N

Taranto

Ty r r he ni a n Sea

Messina

Palermo

Trapani Marsala

Reggio Calabria Taormina

Sicily

Catania

Bizerte

Syracuse Pantelleria

Tunis

Gozo Sousse

Malta

TUNISIA Mediterranean Sea

Sfax

Gabes Zarzis

Tripoli Msallata Misrata Tiji

Al Jawsh

L I B YA

Sirte 0 0

100 miles 200 kms

Map 1. The Central Mediterranean

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N

Żebbuġ Għarb

Marsalforn

Gozo Kerċem

Xgħajra

Victoria Xewkija Għajnsielem

Nadur Mġarr

Comino

Mellieħa

Manikata

Mġarr

Mediterranean Sea

Żeb

M

Din

0

3 miles

0

5 kms

F

Map 2. The Maltese Islands

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lieħa

kata

arr

Mediterranean Sea

Qawra

Buġibba

St Paul’s Bay

M alta Għargħur Naxxar

Żebbieħ Mosta

St Julian’s

Lija

Balzan

Ta’ Qali Mdina

Attard

Rabat

Msida Birkirkara Ħamrun

Qormi Żebbuġ

Dingli Siġġiewi

Sliema

Gżira

Luqa Mqabba

Valletta Senglea Paola Tarxien

Luqa Gudja Kirkop

Qrendi Żurrieq

Kalkara Vittoriosa Cospicua Żabbar Marsaskala

Għaxaq

Żejtun

Marsaxlokk

Birżebbuġa Ħal Far

Marsaxlokk Bay

Kalafrana

Filfla

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CHAPTER 1

JUNE–AUGUST 1940 Malta is the largest of the Maltese Islands. Gozo and Comino are nearby and just to the north. Other, uninhabited, islets complete the archipelago, which is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily and almost equidistant from Gibraltar in the western approaches and Suez in the east. Measuring just 17½ miles by 8¼, Malta boasts an excellent natural harbour and has provided a succession of rulers with an enviably dominant position. In 1814, Malta freely became part of the British Empire, serving as an ideal base for the Royal Navy, the Army and, more than a century later, the Royal Air Force. With the threat of a European war, in the summer of 1939, the Committee of Imperial Defence approved a long-term air defence programme in recognition of Malta’s strategic importance. The plan was designed to improve existing anti-aircraft (AA) capabilities and also took into account the requirement for fighter aircraft. Malta had already been provided with its first radio direction-finding (radar) station; there was an aerodrome at Ħal Far in the south-east and at Ta’ Qali in the centre of the island. Construction on a third aerodrome near Luqa in central-eastern Malta was also well underway. In addition, there was a seaplane station on the south-east coast at Kalafrana and seaplane facilities at nearby Marsaxlokk and towards the north-west at St Paul’s Bay. On 10 June 1940, when Italy entered the war against Britain and France, Luqa aerodrome was not yet operational, and there were only thirty-four heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) guns, eight Bofors (light) anti-aircraft guns and twenty-four searchlights available. There were also several Royal Navy Gloster Sea Gladiators recently taken over by the RAF.1 At dawn on 11 June, 2 a Squadra Aerea of the Italian Regia Aeronautica commenced operations against Malta. Eighteen Macchi C.200s escorted some fifty-five Savoia-Marchetti S.79s across the 60 miles of sea that separate Malta from Sicily.2 Ħal Far, Kalafrana and the Dockyard area were each targeted. Three of Malta’s Gladiators intercepted the raiders in what would be the first of countless aerial engagements during the next two and a half years. The outdated biplanes of Malta’s Fighter Flight were the sole aerial defence for nearly two weeks following Italy’s declaration of war. Eventually, they would be immortalised as ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Charity’ (notwithstanding the fact that there were at least four aircraft on strength and others stored in crates). Reinforcements did not arrive until 21 June, when two Hurricanes were assigned to the Fighter Flight after they landed at Luqa en route to the Middle East. On the 22nd, six more Hurricanes arrived, three of which were retained in Malta.3 The RAF achieved its first victory that same day. Two Gladiators were scrambled to intercept an S.79. Flying Officer William ‘Timber’ Woods carried out an initial attack, but without visible result. Next to attack was Flight Lieutenant George Burges. The Italian machine, with its twin engines on fire, fell in the sea off south-east Malta.

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Air Battle of Malta

2

There were two survivors, both of whom became prisoners of war. The next day, Burges accounted for an MC.200. This, too, crashed offshore. The pilot baled out and was taken prisoner. In the morning of 3 July, Flying Officer John Waters pursued an S.79 and was credited with its destruction when it came down off the coast. When Waters returned to base he was attacked by Fiat CR.42s and crash-landed as a result. The pilot was unhurt, but the Hurricane was a write-off. On 6 July, anti-aircraft gunners claimed an Italian bomber shot down, and the following day Woods was credited with the destruction of an S.79. After four weeks of war, Malta’s modest defence had proven more than a match against a far more powerful adversary. But it was still very early days. Malta had been at war for one month when, at approximately 07:45 hours on 10 July 1940, the air raid sirens’ banshee wail heralded the approach of some twenty S.79s.4 Even though they were behind schedule and had missed the rendezvous with their fighter escort, the bombers continued with their mission, concentrating primarily on the Dockyard, Manoel Island, Tarxien and Żabbar. As billowing dust clouds from numerous bomb bursts rolled across the landscape, the Italians were intercepted by Hurricanes of the island’s Fighter Flight. Two S.79s were destroyed in addition to those damaged. One S.79, believed to have been that piloted by Sottotenente Luigi Illica Magnani of 192a Squadriglia B.T., was shot down by Flying Officer ‘Timber’ Woods and crashed offshore. Flying Officer Frederic Taylor attacked the other. The 195a Squadriglia B.T. machine, with Sottotenente Felice Filippi at the controls,5 was the first enemy aircraft to fall on Maltese soil. It came down in flames just behind the seventeenth-century De Redin Tower, east of Fort San Leonardo, severely damaging the nearby Post RA6, which was occupied by personnel of B Company, 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment. Three soldiers suffered extensive burns: Private George Le Provost and Lance Corporal Maurice Malcolm died two days later. Civilian casualties were reported to be one killed and three injured. At least one airman baled out of the stricken Italian bomber, only for his parachute to catch fire. Neither he, nor any of those from either of the aircraft shot down, is known to have survived.6 There were also casualties, including at least one fatality, among returning bomber crews. Shortly after 09:00 hours on 16 July, a dozen CR.42 biplanes of 23o Gruppo Autonomo C.T. appeared over Malta on reconnaissance. They were engaged by a Hurricane Mk I, flown by Flight Lieutenant Peter Keeble, and a Gladiator piloted by Flight Lieutenant George Burges. Keeble apparently engaged a CR.42 just before two biplanes got on his tail. In spite of every effort, Keeble was unable to evade his pursuers. Among those watching events from the ground was South African Pilot Officer Roger ‘Jock’ Hilton-Barber: His engine was obviously hit and smoking pretty badly, but it was quite amazing because the CR.42 was on his tail and followed him right down and in fact crashed very close to

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June–August 1940

3

where he did. One thought was that the CR.42 had been shot down by ground fire, but I don’t know that he wasn’t concentrating so much on shooting Peter down that he just went straight in.7

The CR.42 was indeed claimed as having been brought down with light machinegun fire by C Company headquarters, 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment.8 Some unconfirmed accounts also indicate that the two aircraft collided in mid-air shortly before both crashed near Wied il-Għajn. In any event, Keeble was the first RAF fighter pilot to be killed in the defence of Malta. The Italian pilot, Tenente Mario Benedetti, was still alive when rescuers arrived at the scene. He died soon afterwards in hospital. ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Charity’, the three Gladiator biplanes which helped to defend Malta against the Regia Aeronautica, have become part of Maltese folklore. However, prior to hostilities, the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious had offloaded eighteen Sea Gladiators to be stored in crates at Malta. Three were subsequently taken back on board, and three were dispatched to Egypt. Of the remainder, six were assembled for service in Malta, and six used for spares. Yet, because no more than three Gladiators were seen in the air at any one time, it was widely believed that these were all there were. It is not known who christened the machines ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Charity’, or even when. Neither is it certain which aircraft, if any, were actually referred to by name.9 Of the operational Gladiators, just one was shot down in combat, and while the crash site has yet to be positively identified, it is fitting that the circumstances of that loss are included here. During the morning of 31 July, Flying Officers Woods, Taylor and Hartley took off in their Gladiators to intercept an S.79 escorted by between seven and nine CR.42s of 23o Gruppo Autonomo C.T. In the ensuing action, ‘Timber’ Woods claimed a CR.42: Capitano Antonio Chiodi was reported missing after his fighter crashed some 5 miles off Grand Harbour. In turn, Flying Officer Hartley was shot down in Gladiator N5519; the likely victor was Sergente Manlio Tarantino.10 Hilton-Barber recalled: Peter Hartley must have been hit in his centre tank because his Gladiator burnt just like a magnesium flare – an actually brilliant light in the sky, and it was a very lovely day, typical Malta summer day, very hot, clear blue sky, no clouds. He actually baled out after his aircraft caught fire and he fell into the sea. He was very badly burnt, particularly about the knees and arms and face. In those days we, of course, flew in khaki shirts and shorts and stockings and it was, of course, the exposed portion of his body that got damaged. He spent a very long time in hospital and was eventually evacuated to UK, but I believe made a good recovery and flew again later on.11

According to at least one report, Gladiator N5519 fell just offshore, close to Ras il-Fenek, in south-east Malta.12 Hartley was rescued by a boat from Kalafrana and admitted to the Station Sick Quarters suffering from shock and third-degree burns.

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Air Battle of Malta

4

Soon after, he was transferred to the military hospital at Mtarfa. He did indeed return to flying duties in the UK and the Middle East, but was eventually reassigned a ground role due to continuing problems with his injuries. Those on Malta were only too aware of the urgent requirement for more and better fighters. On 30 July, ‘The “Fighter ’Plane” Fund, Malta’ was launched to enable the public to purchase their own aircraft for the islands’ defence. In three months, enough was raised to pay for two Spitfires. These were duly assembled and christened ‘Malta’ and ‘Ghawdex’, the latter after the Maltese name for the neighbouring island of Gozo. Ironically, neither machine ever reached Malta. Both were released to 74 Squadron in May 1941. W3210 ‘Malta’ was reported missing during a sortie over northern France on 27 June 1941, while W3212 ‘Ghawdex’ was eventually transferred to the Royal Navy.13 Operation ‘Hurry’ was the first attempt to reinforce Malta with fighters from an aircraft carrier. At dawn on 2 August, twelve Hurricane Mk Is of 418 Flight took off from HMS Argus to be flown 380 miles to Luqa. There they were to join surviving fighters to form 261 Squadron. For the flight the aircraft were divided into two groups of six, each led by a Skua. Two hours and twenty minutes later the first machine landed at Luqa. The second to approach was Hurricane N2700 flown by Sergeant Fred Robertson. According to Pilot Officer ‘Jock’ Hilton-Barber: He [Robertson] and two sergeant pilots arrived in a vic of three over Luqa. He came in very, very low doing a very fast beat-up, followed by a roll off the top by himself and upward Charlies by his Numbers 2 and 3 … Robertson made a typical carrier-type, split-arse approach … very low and very steep turn and, as he was doing his final turn to line up with the runway, his motor cut – it was very audible to us on the ground – and he flicked over to the right on to his back and ploughed into the ground upside down. I think he went through three … stone [field] walls … Well, we were very shattered to say the least. This was our first reinforcement, pilots and aircraft, and we’d been really looking forward to this, and we wrote him off, but fantastic as it may sound, Robertson only had minor concussion and was flying again two days later.14

The officer commanding (OC) Luqa rushed to the scene, helped the dazed pilot into his car and drove him to the Medical Inspection (MI) Room at Luqa Camp. Robertson would record in his log book that the Hurricane’s petrol gauge was faulty. This had presumably misled him into thinking that he had more fuel than was actually the case and may have contributed to the accident. The rest of the Hurricanes and one Skua landed without mishap. The other Skua landed heavily on one wheel and slid along on its port wing for about 200 yards before crashing over the air raid shelter near Luqa’s control tower. The crew escaped unhurt.

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CHAPTER 2

SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 1940 Malta was to experience a new mode of aerial attack when 96o Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo became the first Italian unit to be equipped with Junkers Ju 87 Bs. Operations against the island commenced on 4 September with the dive-bombing of Delimara by five so-called Picchiatelli. At 10:40 hours on 17 September, the air raid sirens signalled the approach of twelve Picchiatelli escorted by at least two dozen fighters. The dive-bombers (some of which were seen to have the Balkenkreuz on their wings) concentrated on Luqa aerodrome, where a Wellington and a Hurricane were burnt out and considerable damage was caused to a hangar, huts and water supplies. In the air a brief but fierce encounter took place as ground defences and RAF fighters retaliated. Recently promoted Flying Officer ‘Jock’ Hilton-Barber attacked a Ju 87 B flown by Sergente Maggiore Luigi Catani on his first sortie over Malta. Catani, a former fighter pilot, promptly turned towards the Hurricane, the two aircraft firing at each other in a series of head-on attacks that ended with the Picchiatello crashing into the sea off Mtaħleb. Catani was captured soon afterwards. The gunner, Primo Aviere Francesco Di Giorgi, was killed (as was the gunner of another Ju 87 that returned to Sicily after being badly damaged). Meanwhile, a CR.42 was reported by ground observers to be in difficulties over the west coast. The pilot, Sottotenente Francesco Cavalli of 70 a Squadriglia C.T., baled out and landed a few hundred yards north of Fort Binġemma. Two days later the Times of Malta carried a front-page story about the event: The end – for the machine – came quickly. It suddenly “looped the loop”, and the pilot was seen struggling to free himself from his cockpit. Just as the machine started to nosedive at a sharp angle, the pilot baled out, and his parachute opened – not a second too soon, for no sooner was he clear than flames burst out. The aircraft crashed into a field and buried its nose some five feet deep into the red earth. A big explosion followed and flames leapt up two storeys high; it continued smouldering right into the night. Dr. F. Pullicino, M.D., and others rushed to the spot thinking farmhands had been crushed beneath the machine, but Carmena and a little girl who had been working in the field, were found safe behind a rubble wall, only three yards away. No one was hurt, but the machine burnt itself out, a considerable portion of the metal being liquified by the terrific heat of the burning aircraft. Meanwhile its pilot was floating in the air, swinging dangerously. It took him six minutes to land, with several of the villagers, headed by Postman Spiru Bezzina, following his course. Everyone was still undecided whether it was a British or enemy pilot, and as he landed, there was a rush to the spot. There were angry cries when some

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Air Battle of Malta

6

of the villagers discovered that he was an enemy, but the man was lying helpless on his back, and everybody held back. He asked for a glass of water which was quickly brought to him. He looked about him, and said to Dr. Pullicino: “Come sono simpatici gli inglesi” – “how nice the English are!” His first thought was for his mother, and he asked whether she would be informed he was alive; after being reassured on this point, he enquired about his comrades – he clearly realized that the whole Italian flight had had a bad time at the hands of our fighters and gunners. Under the direction of Dr. Pullicino, he was placed on a stretcher and carried to the village where he was taken charge of by military personnel.1

Cavalli later told his interrogator, Flight Lieutenant Wyndham Grech, ‘I was not hit by A/A fire or by a fighter but my oil feed burst, and as I expected a fire at any moment I baled out.’2 Notwithstanding Cavalli’s statement, Hurricane pilot Flying Officer ‘Timber’ Woods was credited with having shot down Cavalli. On 25 September, three Hurricanes and two Gladiators were scrambled to intercept a reconnaissance by Italian fighters. Flying Officer Frederic Taylor is thought to have been credited with one destroyed,3 while Sergeant Fred Robertson claimed an MC.200, reporting that it crashed 1 to 2 miles north-east of Grand Harbour between 12:15 and 12:18 hours.4 The Italians actually lost one aircraft: Maresciallo Lino Lagi of 79 a Squadriglia C.T. was shot down near Delimara at 12:08. The crash site was inspected by security and intelligence officers, among them Squadron Leader H. Thomas-Ferrand of RAF Intelligence, who reported: The aircraft a Macchi 200 was burnt out, and pieces were scattered over six fields near Delimara Camp. The machine had numerous .303 bullet holes in it. The aircraft belonged to No. 79 Squadron. It did not catch fire until striking the ground. The pilot who was dead was visited at Ta Silch [Tas-Silġ] Camp … He was only just alive when dragged from the aircraft. He will be buried at St. Andrews Cemetery on 26th September.5

* Soon after 10:00 hours on 4 October, there was a reconnaissance raid by between nine and twelve MC.200s. Anti-aircraft guns opened fire, causing the aircraft to break formation, whereupon three Hurricanes and three Gladiators engaged. One of the Macchis was claimed damaged by Sergeant Fred Robertson. Sergeant Reginald Hyde shot down another: Attacked right hand aircraft of formation of five, from astern and followed same right down in spiral dive. Enemy seen to strike water off Glain Tuffches [sic].6

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September–December 1940

7

The aircraft, together with its pilot, Tenente Mario Nasoni of 79 a Squadriglia C.T., fell offshore, various reports identifying the location as Għajn Tuffieħa Bay or, more specifically, Ġnejna Bay. The MC.200 is almost certainly that found by a local sports diver 550 yards off the coast at nearby Fomm ir-Riħ Bay. Subsequently, the Macchi was partly broken up so that items could be retrieved, a common fate of aeroplane wrecks that are discovered off Malta. At about 12:20 on 2 November, the first of several formations of enemy aircraft, comprising twenty S.79s escorted by at least fifteen fighters, were reported high over the north of Malta. Soon afterwards, Luqa and Żabbar were bombed. The RAF managed to scramble six Hurricanes and two Gladiators and, together with AA gunners, made several claims. One MC.200 was shot down, although it is not known whether this fell to air or ground defences. Shortly afterwards, a reconnaissance party from 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment was dispatched to the crash site at Buleben il-Kbir, between Żejtun and Fgura, arriving to find, ‘complete ineffectiveness amongst the Police (Civil) the whole village was out in the streets’. The pilot was dead. It was further noted, ‘the Italian equipment was very poor indeed.’7 The unfortunate Sergente Maggiore Abramo Lanzarini had baled out of his stricken 72a Squadriglia C.T. machine, only to plummet to his death when his parachute failed – a not uncommon occurrence associated with a faulty automatic deployment device of some Italian parachutes. Sunday 3 November 1940 was largely uneventful until shortly before midnight, when a bomb-laden Wellington departing on a raid from Luqa failed to gain sufficient height and crashed and burst into flames in the area of Tal-Ħandaq. In recognition of his actions that night, the pilot, Sergeant Raymond Lewin, would receive the George Cross. The award was announced in The London Gazette on 11 March 1941: In November, 1940, Sergeant Lewin was the captain of an aircraft on a night bombing mission. Shortly after the take off the aircraft began to sink and crashed into a hillside where it burst into flames. Sergeant Lewin extricated himself and saw three of his crew of four climbing out of the escape hatch. He ordered them to run clear. He then ran round the blazing wing in which full petrol tanks were burning and crawled under it to rescue his injured second pilot. Despite his own injuries – a cracked kneecap and severe contusions on the face and legs – he dragged and carried the pilot some 40 yards from the aircraft to a hole in the ground, where he lay on him just as the bombs exploded. This superbly gallant deed was performed in the dark under most difficult conditions and in the certain knowledge that the bombs and petrol tanks would explode.8

Pilot Officer David Allen did not survive. Another survivor, Sergeant Thomas Reay, would be killed in an air raid two months later, on 28 January 1941. At about five minutes past midnight on 4 November, a second Wellington Mk IC was lost in similar circumstances when it crashed in Dun Mario Street, Qormi. Those

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Air Battle of Malta

8

first at the scene found the rear part of the wreckage ablaze and on top of two houses; the front of the aircraft, together with most of the crew, lay in an adjacent quarry. Among the rescuers were Second Lieutenant Richard Lavington, Lieutenant (acting Captain) Anthony Flint and Lieutenant P. Buckle, all of The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment, Sapper Joseph Sammut of the Royal Engineers, and Police Constable Carmelo Camilleri. In recognition of their efforts, Lavington and Flint were appointed Members of the British Empire. For his gallantry, Police Constable Carmelo Camilleri was awarded the George Medal, the announcement being made on 28 February 1941: An aircraft crashed and part of it fell into a deep quarry and caught fire. One member of the crew was located in the quarry. He was too seriously injured to help himself, and Camilleri descended by rope into the shaft. He succeeded in effecting the rescue of the airman by tying the rope to him and having him hauled up. After some time the rope was relowered for Camilleri to make his escape. The fire from the parts of the machine which fell into the shaft was blazing all this time and in addition there was considerable danger from possible explosion of heavy calibre bombs which were still on the blazing aircraft.9

The airman recovered by Camilleri is believed to have been Sergeant Arthur Smith (who did not survive). Of six Agius children who were at home, five were found alive. Their parents, Fredu Agius and his wife Dolores, died. So, too, did four of the fiveman crew of Wellington R1094. The sole survivor was Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Sergeant Douglas Palmer. During the morning of 12 November a number of MC.200s crossed Malta at an estimated height of 20,000 feet. They were engaged by anti-aircraft guns, which caused the formation to disperse. Hurricanes then joined battle. A Macchi was shot down at 09:54 and reported to have fallen into the sea 300 yards off Żonqor Point. The body of Tenente Giuseppe Volpe of 88a Squadriglia C.T. was brought ashore and buried. On 17 November, HMS Argus again dispatched to Malta twelve Hurricanes, this time accompanied by two Fleet Air Arm (FAA) Blackburn Skuas. Tragically, eight of the RAF fighters ran out of fuel before reaching their destination, while one of the Skuas was shot down by AA fire after the crew became hopelessly lost and flew over Sicily. Malta’s fighter pilots were extremely courageous men whose achievements cannot be over-emphasised. But one should not overlook the vital role of those airmen who also risked their lives in flyingboats, bombers, torpedo and reconnaissance aircraft, all of which were kept operational due to the skill and dedication of often-overworked maintenance crews. Neither should one forget the magnificent efforts of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, or the heroism of Malta’s land forces, not least the antiaircraft gunners. All would continue to play a vital role throughout the siege.

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CHAPTER 3

JANUARY–APRIL 1941 In late December 1940, Operation ‘Excess’ was launched primarily to resupply by sea British forces in Malta and on the Greek Front. It was also intended that ‘Excess’, which started out from Britain with five merchantmen, would enable vessels already at Malta to depart under the protection of the escorting warships. In early January 1941, in response to British naval activity in the Mediterranean, the Regia Aeronautica dispatched to Comiso several Ju 87s. Mussolini’s offensive against Malta and the British Mediterranean Fleet, as well as the North African campaign and Italy’s invasion of Greece, finally led Hitler to send reinforcements to his ally in the Mediterranean. Towards the end of 1940, elements of the Luftwaffe’s X. Fliegerkorps, commanded by Generalleutnant Hans-Ferdinand Geisler, began to arrive in Sicily from Norway. By mid-January 1941, the Luftwaffe had gathered in Sicily a formidable array of front-line aircraft that included Ju 87s and 88s, Heinkel He 111s and Messerschmitt Bf 110s. For Malta, a far deadlier war was about to begin. Operation ‘Excess’ would result in the delivery of reinforcements and supplies, as well as Hurricanes, but at a heavy cost in manpower and materiel. Early on 10 January, a mine blew off the bows of HMS Gallant. The destroyer was taken in tow to Malta and the following day beached at Grand Harbour. The destroyer would never put to sea again. Meanwhile the carrier Illustrious was singled out for attack during the debut of the Luftwaffe over the central Mediterranean. At 12:39 hours on 10 January, following an attack by two Italian S.79s, German Ju 87 Stukas arrived overhead and moments later achieved the first of six direct hits. The assault lasted just six and a half minutes. The carrier’s Captain Denis Boyd later reported: The attacking aircraft consisted of two formations of JUNKERS 87 with German markings. It was difficult to count the numbers exactly but the first formation consisted of 15 and the second of 20 to 30 aircraft. They were in a very loose and flexible formation, constantly changing their relative positions, and split when engaged by long range fire. It is estimated that the dive was started at about 12,000 feet and checked at 6,000 to 8,000 feet before going into the aiming dive. Bomb release varied from about 1,500 feet in the first wave to 800 feet in later ones. Most aircraft continued to dive after releasing their bombs and flattened out low over the water having crossed the flight deck. At least one aircraft machine gunned the ship. The majority of the aircraft attacked “Illustrious”.1

Commenting further, Captain Boyd added that the attack was, ‘very severe and brilliantly executed’.2 Despite further attempts to sink Illustrious by both the Regia

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10

Air Battle of Malta

Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe, during which she was struck yet again, the severely damaged carrier was able to reach Grand Harbour that evening. At the end of October 1940, headquarters and maintenance staff from RAF Luqa had been dispatched to Ta’ Qali preparatory to its transition, soon afterwards, as a fighter base for 261 Squadron. On 11 January 1941, Sergeant William Timms was scrambled solo from Ta’ Qali, probably to intercept a reconnaissance S.79. It would be his final flight. It has been speculated that Timms blacked out at altitude as a result of oxygen failure, and therefore was unable to switch the Hurricane’s airscrew setting from fine pitch (required for take-off and to climb) to coarse pitch (used when the required altitude was reached). According to his aircraft accident record card, Timms was returning to base ‘because oxygen short’.3 If Timms did lose consciousness, and his Hurricane subsequently went into a dive with the airscrew still set in fine pitch, the engine would have quickly over-revved and blown up. Another 261 Squadron pilot, Sergeant James Pickering, watched events from the ground, and believed this is precisely what happened: He had about 3 months earlier dived a Hurricane in fine pitch when attacked by an Italian aircraft & the engine blew up. Forced landings were impossible in Malta outside an airfield, but he decided to try & get to Luqa instead of baling out. He was undershooting on his approach & opened up the throttle. In spite of one connecting rod having gone through its cylinder wall & other damage, the engine responded enough to drag the aircraft over the boundary. We decided that when faced with a forced landing in Malta, the correct procedure was to bale out. Luqa then had vehicles & obstructions distributed over the airfield to frustrate a paratroops attack. A line was cleared on the runway into wind; so only a perfect forced landing could be successful. It was unlikely that an aircraft would be able to manoeuvre to a forced landing position over the airfield, especially if enemy aircraft were attacking. Bill Timms would have been reluctant to lose an aircraft, & after getting one back, he obviously hoped to do it again. When he passed over Takali, heading for Luqa, we could see he was too low & saw him bale out too late & too low. One does not forget such happenings.4

Żebbuġ resident, John Galea, also witnessed the demise of Sergeant Timms, whose body was recovered at Wied Qirda, a short distance from where his Hurricane crashed: I was on the roof-top when I heard the sound of an engine coming at speed right over my village. As soon as it passed over heading to Luqa, it just turned over and dived headlong – the pilot baled out at too low an altitude and the parachute never opened.5

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January–April 1941

11

That day, Royal Navy warships escorting merchantmen from Malta to Egypt were attacked; the cruisers Gloucester and Southampton were both damaged, the latter so severely that she had to be abandoned and was later sunk by the cruiser Orion. A Walrus seaplane from HMS Gloucester was also lost when it was forced to ditch; the crew were picked up safely. Meanwhile, at Parlatorio Wharf in Malta’s Grand Harbour, a massive effort was underway to enable the departure of HMS Illustrious. The destruction resulting from precision dive-bombing attacks had transformed the carrier into a mass of torn and twisted steel, and at least nine of her Fleet Air Arm aircraft were written off. Of nearly 200 casualties, more than eighty had been killed. As the dead and wounded were brought ashore, fires were extinguished and dockyard workers began making hasty repairs. With the exception of a raid on 13 January, during which HMS Illustrious escaped being hit, the enemy initially made little effort to finish off the carrier. The lull continued until 16 January, when German and Italian fighters escorted to Malta some sixty Luftwaffe bombers which carried out a precision attack against Illustrious and the Dockyard. Illustrious was further damaged by one direct hit and a number of near misses. The defenders, having learned much from previous raids by Italian dive-bombers, had prepared a formidable ‘box barrage’ that no doubt contributed to upsetting the aim of the Stuka pilots. Axis aircrews also had to contend with the island’s fighters, supplemented by Fulmars off Illustrious. It is alleged that during one of the raids, a Fulmar followed a bomber through the barrage to level out at only 15 feet before shooting down the German machine just beyond the harbour entrance.6 The Germans returned two days later, this time concentrating on Luqa and Ħal Far. After a series of raids on Sunday the 19th, when Illustrious was again damaged by a near miss, there was a sudden decrease in enemy aerial activity. Of more than sixty killed in Malta, most were civilian victims of the first day of what became known as the ‘Illustrious Blitz’. Both sides lost aircrew and aircraft during operations on 10 January. Operations over Malta for the period 11 to 18 January 1941 cost the enemy a further four Ju 88s, four Ju 87s, one Cant. Z.506B, one CR.42 and one MC.200 definitely destroyed; one Ju 87 returned with a dead gunner. Other aircraft were written off for various reasons, including emergency landings on their return to Sicily. Besides Illustrious and Gallant, the minesweepers Decoy and Beryl, as well as the merchantman Essex were damaged. HMS Illustrious was able to leave Malta during the night of the 23rd, arriving under her own power at Alexandria two days later. For the next few weeks, the remaining Fulmars of 806 Naval Air Squadron stayed as much-needed reinforcements for Malta’s air force. The carrier later continued to the United States, where she would undergo months of repair before she again put to sea. Crash sites have been located of two Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed in the ‘Illustrious Blitz’. During a raid between 14:12 and 15:41 hours on 18 January, dive-bombing attacks resulted in damage to the Officers’ Mess and two hangars at Ħal Far; two hangars were destroyed at Luqa. Three Swordfish, one Hurricane and a Wellington

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were written off. Two RAF ground personnel and an artilleryman were killed, as was Sub Lieutenant Arthur Griffith of 806 Squadron, whose Fulmar was shot down off the coast. Another Fulmar ditched at the entrance of Marsaxlokk Bay close to Delimara; Sapper Spiro Zammit of 24 Fortress Company Royal Engineers was awarded the British Empire Medal for helping to save the crew, Lieutenant Robert Henley and Naval Airman A. S. Rush. In spite of enthusiastic claims by air and ground defences, just two enemy bombers appear to have been destroyed; a Ju 88 of 7./Lehrgeschwader 1 came down in the sea, probably off Tigné, and a Ju 87 of 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 crashed a short distance north-north-west of Ħal Far aerodrome (within the presentday Lyster Barracks). The pilot of the latter, Unteroffizier Richard Zehetmair, and his radio operator, Gefreiter Heinrich Müller, were killed. It is uncertain whether this aircraft fell to AA fire or was one of those credited to RAF or FAA pilots. At about 12:42 on 19 January, the last bombing raid of the blitz began with an estimated forty Ju 87s and Ju 88s again targeting Grand Harbour, where further damage was caused to civil and naval property. Allied losses included Sergeant Eric Kelsey of 261 Squadron, whose Hurricane failed to return. One Italian machine was destroyed, together with three Ju 87s and two Ju 88s. A Stuka of 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 fell on land at Għajn Dwieli, between Paola and Grand Harbour. There were no survivors. A Ju 88 also crashed just offshore at Marsaskala Bay. Flight Lieutenant James MacLachlan had already flown three sorties when he was scrambled for a fourth time: The ground crews quickly refuelled and rearmed, and in five minutes I was in the air again. Burgess [sic], who had also landed, took off with me, and we climbed to 17,000ft. Again we saw the now familiar sight of A.A. shells bursting over the Harbour. Down came the bombers, Ju88’s this time. Burgess went screaming down into the middle of them, but, hoping 87’s would follow, I hung around at about 10,000ft. I saw a Ju88 pull out of its dive, and, instead of turning straight out to sea, it kept flying south in the direction of Kalafrana. It seemed to be quite alone, so I decided to have a crack at it. I got round onto its tail, but before I was in range it saw me and turned, trying to get me with its front fixed cannon. I followed it round and then, tightening my turn almost to blackout point, I got in a well aimed full deflection shot. The port engine started to smoke badly, and I thought for a moment that I had got it. It straightened out however, and started to climb gently. All this time the rear gunner had been blazing away at me, but I was too excited to worry. I closed to about 50yds and gave it a 5 or 6 second squirt. Clouds of smoke came back, and my cockpit was filled with the horrible smell of burning aeroplane. I pulled out to one side, just missing a salvo of bits and pieces that fell out of the bottom of the bomber. I think the port engine had stopped altogether; it kept emitting showers of sparks and clouds of black smoke and oil. I had a quick look round, but could see no enemy aircraft within a mile, so circled around watching the Junkers crash. At about 3,000ft one of the crew bailed out, the bomber steepened its dive, and finally crashed into a little bay near Zonkor [Żonqor] point. As I only had about ten rounds left in each gun, I returned to Ta-Kali and landed.7

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January–April 1941

13

* A single S.79 escorted by several CR.42s appeared over the north coast of Malta at about 11:35 on 1 February. Anti-aircraft guns and at least two (and possibly as many as ten) RAF fighters engaged. Sergeant Fred Robertson subsequently reported shooting down a CR.42: I was Pink 2 and on patrol with Pink 1 when we sighted the enemy formation coming in over Gozo at about 19,000 ft. Pink 1 peeled off and attacked the S. 79 leading the formation – I followed him down about 15 seconds later but was attacked by the CR 42’s which were above and behind the S. 79. I gave one a good deflection burst as he was turning and caused him to spin. I watched him partially recover but he continued to lose height in a spiral dive until I finally lost sight of him just before he crashed.8

The biplane came down on farmland just across the main road bordering the southwest of St Andrew’s Barracks. Flying Officer Charles Whittingham may also have been credited with a CR.42 shot down over the sea. If so, the Italians acknowledged only the death of Sergente Andrea Baudoni of 379 a Squadriglia C.T. At the end of January, six more Hurricanes had arrived from North Africa, providing a welcome addition to Malta’s hard-pressed fighter force. Another fortuitous development would occur between January and March 1941, with events in Libya leading to the departure of a number of Axis aircraft from Sicily (although some Ju 88s would return in early April). But early in February, Bf 109 Es of 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 were transferred from Germany south to Gela, in Sicily. The outstanding performance of the Staffelkapitän, Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg, had already won him twenty-three victories, as well as the coveted Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross). The Hurricane was no match for the faster, cannon-armed Bf 109. During the next four months, 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 would claim at least forty-two air victories, twenty of which were credited to Müncheberg (including one during the unit’s brief involvement in the invasion of Yugoslavia) and all without a single operational loss.9 Between 00:15 and 23:59 hours on 16 February, there were ten air raid warnings. The third sounded at about 09:00 as up to a dozen Bf 109s escorted a single Ju 88 to the island. In his diary, Flight Lieutenant James MacLachlan wrote that ‘A’ Flight of 261 Squadron had just come on watch when: At about 9.15 we were ordered to scramble, and climbed to 20,000ft. We were still climbing over Luqa when six Me109’s screamed down on us out of the sun. We immediately broke away and formed a rather wide circle. Just as I took my place in the circle I saw four more Messerschmitts coming down out of the sun. I turned back under them, and they all overshot me. I looked round very carefully, but could see nothing, so turned back onto the tail of the nearest Hun who was chasing some Hurricanes in front of him. We were all turning gently to port, so I cut the corner and was slowly closing

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on the Hun. I was determined to get him, and must have been concentrating so intently on his movements that, like a fool, I forgot to look in the mirror until it was too late. Suddenly there was a crash in my cockpit – bits and pieces seemed to fly everywhere.10

7./Jagdgeschwader 26 had first made their presence felt over Malta four days previously when two Hurricanes were shot down into the sea (the pilots survived); another Hurricane was badly damaged. Now MacLachlan’s aircraft had fallen to Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg, who was awarded his twenty-fifth and twentysixth victories on this date. Unteroffizier Georg Mondry laid claim to another as his first victory.11 (It is thought two Hurricanes may have been damaged.) MacLachlan’s account continues: Instinctively I went into a steep spiral dive, furiously angry that I had been beaten at my own game. My left arm was dripping with blood, and when I tried to raise it only the top part moved, the rest hung limply by my side. Everything happened so quickly that I have no very clear recollection of what actually took place. I remember opening my hood, disconnecting my oxygen and R/T connections and standing up in the cockpit. The next thing I saw was my kite diving away from me, the roar of its engine gradually fading as it plunged earthwards. It was a marvellous feeling to be safely out of it; everything seemed so quiet and peaceful. I could clearly hear the roar of engines above me, and distinctly heard one long burst of cannon fire. I could not see what was happening as I was falling upside down, and my legs obscured all view of the aircraft above me. My arm was beginning to hurt pretty badly, so I decided to pull my chute straight away in case I fainted from loss of blood. I reached round for my rip cord, but could not find it. For some unknown reason I thought my chute must have been torn off me while I was getting out of my kite, and almost gave up making any further efforts to save myself. I remember thinking that the whole process of being shot down, and being killed, seemed very much simpler and less horrible than I had always imagined. There was just going to be a big thud when I hit the deck and then all would be over – my arm would stop hurting and no more 109’s could make dirty passes at me behind my back. I think I must have been gradually going off into a faint when suddenly I thought of Mother reading the telegram saying that I had been killed in action. I made one last effort to see if my parachute was still there, and to my amazement and relief found that it had not been torn off after all. With another supreme effort I reached round and pulled the rip cord. There was a sickening lurch as my chute opened and my harness tightened round me so that I could hardly breathe. I felt horribly ill and faint. Blood from my arm came streaming back into my face, in spite of the fact that I was holding the stump as tightly as I could. I could only breathe with the utmost difficulty, and my arm hurt like hell. I could see Malta spread out like a map 15,000ft below me and I longed to be down there – just to lie still and die peacefully. I was woken from this stupor by the roar of an engine, and naturally thought some bloodthirsty Gerry had come to finish me off. I don’t think I really minded what happened; certainly the thought of a few more cannon shells flying past me didn’t exactly cheer me up. To my joy, however, I saw that my escort

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January–April 1941

15

was a Hurricane piloted, as I learned later, by Eric Taylor. He had quite rightly decided that he could do no good by playing with the Huns at 20,000ft, so came down to see that none of them got me. For what seemed like hours I hung there, apparently motionless, with Malta still as far away as ever. Once or twice I started swinging very badly, but as I was using my only hand to stop myself bleeding to death, I was unable to do anything about it. At about 1500ft I opened my eyes again, and to my joy saw that I was very much lower down. For a little [while] I was afraid I was going to land in the middle of a town, but I mercifully drifted to the edge of this. For the last 100ft I seemed to drop out of the sky – the flat roof of a house came rushing up at me, and just as I was about to land on it, it dodged to one side and I ended up in a little patch of green wheat. I hit the ground with a terrific thud, rolled over once or twice, and then lay back intending to die quietly. This, however, was not to be.12

MacLachlan’s Hurricane is thought to have crashed on the outskirts of Paola, close to Addolorata Cemetery; MacLachlan himself landed in a field near Żejtun: Scarcely had I got myself fairly comfortable and closed my eyes, when I heard the sound of people running. I hurriedly tried to think up some famous last words to give my public, but never had a chance to utter them. I was surrounded by a crowd of shouting, gesticulating Malts, who pulled at my parachute, lifted my head and drove me so furious that I had to give up the dying idea in order to concentrate completely on kicking every Malt who came within range. From what the pongos [army] told me after I believe I registered some rather effective shots. Eventually two very dim army stretcher-bearers arrived with a first-aid outfit. I told them to put a tourniquet on my arm, and give me some morphia, whereupon one of them started to bandage my wrist, and the other went off to ask what morphia was. In the end I got them to give me the first-aid outfit, and fixed myself up. At last a doctor arrived who actually knew what to do. He put me on a stretcher, had me carried about half a mile across fields to an ambulance, which in turn took me down to the local advanced field dressing station. Here they filled me with morphia, gave me ether, and put my arm in a rough splint. When I came round they gave me a large tot of whisky, another injection of morphia, and sent me off to Imtarfa [Mtarfa] as drunk as a lord. When I eventually arrived at the hospital I was feeling in the best of spirits and apparently shook the sisters by asking them to have a drink with me.13

After three days, it became necessary to amputate the injured arm. Incredibly, this did not end MacLachlan’s flying career. Less than three weeks after being wounded, he flew solo in a Magister and ‘shot up’ Mtarfa Hospital! After being fitted with a prosthetic arm, MacLachlan continued to fly both operationally and as an instructor, but in July 1943 he was fatally injured after crash-landing a Mustang in northern France. *

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There were five alerts on 26 February. Early in the morning, several Bf 109s escorted a Ju 88 over Malta. Anti-aircraft guns engaged and a brief battle took place over Ħal Far between four Messerschmitts and a Gladiator. ‘Raiders passed’ sounded less than half an hour later. Nearly five hours passed before the sirens sounded again. What followed was an attack reminiscent of those experienced during the ‘Illustrious Blitz’. According to reports, thirty Ju 87s, twelve Ju 88s, ten Dornier 215s (probably Bf 110s), ten He 111s and thirty Bf 109 and CR.42 fighters targeted Luqa. The aerodrome was severely damaged and at least six Wellingtons were destroyed. Among those who participated in the operation was the Gruppenkommandeur of III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3, Hauptmann Helmut Mahlke: We took off at 13:15 hours [presumably GMT+2] and fly towards Malta in close formation at an altitude of 3,500m. Hauptmann Müncheberg’s group of Me 109s are escorting us together with some Italian Macchi fighters. With the Flak belt around Valletta up ahead, we change into single file formation and by curving and weaving, manoeuvre through the heavy anti aircraft barrage. Then we turn 70–80 degrees into a dive towards our target. According to the mission plan, my target is a British aircraft at the eastern edge of the ’drome. I have locked onto the target. At 450m I drop my bombs. I come out of the dive at an angle and aim at an aircraft at the opposite side of the ’drome. The ’drome light and medium anti aircraft guns are firing with all they have and from every direction. When over the middle of the ’drome at just under 200m and at an angle of 30 degrees I open fire. My attack ends with a jolt and a bang as my right wing explodes. I lead Jolanthe away turning right and down. I automatically pulled the stick to the max and counter steered to the left. The stick was over to the left, right against my stomach. But it wasn’t enough. The right wing has been ripped open in the middle by Flak. The right aileron cannot be operated anymore. The drag on the damaged wing is so strong that I can hardly balance the plane with the left aileron. I have pulled in the dive breaks, and shift the balance to the tail. Jolanthe slowly responds. Indeed, the drift to the right has stopped but despite my counter steering the plane is heading slightly nose down towards a hangar. I increase the speed to maximum, depressing the control lever in order to boost engine revs. At least this makes the nose pick up a little. The Ju 87 is now racing horizontally at three to four m[etres] across the ’drome towards the hangar. There are three aircraft inside which presumably were being worked on until recently. If I crash in there, I will take those with me, I think, as I sit here: the stick right against my stomach – left side. All I can do is wait. The nose has risen slightly above the horizontal. Slowly, very slowly, the Ju 87 is gaining height. Too slowly? – I can see every detail inside the far corners of the hangar. – We are still climbing! – whoosh!!! – As if she had jumped with all her might at the last moment my lovely Jolanthe has just managed to clear the roof of the hangar! “Boy, that was close!” I say to my observer Fritzchen Baudisch with relief – But it is not over yet. In front of me is a hill with a telephone line, not very high, but for my damaged plane this is a difficult obstacle. Will we manage to clear this as well? – Again,

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we are lucky. We manage to pass between two telephone masts without touching the ground, telephone line kaputt – aircraft still airborne. There is a drop in front of us, then a valley which leads to the south coast of Malta. This is good news. Our bird doesn’t like turning anymore. Let’s carefully steer and turn slowly without losing height or speed. We reach the open sea. The rest of the squadron is far ahead of us on their way back. The drag on the torn wing slows us down so much that there is no way of catching up. We are happy just to remain in the air and somehow make our way back home. The petrol tank still seems to be intact! The gauge shows enough petrol to make it back. For the moment, everything seems to be okay. We are still flying, I think to myself, albeit sluggishly and all on our own, but we are still flying. Then Fritzchen Baudisch reports from astern “Hurricane behind coming within shooting range!” “Shoot him down Fritzchen,” I say as calmly as possible. “We can no longer manoeuvre, just bear with it.” Fritzchen fires a short burst at the Hurricane. It seems a feeble effort intended more to reassure ourselves, bearing in mind the vastly superior fire power of the fighter plane. Now, he is firing and shoots holes in our sides and fuselage, races past and breaks left to return for a second attack. Fritzchen mumbles, “Jammed!” With quick, precise movements he fits a new firing pin [Schlagbolzen]. In the meantime, the Hurricane is gathering speed for its second attack. The Brit is shooting well. His target, a defenceless, hardly manouverable Ju 87, is easy prey. Again, with a quiet, tinny sound, little holes, lots of them, appear in both wings. Again, he flies past us and turns for another attack. We are still flying! But this can’t go on for much longer. The Hurricane starts its third attack. In the meantime, a Ju 87 straggler from our group closes up with us. It is Leutnant Theo Nordmann. During the first attack on Luqa he had forgotten to arm his bombs and – against all rules – had gone round again in order to drop them. Now he tries to make up for his mistake – a courageous chap – our Nordmann! He sees that I can only sit tight in my shot-up Ju 87. As he cannot get himself into position fast enough to shoot at the Hurricane he turns right in front of it so that it has to veer off before reaching its target. This time, the fuselage of Nordmann’s plane catches the enemy MG-bursts. His oxygen cylinder explodes. A big hole appears in the fuselage. Nevertheless his plane keeps flying with his crew unharmed. A few hundred metres behind us the Hurricane renews its attack on the damaged Jolanthe. The pilot will think: It can’t still be flying – when his British comrades in the air battles over the Channel had reported how whole rows of Ju 87s became such easy prey. He is determined to see us go down in the drink. Concentrating on his prey he starts his attack from far behind, slowing down so that he can finish us off with a long burst of fire. Again, our fate is determined within a fraction of a second. Now Fritzchen Baudisch is coming to life. His MG is still not working, but he is so fascinated by what is happening right in front of his eyes that – uncharacteristically – he constantly shouts into the R/T, providing a running commentary on the situation: “Me 109!! – far behind – coming round behind the Hurricane – still far away – coming in from higher up bloody fast!! – Hurricane is almost within firing range! – Me 109 behind. Still too far away! – Hope he presses the buttons in time! – The 109 is shooting!!! Shooting from long range at high speed! – A hit!!! – Still shooting! – The Hurricane is

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hit! – Burning – Going down! – He has shot it down!!” – Silence – Deep breaths – The Hurricane dived down close behind us straight into the sea. A few seconds later and it would have been us! “It really was a close shave, Fritzchen”, I say to Baudisch. “It almost sounded as if you had done it yourself! Well done to the 109, our escort! That made me feel quite hot!” – “Me too,” he calmly replied. Although the sky is quiet now, our worries are by no means over. It is still quite a long way across the Mediterranean to Sicily. Will we have enough petrol? Are the tanks leaking? The petrol gauges hold steady, indicating the petrol we apparently still have. Is this at all possible? Our wings are full of holes from MG bullets. The middle of the right wing, next to the tank, has been ripped open by a direct hit by flak; with bits of twisted metal jutting from around a gaping hole. Yet the petrol gauge shows normal consumption. The tanks are holding tight!! We have reached and are able to maintain a flying altitude of 300m. The engine is running smoothly. We will make it to Sicily. I run through an instrument check of my good Jolanthe. As soon as I reduce the revs, the plane tips over on the right wing. Only at full throttle and by applying maximum steerage can I maintain a horizontal flight position. Leutnant Nordmann is flying alongside me. We catch sight of Sicily – Comiso. There is only a light wind, but the airstrip is quite big. This will have to do for a landing at high speed. I fly low into a headwind at full speed towards the runway. I tell Fritzchen the usual short instruction in case of an emergency landing and in case we roll over: “Cabin roof open! – Fasten seatbelt tightly! – Remove goggles! – Pull your knees up! – Arm in front of your gob, start praying!” On the edge of the ’drome, I slow down. Switch off the engine – adjust and wait. The plane touches down slightly at high speed, bounces, tips onto the right wheel, as expected – skips from one wheel onto the other and slows down. In the last third of the airstrip I manage to brake a little. Then a little more. About 20m before the end of the runway the Ju 87 comes to a halt. Despite all those MG-hits the tanks and wheels had remained intact. – Mission accomplished – We look at the damage. A few photos of the machine to remember her by, before she gets new wings, as these cannot be repaired in the field hangar with the equipment available. Apart from the direct hit by Flak, our technicians counted 184 MG strikes. This was almost too much! – Looking at this plane however, gives any Stuka pilot confidence and trust in the next mission. Providing tanks and radiator don’t leak, the Ju 87 can put up with quite a lot. Leutnant Nordmann has also landed safely with his heavily damaged Ju 87. He and his radio operator are now looking at the damage. They are – justifiably – quite chuffed how, in their Anton, they rescued their commanding officer from a tricky, almost hopeless situation. Unfortunately, Oberfähnrich Roman Heil (28.12.1920 Würzburg) is not so lucky. After the air battle near Malta he has to ditch about 5km west of Gozo. Afterwards he was seen swimming with his radio operator, Gefreiter Heinrich Stamm (29.9.1918 Wallenbrück, Herford). (The crew was rescued by the enemy and taken prisoner. Heil was promoted to Oberleutnant on 1.2.1943 during his captivity in Canada.)14

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Heil and Stamm were the only survivors of four Ju 87s lost during the raid. While flying low over the Mediterranean they had been forced to ditch due to engine failure, probably after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. Both were rescued and taken prisoner about an hour later. Oberleutnant Kurt Reumann, Staffelkapitän of 6./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, and his wireless operator, Unteroffizier August-Wilhelm Schulz, were shot down by Hurricanes off the south coast of Malta. A Ju 87 piloted by Feldwebel Johannes Braun and Feldwebel Justin Kästle came down on farmland at Ħal Farruġ, just west of Luqa aerodrome. Another, crewed by Unteroffizier Heinz Langreder with Gefreiter Erwin Suckow crashed alongside the main Luqa–Qormi road (Triq Ħal Qormi).15 Three Hurricanes were also lost together with Flying Officer Frederic Taylor and Pilot Officers Charles Langdon and Philip Kearsey. All three were posted missing; another Hurricane force-landed. Four Hurricanes were claimed by 7./Jagdgeschwader 26; two claims were apparently also made by Italian fighter pilots.16 Shortly after 07:00 on 5 March, a single raider, thought to have been a Bf 110, carried out a low-level strafe of the Sunderland anchorage at St Paul’s Bay, where two flyingboats were moored. One Sunderland was slightly damaged. About an hour later, there was a second incursion by a lone aircraft, probably to reconnoitre a suitable exit route preparatory to a major raid later that day, when at about 17:10 hours several plots totalling an estimated forty fighters and sixty bombers began to converge on Ħal Far. Within fifty minutes the aerodrome was rendered temporarily unserviceable. Four aircraft were destroyed on the ground and a number of buildings and hangars were damaged. Flight Lieutenant Charles Whittingham had led a number of Hurricanes towards cloud base. When Ħal Far was bombed he dived towards the aerodrome, hoping to leave behind any pursuing Bf 109s, and blacked out in the process. With consciousness came a strange sense of unreality. Whittingham became aware of AA shell bursts and then he was among German bombers and once again in control. He opened fire on a Ju 87 before climbing to attack a Ju 88 from below, experiencing return fire on both occasions: I then spiralled to ground level for safety, and to get away from any 109s that may by this time, have been positioning themselves on me. The Bofors (A/A) on three occasions fired at me, so I made for Filfla and saw about five 88s going out to sea. I had not much ammunition left, but decided to climb in their direction. This I did, and when about 500 feet underneath one, turned and pointed my nose at him, and gave him a chance deflection burst. I think that was silly, I may have hurt him a bit, but he fairly let me have it from his underneath guns. I decided to land, and was again fired at by ground defences going over the land. When stooging around Takali, I suddenly saw a machine burst into gigantic flames about 100 yards from me. The A/A had got a ME110. It was lucky, as I heard afterwards that he was firing at me, just previous to being hit. I had not seen him. In all that day, the squad had got 7 confirmed including 2 ME 109s. But poor old Monk [Sergeant Charles MacDougal] was killed. A 109 got him, just after he had hit his 87.17

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Sergeant MacDougal is thought to have crashed near Żabbar Gate (also knows as Notre Dame and Bieb is-Sultan). Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg and Unter­ offizier Heinz-Norbert Kestler of 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 each claimed a Hurricane during this action,18 as did Leutnant Willi Kothmann whose unit, I./Jagdgeschwader 27, was temporarily in Sicily while en route to North Africa. Allied claims included as many as nine aircraft destroyed and at least four damaged by AA, and up to seven destroyed, one ‘probable’ and two damaged by the RAF. The Luftwaffe acknowledged the loss of one Ju 88, two Ju 87s and two Bf 110s. Another Ju 87 returned with a wounded gunner. According to German records, one of the two Ju 87s was a 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 machine, Werknummer 5279. It was shot down by a fighter or fighters and crashed into the sea off Ħal Far. (It would seem that the aircraft was in fact Werknummer 5297, the wreckage of which has since been discovered on the seabed off Żonqor Point.) Unteroffizier Wilhelm Singer and his wireless operator, Obergefreiter Paul Stapf, were both killed. Their bodies were recovered and today lie at Cagliari (St Michele) Communal Cemetery in Sardinia. A Bf 110 of Stabsstaffel/Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, probably the same Messerschmitt seen by Whittingham, fell on land at Tas-Sriedak, just north of Ta’ Qali. This was almost certainly KB+NC/3723. Neither Oberleutnant Günther Rudloff (pilot) nor Unteroffizier Hans Dittmayer survived. Flight Lieutenant James MacLachlan was on a hospital outing in Valletta and visiting the War Room when he learned about the crash. He immediately hurried back to Ta’ Qali and joined the many spectators already there: We found the remains still burning in a field just across the road from the N.W. corner of the aerodrome. The Gerries had come down to machine gun Takali, and had been attacked by a Hurricane and Bofors guns at the same time. It caught fire at about 500ft, and went in at about 45o. The majority of the machine, including three [sic] horribly burnt and mutilated bodies, were smouldering in the middle of a small clover field. Both engines, and some of the heavier debris however, had been flung over the road into a field on the other side. As usual on such occasions the air was sickly with the stink of burning flesh, and that peculiar smell that all German aircraft seem to have. I took off the number plate of one of the engines as a souvenir.19

* At 09:55 hours on 7 March, Maryland Mk I AR706 of 69 Squadron took off from Luqa on a reconnaissance of Taormina. Shortly after photographing its objective, the Maryland was attacked by an unidentified fighter. Both aircraft opened fire without noticeable effect before the Maryland was able to escape. A short time later a Z.506B floatplane was seen and fired upon; it was claimed as damaged. The Maryland continued towards Malta, its approach covered by Hurricanes of 261 Squadron, which were airborne as a precaution against patrolling Bf 109s. However, the slower and less heavily armed British fighters were unable to prevent the Messerschmitts

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21

from attacking the reconnaissance machine as it crossed the coast. A Hurricane that attempted to intervene was shot down; the pilot, Sergeant F. J. Jessop, baled out and came down off the coast, from where he was later rescued. The Maryland was also hit. One engine was set on fire and the rear gunner, Sergeant Jack Levy, killed. Flying Officer John Boys-Stones struggled to keep the aircraft steady long enough to allow the observer, Sergeant J. M. Alexander, to bale out. When he did so, he was mistaken for an enemy airman and shot at by soldiers of 2nd Battalion The King’s Own Malta Regiment (2 KOMR). Despite his ordeal, Alexander was unharmed. Flying Officer Boys-Stones was less fortunate. By the time he was able to abandon the burning aircraft it was too low for his parachute to fully deploy. He plummeted some 250 feet and died shortly afterwards.20 Both aeroplanes had fallen to fighter pilots of 7./Jagdgeschwader 26. Leutnant Hans Johannsen was credited with the destruction of the Maryland and Oberfeldwebel Karl Kühdorf with having shot down Sergeant Jessop’s Hurricane.21 On 9 March, one Hurricane was burnt out and two others were damaged during a morning raid on Ta’ Qali by four aircraft identified as Bf 110s. During its low-level approach over the island of Gozo, another Bf 110 crashed when it failed to clear a 450-foot rise just west of Nadur. Both crewmen were killed. Probably, the pilot simply misjudged his height – a theory supported by the discovery in 1998 of the tip of a propeller blade embedded in rock atop the point of the exposed northern edge of the ridge overlooking the Victoria–Nadur main road. The same raid that resulted in the loss of Maryland AR706 on 7 March also saw a strafing attack by a pair of Bf 109s on the flyingboat anchorage at St Paul’s Bay, where Sunderland L2164 of 228 Squadron was badly damaged. The boatguard, Sergeant A. S. Jones, managed to get a Vickers ‘K’ gun into action and fired a number of rounds before being killed at his post. Three days later (10 March) St Paul’s Bay was subjected to another attack. Low-flying aircraft variously reported as Bf 109s or Bf 110s, shot up and damaged Sunderland T9046 before redirecting their efforts against L2164, setting it on fire. Personnel boarded the aircraft and temporarily brought the blaze under control, but when the flames again took hold, L2164 was towed into Mistra Bay and abandoned, eventually settling in the shallows just offshore. On Sunday morning, 23 March, Convoy ‘MW6’, comprising the merchantmen City of Lincoln, City of Manchester, Clan Ferguson and Perthshire, arrived under Royal Navy escort at Grand Harbour. An enemy aerial reconnaissance was followed at 11:45 by the first of two bombing raids on the Dockyard area. Hurricanes and AA engaged. The second attack was some four hours later, when fourteen or so Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept an estimated thirty Ju 87s escorted by up to twenty fighters. The Perthshire and City of Lincoln were both damaged, as were a number of buildings in the area.

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The day before, during an aerial engagement lasting just seven minutes, five Malta fighter pilots had been lost.22 But on this occasion the Luftwaffe came off worse. Claims by AA and the RAF at the end of the day amounted to at least thirteen Ju 87s destroyed, one probable and six damaged. Certainly, four Ju 87s failed to return, with all but one crewman having been killed. In turn, Sergeant Fred Robertson was shot down: I was on patrol with X-ray Squadron when Blue 1. (S/Ldr. Lambert) gave the order to attack, I being Pink 1. and weaving slipped into the line astern formation about fifth and followed into the attack, which owed its success to the excellent positioning and Leadership of Blue. 1. I saw Squadron/Leader Lambert attack a JU.87. from astern and break away – as he broke off, the tail unit of the enemy Aircraft fell away and it crashed into the sea. I then attacked another JU. 87. from astern setting it on fire under the starboard wing root and saw it hit the sea. (Blue 1. also fired at this machine after I broke away) I was then attacked by another JU.87. from ahead and got a bullet in my port main petrol tank. I followed the enemy aircraft around in a very steep turn and finally shot it down into the sea; next I found that my aircraft was burning fiercely and so I climbed from 700 feet over the sea to a position about a mile South of Rabat and baled out landing in a field midway between Zebug [sic] and Luqa Aerodrome.23

Robertson’s Hurricane Mk I V7495 crashed in flames about 150 yards south-west of Rabat reservoir and 100 yards south of the pumping station on the Rabat–Dingli road. At about 17:20 hours on 28 March, the first of eight Hurricanes were scrambled in response to an impending raid. By the time the all clear sounded half an hour later, one Hurricane had force-landed in a field near Għajn Tuffieħa, the impact tearing off the fuselage just behind the cockpit. The pilot, Sergeant Reg Goode, who had recently arrived from the Western Desert on detachment from 274 Squadron, was conveyed to hospital with shrapnel wounds to the neck and back. It would appear that Goode had fallen victim to the redoubtable Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg, who claimed a Hurricane destroyed south of Gozo at 17:20 hours.24 Notwithstanding German efforts to neutralise Malta, the island was still able to provide the Royal Navy with a base from which to strike at Axis shipping, thus creating a constant drain on the enemy’s Mediterranean supply routes. The island’s fighter strength was sustained by occasional reinforcements from North Africa, coupled with the constant attention of RAF ground personnel. On 3 April 1941, there was a third naval operation to deliver Hurricanes, HMS Ark Royal dispatching twelve Mk IIAs (one of which crashed on arrival). Up to the end of June, the Royal Navy would ferry more than 200 Hurricanes to within flying range of Malta. Most reached the island and landed safely. Some were retained for the

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23

island’s defence; others continued to the Western Desert. During this period, Malta’s offensive capability was maintained, with various aircraft types arriving or departing, depending on operational requirements. Axis fighters shot down or damaged five Hurricanes of 261 Squadron on 11 April. In turn, the RAF claimed at least one Bf 109 and a Bf 110 destroyed. Pilot Officer Peter Kennett and Sergeant Peter Waghorn are also thought to have attacked a Ju 88 before both were shot down. Waghorn was killed, and Kennett was apparently seen in the sea, waving to another Hurricane. Tragically, he died before a rescue launch could reach him. Pilot Officers Douglas Whitney and P. A. Mortimer and Sergeant A. H. Deacon all survived forced/crash-landings after their Hurricanes were damaged in battle. The Luftwaffe recorded four losses for X. Fliegerkorps on this date, including a Ju 88 of 7./Kampfgeschwader 30 and a Bf 110 of 2./Aufklärungsgruppe 123, the latter during a reconnaissance sortie over Malta.25 Three claims for fighters destroyed were submitted by 7./Jagdgeschwader 26: Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg was credited with a Hurricane south-east of Malta at 11:31 and another south-east of St Paul’s Bay twenty-two minutes later. Oberleutnant Klaus Mietusch was credited with a Hurricane north of the island at 11:50.26 Italian claims, if any, are unknown. Ground observers closely monitored the action overhead. A detailed timetable of events was recorded in the War Diary of 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Faughs): 11-26 Air Raid Warning – 11-30 Plot +6 – 135o – 3 Miles off coast – 8 Hurricanes up. 11-45. AA Fire 240o from A Coy – 11-46 – 2 Planes going out 020o A Coy – 2. Hurricanes following – 11-50 – Heavy M.G. Fire at Sea – 5 planes involved in fight – 11-34 – 1 plane (Hurricane) crashed near King’s Corner – Guard at once mounted on plane from L.49. – 12-00 – 1 ME reported in Sea – South one down at Hal-Far – 12-10 Raiders passed.27

It may be significant that one of the times – 11:34 – fails to correlate and in all probability should read 11:54, which is close to the time when Oberleutnant Müncheberg claimed his second victim. King’s Corner (a place name no longer in use) was just south-east of St Paul’s Bay. Carmen Fenech, then a young girl, lived nearby at 2 (since changed to 4) Triq il-Wileġ. Fifty-seven years on, she recalled how a Hurricane had approached from the direction of Bidnija, to crash in fields opposite the road. It slid along on one wing before coming to rest against her house. (Another eyewitness described how the aircraft went through a carob tree and cart-wheeled towards the building). According to Fenech, the dead pilot was close by, still strapped in his seat after having been thrown clear of the wreckage. (A third eyewitness maintained that soldiers of The Royal Irish Fusiliers extricated the pilot.) What is generally agreed is that the Hurricane was shot down by Bf 109s at about Easter-time, and that the pilot was killed. This was undoubtedly Sergeant Peter Waghorn. Following a respite of nearly ten hours, warning was given of an impending raid at 21:55. Eighteen minutes later the first of nine Ju 87 Stukas crossed the coast at

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Air Battle of Malta

Madliena and shortly afterwards began to bomb Ta’ Qali, Siġġiewi and Mġarr. Searchlights criss-crossed the night sky in an effort to illuminate targets for the RAF and ground defences. At 22:34, 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers claimed to have brought down a Ju 87 with small arms fire. The same aircraft appears to have also been claimed by Pilot Officer Claud Hamilton.28 The 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 aircraft crashed into a farmhouse at Il-Magħtab, north of Victoria Lines, causing the death of 8-year-old Rosaria Mifsud; another girl was seriously injured. In all, there were twelve civilian casualties during the raid, including five deaths. The Stuka pilot, Leutnant Werner Zühlke, and his wireless operator, Obergefreiter Hans Feldeisen, were also killed. Twenty-three Hurricanes took off from the carrier Ark Royal on Sunday morning, 27 April. Three FAA Fulmars led the way towards Malta, some 575 miles to the east. En route, they were met by a Sunderland of 228 Squadron and three Marylands of 69 Squadron, with the task of escorting the new arrivals on the final leg of their journey. Eight of the Hurricanes and a Fulmar rendezvoused with the Sunderland half an hour behind schedule. They were guided the remainder of the journey to Malta, arriving while an air raid was in progress. The Sunderland captain, Pilot Officer L. G. M. Rees, decided to land as quickly as possible so that the flyingboat might be brought ashore and placed in a hangar where it would at least be concealed from aerial view. After arriving at Marsaxlokk Bay, Sunderland L5807 was hurriedly moored in the camber at Kalafrana. There was just time to adjust one of the beaching legs before the arrival of enemy aircraft compelled the crew and maintenance party to abandon their task and head for shore. At least two Bf 109s of 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 dived from out of the sun and sped eastwards towards the camber at Kalafrana. Rounds whipped up the sea around the stationary target. The Sunderland was hit, a fuel tank in the starboard wing was punctured and a fire started. This quickly grew out of control until the entire wing broke away and the stricken flyingboat listed to port, before sliding beneath the burning, fuel-covered water. Any remnants of Sunderland L5807 were finally obliterated during the construction of Malta Freeport, which has changed beyond recognition the former Royal Air Force base at Kalafrana. Grand Harbour was the main target for the Luftwaffe during the evening and night of 29–30 April. Bombs were also dropped at Luqa and Ta’ Qali. Shortly after 18:35 hours, a Ju 88 of III.(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1 was hit by anti-aircraft height control and set on fire. Two of the crew baled out, following which RAF fighters attacked the aircraft, which was then abandoned altogether by the remaining crew. One airman was captured at Pembroke Ranges, and three parachuted into the sea. All were taken prisoner. The initial interrogation was conducted by Assistant Defence Security Officer, Lieutenant J. Harrow:

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January–April 1941

25

On the 30th April, 1941, accompanied by Captain JACKSON (General Staff), I accompanied four German aviator prisoners-of-war, whose particulars are attached, at Corradino Prison. 2. In each case they refused to give the number of their Squadron, and indicated that their Military Identity Card was quite sufficient. All sorts of persuasion was attempted, but they steadfastly refused to disclose the Squadron to which they belonged. 3. Apart from noting their particulars, I refrained from taking any notes in their presence and have trusted entirely to my memory. 4. The four German airmen were the complete crew of a Junkers 88 which was brought down on the evening of the 29th April. 5. According to their statement, their machine was damaged by A.A. fire and there was the danger of the whole plane catching fire when they finally decided to bale out. It will be seen that the crew consisted of three Sergt. Majors and one N.C.O. 6. In discussion with Sergt. Major LENZNER, he stated that their target consisted of two cruisers and eleven destroyers which were known to be in the Port of Valetta. 7. Sergt. Major HELLER stated that the bomb release gear was damaged by A.A. fire and his bombs did not leave the plane. Whether this is true or not I cannot say, but they were under the impression that their plane crashed into the sea – in fact they were almost certain. They were very surprised when I informed them that a Junkers 88 actually landed on the ground. 8. Air Gunner KIETZMANN was wearing the Iron Cross (1st Class). He refused to give the details which earned him this decoration – he merely said “Besendere [sic] Leistung” (“Special Performance). 9. All four were 100% Nazi and were quite confident that the Axis Powers were going to win the War. On being asked how they were going to conquer the British Empire, they admitted they did not know how, but said that Adolf Hitler would accomplish this act as he had others. In spite of many subtle attempts during a four hours conversation, they refused to be drawn into any matter which they thought would assist the enemy. LENZNER maintained that “as sure as the sun rises, so will the Jewish problem develop to a crisis in Great Britain”. 10. All aviators admitted having made many trips over England & at least four over Malta. In one raid over England HELLER said that his target was Andover Aerodrome. This crew took part in the attack on the “ILLUSTRIOUS” whilst it was in Malta, and admitted suffering heavy losses. 11. From the general discussion, it appears that a German air ‘ace’ by the name of Capt. Wilhelm DUERBECK, holder of the German decoration “Ritter Kreuz” (Knights Cross), had been lost in the attack on the “ILLUSTRIOUS”. 12. On being questioned why they had resorted to night flying, they maintained that it was more profitable, and drew my attention to our nocturnal activities over Germany. 13. I discussed indiscriminate bombing with them and they compared what is happening here with what is happening in Germany and had the audacity to state that the British started first.

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14. Attempts were made to find out their opinion of the armed forces of their Axis partner, but, although they appeared to agree with some of my derogatory remarks regarding Italian fighting powers, they would not commit themselves to any statement. They knew very little about the battle of Matapan, and when I explained the probability that in the confusion Italian battleships actually fired at each other in the dark, they appeared to agree that this was a ‘poor show’. They were most surprised to hear that German naval Officers and ratings were rescued from one of the cruisers. 15. My talk with Sergt. Major LENZNER lasted some time, and during my interroga­ tion of Sergt. Major HELLER the latter asked if he might see what LENZNER had said. This may indicate that HELLER is what they call “Vertrauensmann” (confidential man) in the party. LENZNER fully expected to be home in Germany again with his family before Christmas. I advised him not to count on this. I asked Sergt. Major HELLER how he liked life at Comiso, and this question immediately startled him and he asked if his comrades had informed me that this was their station. I side-tracked his question but he appeared ill at ease, and stated that it was strictly against all regulations to mention their aerodrome. 16. I discussed parachute mines with all prisoners and they pleaded complete ignorance regarding their existence. They stated that Junkers 88 invariably carry bombs. From my own point of view I do not believe that they could not be aware of the existence of parachute mines. 17. The whole four hours interview showed to me that their training from a Security point of view leaves nothing to be desired and that their sense of discipline is excellent. Hitler’s continued run of successes no doubt helps towards their high morale, but in the case of LENZNER his attitude completely changed when the conversation turned towards the bombardment of German towns, particularly HAMBURG where his parents live. I am quite convinced that it is only after the Germans have been made to feel the full weight of our R.A.F. that their morale will take a distinct turn – perhaps not so much the German fighting forces outside Germany, as the news is very cleverly concealed from them. 18. Particulars of prisoners attached, also their personal effects. Please acknowledge.29

The report is typed, except for item 18, which was clearly added later. This seems to be linked to another report that includes a complaint made by the prisoners: Articles of clothing such as shirt, belts, pullovers; decorations such as 1 Iron Cross, Eagle badges and stripes; personal papers, photographs, postcards; and other minor items found in pockets have been removed from prisoners by someone on their way to internment and have not proceeded with the remainder of P/W’s effects to the proper Authority. This is doubly regrettable as not only do we give ourselves a bad name which is bound to get back to Germany for propaganda; but we are also losing very valuable information. At the back of one photograph I obtained the number of the Squadron and on the corner of a postcard I found the Feld post number and proof that the Squadron’s Headquarter’s in Germany in Munich.30

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Pilot Officers Anthony Rippon and J. E. Hall of 261 Squadron were both credited with shooting down the Ju 88.31 It was completely destroyed when it crashed near the Naval Firing Range at Għajn Tuffieħa (about 350 yards north of the present-day Radisson Blu Resort and Spa).

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CHAPTER 4

MAY–DECEMBER 1941 On 1 May, C Flight, 261 Squadron (which would be retitled 185 Squadron on 12 May) was placed on readiness for the first time. Based at Ħal Far, the nucleus of the new unit consisted of pilots and ground crews from 261 Squadron, with additional ground personnel provided by 251 Squadron and 1430 Flight who arrived shortly afterwards from Egypt.1 As well as its Operations Record Book (ORB), the unit kept an unofficial diary, with individual pilots taking responsibility for recording daily ‘gen and doings’. On 1 May Flying Officer H. W. ‘Chubby’ Eliot recorded: Our first day of operations. During the morning some ME 109s were seen but they had the advantage of height and sun but made no effort to attack. During the early evening, the Squadron was on patrol and was attacked by 6 ME 109s. These again had the advantage of height and caused us to break up in all directions. Unfortunately Sgt [B. C.] Walmsley didn’t move quite fast enough and had to bail out as a result of damage to his aeroplane. P/O [R. A.] Innes was injured in his foot but not seriously. This was not discovered until he started to climb out of his cockpit. As he trod on the injured foot, he gave a loud howl and subsided onto the firing button which had been left to fire position and a hail of lead was forthwith projected over to hangars much to the alarm and consternation of all. Taken all round – not a brilliant start but we hope better may be expected!2

Innes and Walmsley had been engaged by 7./Jagdgeschwader 26. Leutnant Hans Johannsen was credited with the destruction of a Hurricane at a height of 5,000 feet, south-west of Luqa aerodrome at 17:14 hours; Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg claimed a Hurricane at just 100 yards in the same area one minute later. Oberfeldwebel Karl Kühdorf also attacked a Hurricane at very low level over Luqa at 17:20.3 Residents at Għaxaq recall at least one crash site, now a recreational area on the southern edge of the village. A potential crash site has also been identified 450 yards further south. Sergeant Walmsley’s Hurricane fell at one location and a Reggiane Re.2001 shot down on 26 May 1942 crashed at the other. At about 20:20 hours on 6 May, two fighters were scrambled to meet an estimated thirty-six to forty ‘hostiles’ at 10,000 and 15,000 feet. Initially, anti-aircraft gunners refrained from firing, leaving the Hurricanes to deal with the threat. AA then engaged by barrage before the fighters again closed in. Bofors guns engaged all aircraft below 3,000 feet. As always, searchlights were in operation and performed particularly well, illuminating targets for up to three and a half minutes. Squadron Leader Charles Whittingham (who would assume command of 261 Squadron two days later) claimed one bomber destroyed, one probable and another

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damaged. Bofors were credited with direct hits on two bombers, one of which came down at the Ordnance Repair Shops, Ospizio. This was almost certainly Ju 88 A-5 3199/4D+FS of 8./Kampfgeschwader 30 and may have been one of the bombers attacked and claimed by Whittingham. There were no survivors. Shortly before 15:55 hours on 7 May, Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept a reconnaissance Ju 88 and its fighter escort. Soon afterwards, two aircraft of 261 Squadron collided. One of the pilots, thought to have been Sergeant G. A. Walker, baled out, his Hurricane crashing either on land near Dragunara or just off the coast. However, Sergeant Henry Jennings was killed when his fighter fell on land in the area of 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers. Eyewitness accounts and wreckage discovered in 1998 confirm that a Hurricane (evidently that piloted by Jennings) crashed south-west of Fort Madliena at Wied id-Dis, a valley east and north-east of Għargħur – and formerly part of the sector occupied by the Faughs. There were two major raids by Bf 109s on Wednesday 14 May. ‘Chubby’ Eliot noted in the diary of 185 Squadron: Two large raids by ME 109s were made during the day. No casualties were sustained during the first one which occurred about 08.00 hrs. F/LT [Charles] Jeffries was observed to be having some fun and games with two ME 109s at very low altitude. In spite of their determined efforts, he managed to outwit them and had not so much as one hole when he landed. Our second party was at 4.40 in the afternoon. This time luck was against us and as usual the odds were very heavy. It is with great sorrow that we put on record the loss of one of Malta’s oldest and most experienced fighter boys – P/O Hamilton. Known throughout the Island and among his friends as “Hamish” he was the only representative of the Auxiliary Air Force and probably the most popular member of the Squadron both in “185” and in “261”. He had destroyed five enemy aircraft and we shall miss him very much both as a friend and as a leader.4

Pilot Officer Brian Cavan of 261 Squadron was also shot down, but survived after baling out of his Hurricane, landing at Marsaxlokk. One of the two fighters crashed on land at or very close to Marsa Sports Club, a likely victim of Oberleutnant Erbo Graf von Kageneck of 9./Jagdgeschwader 27, who was credited with having destroyed a Hurricane over Luqa aerodrome at 16:36 hours. Eliot continued with 185 Squadron’s diary the following day, 15 May: After the usual early morning “recco” which of course we failed to catch, there was a quiet pause after which things began to happen. To start with the Squadron could only produce two of its four aircraft in a serviceable state.

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At about noon a plot of “plus 24” appeared and our aircraft were scrambled to rendezvous with 261 Squadron over their base. After about ten minutes large numbers of ME 109s appeared – some carrying bombs, some not. After they had done their stuff, the “Hurricanes” came in for some attention and before long another of ours was shot down. This time it was Sgt Wynne to go. Sgt [Cyril] Bamberger who was leading was lucky enough to get away with it. Once again we have to express our regret at the loss of a very valuable pilot who although he had only been with us a short time had showed promise of future success. During the afternoon S/Ldr [Peter] Mould as he now is and several other pilots went for a talk with the “powers that be”. It was agreed that under the circumstances we could only be strictly on the defensive against enemy fighters until such time as the Squadron was up to full strength.5

Hauptmann Max Dobislav of Stab III./Jagdgeschwader 27 claimed a Hurricane destroyed west of Qormi. In all likelihood his victim was Sergeant Ernest Wynne of 185 Squadron, whose aircraft crashed in fields between Safi and Kirkop. Records indicate the possible combat loss of a second Hurricane, but the identity of the pilot, who survived, is not known. On the ground, a Wellington was also burnt out and three Beaufighters were damaged. In mid-1941 the balance shifted between opposing sides of the central Mediterranean air forces. For Adolf Hitler, the priority in June would be the German invasion of Russia. Accordingly, in May, the majority of German aircraft in Sicily were redeployed. The war in the Western Desert also had to be considered and the following month 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 would be re-tasked, flying south to Libya. For a few months the RAF would have only the Regia Aeronautica to contend with. Meanwhile, April and May saw the arrival at Malta of the first Bristol Blenheim and Beaufighter units. Also in May, 213, 229 and 249 Squadrons departed the UK for Malta and the Middle East. Ground personnel were transported in a separate convoy to pilots, who were ferried with their Hurricanes on board aircraft carriers to within flying distance of Malta. There, the pilots expected to refuel before continuing their journey. In the event, two squadrons arrived in Egypt, less one Hurricane that failed to arrive and whose pilot was taken prisoner. (Two FAA Fulmars, whose crews were tasked with guiding the Hurricanes, were also lost; one crew was rescued and the other crew became prisoners of war.) When 249 Squadron landed at Malta the pilots were dismayed to learn they were to remain there so that 261 Squadron could be relieved. The latter unit then took over 249’s Hurricanes and departed with them for the Middle East. 249 Squadron was thus redeployed, without its own Hurricanes and with unfamiliar, albeit experienced, Malta ground crews. On 1 June 1941, Air Commodore Hugh Pughe Lloyd relieved Air Vice-Marshal Forster Maynard, who had been Malta’s Air Officer Commanding since the start of hostilities.

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* In the early hours of 8 June, five BR 20s took off at intervals from Catania to attack Luqa aerodrome. Over Malta, a 243a Squadriglia B.T. aircraft was caught and held in the beams of two searchlights, enabling Hurricane Z3063, flown by 249’s Squadron Leader Robert ‘Butch’ Barton, to close in. With the moon behind him, his Hurricane was clearly visibile to those inside the Italian aircraft well before he opened fire. Barton made two attacks, from port and starboard. Before long, the bomber’s engines caught fire. Barton swept in again, this time from dead astern. Soon, four parachutes were reported over south-east Malta, but only the pilot, Tenente Sergio Reggiani, and the second pilot, Maresciallo Guglielmo Mazzolenis, survived. The bodies of two crewmen were recovered, including one whose parachute had caught on the bomber’s tail. The gunner, Primo Aviere Bonnano, was unaccounted for. Various reports confirm that the aircraft crashed on land but provide conflicting information as regards the location. According to the War Diary of 2nd Battalion The King’s Own Malta Regiment, ‘One Fiat BR20 was shot down in flames by fighters at SIGGIEUI, pilot and second pilot taken prisoners. Second plane engaged by fighters and believed down at sea.’6 There is a similar entry in the War Diary of 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment,7 while those of 3 KOMR8 and 1st Battalion The Hampshire Regiment9 record the crash site as, ‘400 yds SOUTH of GUARENA’, and ‘between KRENDI and HAGIAR KIM’, respectively. The Malta Police, usually among the most reliable sources, reported that an enemy bomber was shot down on the outskirts of Qrendi between 02:49 and 04:24 hours.10 Where, then, did the BR 20 come down? Tenente Reggiani was captured near the Blue Grotto, and Maresciallo Mazzolenis at Wied Bassasa – both within 1½ miles of Guarena. Only one Italian aeroplane ever crashed in the vicinity – undoubtedly their BR 20 – burning out on farmland about 300 yards south of Guarena Tower.11 On 6 June, forty-three Hurricanes of 229 and 46 Squadrons took off from the carriers Ark Royal and Furious to be led to Malta by Blenheims of 82 Squadron, which were on a delivery flight from Gibraltar. On arrival, 229 Squadron pilots exchanged their Hurricane Mk IIs for Malta’s Mk Is, before continuing on to North Africa. 46 Squadron remained as welcome reinforcements, albeit without its own ground crews. On 14 June, Operation ‘Tracer’ saw forty-seven Hurricanes of 238 and 260 Squadrons flown off the carriers HMS Victorious and Ark Royal. Four Hudsons from 200 Squadron in Gibraltar escorted the fighters to Malta, from where they were to continue to North Africa. In the event, one Hurricane failed to take off, two were lost en route and one crash-landed at Malta. Another was written off on arrival: Sergeant Robert MacPherson (260 Squadron) was trying to land when he had to avoid another low-flying aircraft. His Hurricane stalled, overshot the aerodrome and crashed at Wied il-Kbir, a deep valley just to the north. Sergeant MacPherson was killed. *

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During the afternoon of 18 June, Flight Lieutenant T. F. ‘Ginger’ Neil led off a number of 249 Squadron Hurricanes, taking to the air in Z4048. He was obliged to land again almost immediately with a faulty motor. By the time 249’s Hurricanes had returned, Neil’s aeroplane was still not ready. He therefore ordered a junior pilot, Sergeant Alexander Livingston, to hand over his machine and to wait for Z4048 to be made airworthy. The order to scramble came soon after. Once again, Neil took off and once again he had to return to base promptly with another mechanical failure. In the meantime, Livingston had departed in Z4048. Neil was still waiting at Ta’ Qali as the Hurricanes reappeared in the distance: As we all stood outside the aircrew tent with shaded eyes looking towards Valletta, a pair of Hurricanes appeared in the distance, then another, and finally more. One, however, was on its own and approaching slowly. With something wrong, too, a wisp of white trailing in a tiny feather from its rear. We all watched – wondering. Then as it entered the circuit at about 800 feet and half-a-mile from where we stood, I saw a black dot detach itself from the cockpit. The pilot! As the aircraft fell away downwards, I watched the tiny dark figure drop behind. Oh no! A small sliver of white as the parachute streamed, but all too slowly. Everything in slow motion. Come on! Come on! Open! It did – partially, but not quickly enough.12

The pilot plummeted to earth, bounced slightly, and lay still. He did not survive. The wreckage of his Hurricane burnt 300 yards away: With others around me, I stood and watched – helpless, wordless, and faintly sick. Then, wearily: who was it? In moments, we knew. It was Sergeant Livingstone [sic]. In 4048!13

* On Friday morning, 27 June, twenty-two Hurricanes, including the latest four-cannon IICs, took off from HMS Ark Royal for Malta. One Hurricane was lost en route (its pilot became a prisoner of war), another crashed on arrival (the pilot survived). Not long afterwards, some twenty-five MC.200s escorted an S.79 towards Grand Harbour. About eighteen Hurricanes were scrambled from 249 and 46 Squadrons, but only the latter unit engaged. Sergeant A. W. Jolly (on loan from 185 Squadron), Sergeants W. E. (Ted) Copp and Thomas Hackston, Pilot Officers Albert ‘Andy’ Anderson and L. Barnes, and Squadron Leader Alexander ‘Ragbags’ Rabagliati were each credited with shooting down a Macchi. In addition, Jolly and Barnes each claimed a Macchi probably destroyed, while Rabagliati was credited with damaging the S.79. Heavy anti-aircraft guns also opened fire, but without success. Certainly, one MC.200 crashed on land, in all likelihood Sergeant Copp’s victim. The pilot, Sergente Alfredo Sclavo of 90 a Squadriglia C.T., was shot in the face and attempted to bale out, but fell to his death at Ta’ Karach when his parachute failed to deploy. His aircraft is thought to have crashed at Wied Dalam, with the wreckage ending up scattered over several fields.14

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Another MC.200 of the same unit was brought down offshore; Sottotenente Neri de Benedetti was rescued and made prisoner. In a rare departure from its usually humourless tone, the RAF Daily Intelligence Summary dated 28 June recorded: ‘P/O Barnes who shot him down, had tea with him yesterday afternoon and they are now good friends.’15 On the same day, 126 Squadron was re-formed from 46 Squadron (which had arrived during Operation ‘Rocket’ in June), joining 249 Squadron at Ta’ Qali. For more than half a century very little was known about the circumstances surrounding the final flight of Sergeant Thomas Hackston of 126 Squadron, whose Hurricane disappeared on 4 July 1941. In 1993, after fishermen had revealed the location of an unknown wreck off Malta’s south coast, professional diver David Schembri inspected what turned out to be a single-engined monoplane at a depth of 42 metres (138 feet). The wreckage was subsequently recovered and presented to the Malta Aviation Museum Foundation. It was soon identified as Sergeant Hackston’s Hurricane Mk IIA Z3055. While the Merlin engine was cleaned, the probable cause of the crash also became apparent, with signs of overheating on one of the cylinder banks indicating engine failure. Thomas Hackston has no known grave. But his memory lives on in the rebuilt Hurricane, which is on permanent display at the Malta Aviation Museum at Ta’ Qali. Five Blenheims of 82 Squadron took off from Luqa for the Middle East the next day, 5 July. Soon afterwards, Blenheim Z9575 crashed in the vicinity of Gudja and was burnt out. Two of the crew were killed and two were hospitalised. On 12 July, three Wellingtons arrived at Malta from Gibraltar. Wellington Z8775 took off again that night to continue to the Middle East but crashed on Safi Strip. The aircraft was completely destroyed by fire. All six of the crew died, together with a passenger – a subaltern of The Dorsetshire Regiment. Towards the end of July, twelve Hurricane Mk IIs were allocated for a new formation: the Malta Night Fighter Unit. Malta’s defences were further improved with the arrival of a supply convoy (Operation ‘Substance’) that included service personnel and heavy AA guns and ammunition. Seven Swordfish also flew in after being ferried to within range of Malta by HMS Ark Royal. Even more military personnel would arrive by sea a few days later. An Italian air reconnaissance in the late morning of 25 July encountered twenty-two Hurricanes of 185 and 249 Squadrons. Subsequently, the RAF claimed to have destroyed one S.79 and a BR.20 although it would appear that only one tri-motor, a Z.1007bis, was lost.16 Pilots of 249 Squadron also shot down two of the escorting fighters. One of the victors, Pilot Officer Robert Matthews, was attacked initially by an MC.200, but then managed to get on the tail of his opponent. As the two aircraft

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climbed, the Italian fighter turned, and Matthews opened fire at 200 yards. The Macchi straightened and Matthews closed to 50 yards: I then fired again and he did a slow roll. Then he went on his back diving towards Valetta. I took another squirt & saw something fly away from the aircraft. A glove? The pilot began to get out. At first he was stuck then he jumped & nearly ran into me. But his parachute did not open & he dropped straight down.17

The event was witnessed by many, including Second Lieutenant J. Quentin Hughes of 26 Defence Regiment Royal Artillery: [In] the morning, we were shopping in Valletta during an air raid when a Macchi 200 hit by the Hurricane’s cannon power dived to earth. As she approached the roar of her engines [sic] grew into a scream and the Maltese in the street shouted, running hither and thither not knowing how to escape. The roar ended with a dull thud as the plane fell into the ruins of a bombed house … Half a mile away the pilot glided serenely down little guessing the commotion he had caused.18

The descending parachutist was actually Tenente Silvio De Giorgi, a victim of 249’s Squadron Leader ‘Butch’ Barton and/or Pilot Officer Hill, both of whom were credited with shooting down a Macchi. After being wounded in the left leg in an initial aerial engagement, De Giorgi had decided to return home when he spotted a Hurricane apparently about to attack a pair of MC.200s. He therefore fired warning shots towards the two fighters and prepared to face the consequences, having now alerted the Hurricane pilot to his presence: It suddenly occurred to me that I was alone, in a damaged airplane … and furthermore (a thing which surprised me not a little) that I had lost that boldness so typical to young people and of which we all flaunted in the Squadron.19

De Giorgi chose to forgo further combat but the Hurricane pilot was determined not to let his prey escape. The Italian reacted as soon as the Hurricane opened fire: I pulled up the nose of my aircraft as if he had hit me, then quickly changed manoeuvre and dived towards the sea, as if I had no more control of the aircraft. I soon lost altitude and turning my head I noticed that there was no one behind me. This manoeuvre confirmed that my plane had no structural damage. Now I could go back to Sicily even without an escort. But suddenly there was a burst of firing … and I was surrounded by flames. The Hurricane, of which I had lost sight and which I thought I had escaped from, had instead followed me. The pilot had been lucky to do so because detecting a monoplane

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over the sea is very difficult inasmuch as the profile of a monoplane in vertical dive is … very hard to outline.20

Although he was flying dangerously fast and risked a parachute malfunction, De Giorgi decided to bale out. As soon as the parachute opened, an excruciating pain in my chest overcame me. I became completely blind and at that moment I thought my adversary had machinegunned me. When I ejected from the airplane, I was aware, though, that I was falling into the sea, but I was very much decided not to die.21

De Giorgi landed in the sea several miles off Grand Harbour. After a while, his sight returned. Eventually he was rescued and taken to Mtarfa military hospital. His interrogator would note: He struck me as being a good type of Italian, representative of the better officers in the Regia Aeronautica. Being a North Italian, with an English mother, he is naturally more straightforward and gifted with humour and common sense.22

Pilot Officer Matthews’ victim was Sottotenente Francesco Liberti of 98 a Squadriglia C.T., who was killed. His aircraft crashed in the cellar of a bombed building in Valletta, between Strait Street and the city’s main thoroughfare, Strada Reale (now Republic Street), and close to the Church of St Francis. After having been tasked once again with subjugating Malta, the Italians proceeded with an audacious plan whereby they would simultaneously strike at the submarine base at Marsamxett Harbour, as well as the recently arrived ‘Substance’ convoy in neighbouring Grand Harbour. Following the withdrawal of Luftwaffe units there had been a noticeable decrease in the number of raids. The islanders were therefore amazed when, during the night of 25–26 July, the Italian Navy’s elite La Decima Flottiglia MAS deployed two SLC ‘human torpedoes’ and nine MTM explosive motorboats to a point north of Grand Harbour.23 Unfortunately for the Italians, they were detected while still 20 miles short of their target. Furthermore, when the attack began, the SLCs failed to reach their objectives, which included the destruction of an anti-torpedo net across the harbour entrance. This task was taken over by one of the MTMs. At 04:45 hours it hit and blew up the mole bridge of the breakwater, causing one span to collapse and effectively block the entrance. The attack now turned into a rout for the Italians. As searchlights illuminated the scene, the shore defences opened up, sending tracer rounds ricocheting off the sea into the night sky. The Italians were in a hopeless situation, made all the worse when Hurricanes took off at dawn to attack the survivors as they tried to withdraw back to Sicily. Fifteen Italians were killed in the raid and eighteen captured. There was a sharp decline in Italian aerial activity during August and September. For the first time, Malta’s forces were able to meet the enemy on a more equal footing,

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with the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy delivering, between July and September, twenty-two Hurricanes and seven Swordfish in addition to many personnel and thousands of tons of supplies. The Italians did what they could to disrupt operations, but of fifteen cargo ships and other vessels that made up the convoys ‘Substance’ and ‘Halberd’ (which arrived in September), just two ships were sunk. A number of Navy Fulmars were also lost. During the night of 3–4 September, individual enemy aircraft carried out nuisance raids, dropping bombs on land and in the sea. Malta’s strike aircraft were also busy, attacking targets in Libya, Italy and Sicily. At 22:10 hours, a Fleet Air Arm Fulmar flown by Petty Officer Arthur Jopling, with Sub Lieutenant Drake as his observer, machine-gunned dispersed aircraft at Gerbini aerodrome, before dropping high explosive and incendiary bombs. In spite of intense AA fire, the Fulmar returned safely at approximately 23:30.24 A second Fulmar was hit in the fuel tank. The pilot, Lieutenant D. E. C. Eyres, turned towards Malta, but finding the island at night could be problematic due to the enforced blackout. Therefore, two searchlights were switched on to assist navigation. Arriving in the early hours and while an air raid was in progress, the Fulmar, now critically short of fuel, was ditched close to shore in Mellieħa Bay. A Malta Air Sea Rescue Service (MASRS) seaplane tender put out from St Paul’s Bay and within forty-five minutes Eyres and the observer, Sub Lieutenant Bernard Furlong, were safely on board. In September, several Hurricanes were fitted with Light Series bomb racks capable of holding 40-pound general-purpose and 25-pound incendiary bombs, the ‘Hurribombers’ subsequently carrying out a series of raids against Sicily. While attacking Comiso on 30 September, 185 Squadron encountered for the first time the new Macchi C.202s. Powered by the same model Daimler Benz DB601 engine as the latest Bf 109 F, the Folgore was considerably more powerful than the Hurricane, as 185 Squadron discovered when one of their aircraft was shot down with the loss of Pilot Officer Donald Lintern.25 During the night of 5 November, two Picchiatelli of 238 a Squadriglia B. a T. were lost. Sottotenente Vittorio Bragadin and Maresciallo Angelo Gatti were killed; Sergente Maggiore Armando Tosi and Aviere Scelto Amleto Bruttini were listed as missing. One of the two aircraft crashed at Malta at Il-Fiddien, between Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa. The event merited but a brief mention in the diary of 185 Squadron: ‘We were treated to a grand display of fireworks this evening when the A/A guns engaged some enemy raiders, they brought one down – a Ju. 87.’26 Late in the morning of 8 November, four Z.1007bis bombers arrived with about eighteen fighters, some or all of which were the latest MC.202. Bombs were dropped in a line between Rinella and Luqa village. No casualties were reported. Six Hurricanes

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of 249 Squadron failed to intercept the enemy. Four pilots of 126 Squadron sighted the bombers at between 21,000 and 23,000 feet. As they were turning towards the bombers, the Hurricanes were engaged by escorting Macchis. Flight Lieutenant John Carpenter and South African Pilot Officer H. P. (Pat) Lardner-Burke each attacked a Macchi, both of which were reported to have crashed into the sea. Lardner-Burke was then attacked and wounded by an armour-piercing round, which went through his back and through the instrument panel. Lacking the strength to bale out, he managed to land his Hurricane at Ta’ Qali. For his actions that day, Lardner-Burke would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Sergeant Worrall, in the meantime, was credited with damaging a fighter, while Sergeant Allan Haley, from Australia, claimed one probably destroyed before he collided head-on with another: Dived on to top cover fighters who were diving on to P/O [sic] Carpenter & as they broke away, fired from 50 yards at nearest Macchi giving him a total of 6 seconds. Observed first white smoke changing to black. Turned away & saw a second Macchi coming straight at me & kept firing at him at 300 yards range & my bullets were going into him the whole time until we collided. I pulled cover back & found myself in the air & after some time found rip cord & pulled it. I dropped at first to sea but eventually inland & landed on a roof top on top of a dog.27

Haley is thought to have descended near Qrendi church. His Hurricane, or a substantial part of it, fell near XHC 14, a heavy anti-aircraft gun position at Ħalq Dieri, west of Żebbuġ. Capitano Mario Pluda was still inside his fighter when it dived into the ground in the area of Wied Qasrun, about a mile north-west of Dingli, the impact ‘throwing up a cloud of dust and debris several hundred feet into the air’.28 Subsequently, an Italian aircraft dropped on Malta a canister containing a message addressed, ‘TO THE COMMAND OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE – MALTA –’. It read: During the attack of one of our fields, at november 12th, Lieutenant Colonnel Henry Brown [Ta’ Qali Wing Leader, Wing Commander Mark Henry Brown] crshed fighting and was burried with the highest military honour. Sergent Peter Shabbar Simpson [Sergeant Peter Sharrah Simpson of 126 Squadron] went down on the sea, with parachute. He was taken a little after; he is in perfect health, not even blessed. Other pilots of yours went down on the sea, fighting, but we were not able to find them. Will you please, give us notices of two pilots that we lost on Malta, november 8th: Capitano Pilota Mario Pluda and Sergente Maggiore Pilota Luigi Taroni. Address, please, the answer to the Comando Aviazione da Caccia della Sicilia. Thank you very much.29

The RAF responded with:

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Your message received and appreciated. In reply: Capitano Pilota Mario Pluda was killed in action. His body was found and buried with all honours in a military cemetery. With regret we have no other news about Sergente Maggiore Pilota Luigi Taroni. Probably he fell in the sea but could not be traced notwithstanding several searches.30

Capitano Pluda commanded 73 a Squadriglia C.T. Sergente Maggiore Taroni of 96 a Squadriglia C.T. was never found. There were six alarms during the night of 9–10 November. At 23:00 hours, Flight Lieutenant Don Stones of the Malta Night Fighter Unit was among those scrambled to intercept the second raid: I had just got my wheels up when my engine stopped dead. I was at about 400ft and just past the perimeter of the airfield. I knew instantly that there was no possibility of putting the Hurricane down in the dark on any of the little fields ahead of me, enclosed with stone walls as they all were. Instinctively disconnecting my helmet and straps, and heaving the stick back, I stepped out on the wing. Facing aft I pulled my rip-cord, as another Hurricane flew over my head. A moment of panic as I saw my auxiliary ’chute, which pulls out the main canopy, appear between my legs. I frantically pushed it back behind me, as I thought it would spoil everything. The canopy cracked open above me, something burned inside my left thigh and I landed almost at once on a stone wall, cushioned by a thorn bush. My poor Hurricane was burning brightly in the next field about 50yds away. [The Hurricane Mk II had crashed about 800 yards north-east of the village of Żebbieħ]. Getting out of my parachute, I started to walk towards the fire when I was surrounded by some Maltese rustics waving sticks at me, convinced that I was the German for whom the air-raid sirens had sounded. I tore off my ‘Mae West’ and opened my overalls to reveal my RAF uniform and wings. This partially convinced the Maltese, but just then my Hurricane’s full load of ammunition started exploding in the inferno, followed by the oxygen bottles, which sounded like bombs to the Maltese, and certain lynching for me. The area was brightly illuminated by now and mercifully there appeared a British Gunner-Officer from one of the airfield defence batteries and he saved my bacon. The Maltese disappeared, and with them my silk parachute, but that was a small price to pay. The splendid Gunner took me to his hut and we sat down in its welcome warmth on this chilly November night. I suppose the scene which followed could only be enacted by Englishmen. After thanking him warmly for his timely arrival, which he airily dismissed as all part of the job, he said ‘I think we should open the bar. I happen to have rather a decent bottle of Scotch. Shall we see if it’s any good?’ It was a straight malt and, after a few sips, we decided that it was most acceptable. By the time I had got through to the dispersal hut on his field-telephone via inter-service link-ups, the malt was imposing its authority and I felt very well. [Flight Lieutenant Ernest] Cassidy, my fellow flight-commander answered and said: ‘I can’t speak now, I’m afraid. The other flight-commander has just been killed on take-off.’ Before he could ring off, I yelled: ‘It’s me you bloody fool! I baled out.’ He simply could not believe me and stammered

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idiocies like ‘What! Impossible! Is this a joke?’ etc. I put the Gunner on the line who told Cass where I was and he collected me in the truck. His was the Hurricane which had taken off through the flame and smoke of my poor aircraft. There wasn’t much left of that excellent Gunner’s malt and we departed for our hut, about a mile away.31

* On 12 November 1941, thirty-four Hurricanes flown by pilots of 242 and 605 Squadrons arrived from the carriers Argus and Ark Royal. The following day, Ark Royal was sunk by the German submarine U-81. The previous month, Ark Royal had also delivered one Swordfish and eleven Albacore torpedo bombers for Malta’s strike force. Information on potential targets was frequently obtained through the interception of enemy messages and confirmed by reconnaissance missions flown by such men as Flying Officer Adrian Warburton, who was active from the very early days of the battle. Warburton, and others like him, were vital to offensive operations of the Royal Air Force, the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Navy, whose efforts were having a telling effect on Italo-German supply lines to North Africa. Axis land bases were also prone to attack wherever they came within range of Malta’s aircraft. In November, Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, commanding Luftflotte 2 in Russia, was designated Commander-in-Chief South. With the onset of winter, the Germans began to transfer aircraft from Russia and northern Europe south to Sicily. Deteriorating weather conditions might affect flying on the Eastern Front, but air operations could continue elsewhere. On 2 December 1941, Adolf Hitler issued Directive No. 38 with the intention of dealing with the ongoing situation in the central Mediterranean, including North Africa, and especially problematical Malta. Accordingly, Generalleutnant Bruno Loerzer’s II. Fliegerkorps took over from the Regia Aeronautica during daylight operations over the island. German raids, which began on a relatively small scale, increased in intensity towards the end of the month, with daylight bomber sorties heavily escorted by Bf 109 Fs. It was the beginning of the end for the Hurricane’s short-lived reign over Malta. Saturday 13 December was relatively quiet. There was an early alert for a single reconnaissance aircraft, which was engaged by AA; Hurricanes also attempted to intercept, but without result. In the morning, six Blenheims of 107 Squadron took off from Luqa to strike at enemy shipping at Argostoli in the Ionian island of Kefallonia. A low-level attack was made on two merchant vessels and two warships (described as destroyers). There was intense return fire by AA guns and the aircraft were engaged by at least one Italian fighter. Two Blenheims failed to return. None of the bombs was seen to land on target. An hour later there was a follow-up mission by five Blenheims of 18 Squadron. On reaching their destination, the crew of one Blenheim could find no suitable target. The pilot therefore turned out to sea to attack a merchantman sighted previously. However, the Blenheim jettisoned its bomb load when it encountered fighters. What

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was identified as a Bf 109 (probably the unfamiliar but similar MC.202) may have been damaged by return fire. Another Blenheim approached the port from the south and was singled out by shore batteries. The aircraft turned west overland, encountering two MC.200s and what was thought to be a Bf 109. This Blenheim, too, jettisoned its bombs. The Macchis carried out five attacks over twenty-five minutes, during which the bomber was hit and severely damaged in the port engine. Just two Blenheims succeeded in reaching the target area, where they each dropped two 500-pound general-purpose bombs, albeit with unobserved result. Subsequently, all four aircraft returned to Malta. The fifth, Z7858/M, encountered a Macchi, which prevented it from reaching its objective. The wireless operator/air gunner, Sergeant Dennis Mortimer, was unable to retaliate as the mid-upper turret with its twin .303 Browning machine guns had jammed and could not be rotated. The Italian fighter swept in and opened fire. Something, probably a bullet or metal fragment, struck the head of the pilot, Sergeant Frank Jury, causing a nasty gash. The outcome could have been far worse were it not for Jury’s unusual habit of wearing a steel helmet during operations. The bomber’s port engine was also shot up, causing the propeller to spin off. Eventually, after pursuing his quarry for many miles, the Italian broke contact. The Blenheim was left with smoke pouring from the destroyed engine and flying at little more than 100 feet above sea level. To lessen the weight and enable the aircraft to gain height, the bomb load and heavy equipment were jettisoned. None of the machine guns could be removed, but the ammunition and even the crew’s parachutes were sacrificed. Even so, Sergeant Jury had to struggle to maintain control during the long return trip. The badly damaged machine finally reached Malta, only to be prevented from landing at Luqa when a Wellington bomber taxied out onto the runway. Years later, the former observer, Tom Black, was of the opinion that it was a deliberate ploy to prevent their making a wheels-up landing and blocking the runway for night operations. But without the port engine it was difficult to manoeuvre the Blenheim and attempt a landing at Ħal Far, the only other suitable aerodrome. Jury therefore continued towards Grand Harbour and turned to starboard. When a Maltese dgħajsa (fishing boat) was seen just offshore, it was decided to ditch nearby. The Blenheim descended and touched down on the sea, tail first. It was perfectly done. Even so, the impact was such that Sergeant Black was temporarily knocked unconscious. He was the only casualty. Despite its battering, the Blenheim remained intact and floated on an even keel, allowing the crew time to escape. However, in his haste, Mortimer slipped off the fuselage and into the cold Mediterranean. Jury and Black managed to stay dry by scrambling out onto the port wing. All three were quickly taken on board the dgħajsa and ferried to Kalafrana seaplane base. En route they passed a Royal Air Force Air Sea Rescue (ASR) launch, which continued to the crash site after it was ascertained that all three aircrew were safe. When the launch reached the crash site the Blenheim was still afloat, but sank when an effort was made to take it in tow.

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The wreck of Blenheim IV Z7858 lies at a depth of 42 metres (138 feet) a few hundred yards off Xrobb il-Għaġin. The tail unit lies partially buried in sand in front of what is left of the cabin. The damage almost certainly resulted from early salvage attempts, which might also explain the disappearance of the mid-upper turret with its twin Brownings. Neither is there any sign in the nose section of the forward-facing Vickers gun. Today, the wreck is a popular dive destination for scuba divers. R4+HH was one of three Ju 88s that departed Catania in the late morning of 19  December. Essentially a night fighter, it carried no bombs other than a few incendiaries. The pilots were instructed to fly to Malta, remain there for about an hour, and attack any enemy aircraft seen in the vicinity. Upon reaching Malta, the raiders were attacked by four Hurricanes, which had been patrolling over a convoy off the south coast, and took evasive action by trying to hide in cloud. However, R4+HH was unable to escape and was shot down, apparently by Squadron Leader Edward Mortimer-Rose (249 Squadron). The Ju 88 crashed in terraced fields on the east side of San Blas Valley at Bin Ġemma, Gozo. Of the threeman crew, the wireless operator, Gefreiter Johannes Mattuschka, was killed while manning the aft dorsal machine gun. The pilot, Leutnant Wilhelm Brauns, and the air gunner, Obergefreiter Erwin Heese, were both wounded. According to the date on his interrogation report, Leutnant Brauns remained unconscious for several weeks before recovering sufficiently to answer his captors’ questions. It was noted: The reliability of the following prisoner’s statements is not above suspicion since some of his assertions are extraordinary. He says for instance that both his brother and his father are pilots and stationed at Catania with I NJG 2 though not in his squadron.32

Nevertheless, a substantial amount of information was obtained from the shootingdown of Ju 88 R4+HH, an unusual characteristic of which was its Italian markings. In addition to maps, Intelligence recovered a diary belonging to Gefreiter Mattuschka. From this and other papers it was established that he and Brauns had flown together intermittently since 3 July 1941. Early in August, all three crew members had joined 10./Kampfgeschwader 51, based initially at Lechfeld and Illesheim in Germany. In mid-September, they transferred to I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 at Breda in the Netherlands. Brauns, Mattuschka and probably Heese joined the unit’s 1. Staffel. All three were based at Gilze-Rijen from 25 September, operating over England on two occasions. Following leave, the unit returned to Breda on 20 October, and after another break moved to München-Riem and then to Sicily, arriving at Catania on 18 November. During the next month, the crew flew a number of missions over the Mediterranean before being shot down on their fourth sortie over Malta. For fifty years or more, the front canopy of Ju 88 R4+HH could still be found in situ. Smaller fragments remain, especially along the rubble walls of the fields in which the aircraft crashed.

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* At 11:12 hours on 21 December, 185 Squadron scrambled ten Hurricanes in response to a raid involving several Ju 88s with a fighter escort of Bf 109s and MC.202s. Eight aircraft of 249 Squadron followed minutes later. By 11:30, the raid was plotted as thirty plus. Anti-aircraft guns opened fire as enemy aircraft approached Grand Harbour at a little over 5,000 feet. At least five people were killed and twenty-five injured when bombs fell on Tigné Barracks, in the Dockyard area and near Mellieħa. Anti-personnel grenades were also dropped over Manoel Island. 185 Squadron engaged six Bf 109s at 17,000–18,000 feet, two Messerschmitts being pursued to 25,000 feet without result owing to their superior speed. Pilots of 249 Squadron reported better results, claiming one Macchi destroyed and another probable, plus a Bf 109 damaged. In turn, Major Freiherr Günther von Maltzahn of Stab/Jagdgeschwader 53 was credited with one Hurricane destroyed. Actual enemy losses, if any, are not known. But the RAF lost two fighters. Sergeant Brian Hayes of 185 Squadron failed to return. A 249 Squadron Hurricane was also shot down. Flying Officer P. G. (Graham) Leggett recalled: As for the events of 21 December 41, the sortie started rather badly for me (and finished somewhat worse!) 249 was scrambled from Luqa late morning. A quick cockpit check revealed firstly a dead VHF radio, secondly no oxygen. However, no time to change aircraft so I followed the others out and got airborne. I soon discovered that my aircraft not only lacked a few essentials but was struggling to keep-up with the others. We climbed to about 12000 feet and observed a large formation of Bandits well above us. We wheeled to Port and headed North. Of course, without radio I could only stooge along, still trailing behind the squadron. I closed the gap a little and then spotted three JU 88’s some 2–3 thousand feet below heading towards Valletta. Pressing the transmit button I yelled ‘Tally Ho Bandits three o’clock below’. But, of course, no response from the Hurricanes ahead. I tightened my straps, turned the gun button to Fire, set the gun sight and swung over to starboard in a steep dive towards the 88’s. As the range closed I spotted the close escort of 6 109’s, weaving around the bombers. They saw me coming and cut me off from the bombers with a ‘sandwich trap’. Turning steeply away from No1 I held the turn to bring me round to No2 whose job was shoot me off his No1’s tail. No2 thus presented himself fully broadside-on and I blasted him at point-blank range. Unfortunately, I flew straight a few seconds too long and another 109 hit me from astern. There was a violent explosion in the cockpit and everything was blacked-out by hot engine oil. Fortunately they broke-off the fight and I was able to wipe some oil from my eyes and head for the island. Approaching Luqa and expecting the engine to seize any moment, I lowered the undercarriage and saw flames in the wheel-bay. Having once before got away with landing a burning aircraft [at Ta’ Qali on 14 July 1941] I decided not to chance my luck and meet disaster on the final approach.33

Having made up his mind to abandon the aircraft, Leggett knew he had to get out fast if he was going to survive:

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I pushed-out the side panel, released my straps and attempted to stand. In doing so I must have kicked the stick forward and I was catapulted out lying on my back. From the RAF manual of Airmanship I [had] read “Every effort should be made to lie face down before pulling the rip-cord”. I turned over and pulled the D ring so hard that the cable came right out of its sleeve. I’d snapped it! But then came the jerk and all was well. Looking down the earth was coming up very fast and after a couple of swings I thudded up to my knees into a tiny plot of newly turned soil.34

Among those who witnessed events from the ground was Battery Sergeant Major F. G. R. Packington of 74th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment: Another raid on at moment 1100 hours. 24 planes attacking Harbour but only about 3 got through. A Hurricane badly damaged tried to land & crashed just in front of us. The pilot altho the plane was low got out & we thought he would hit the ground before his parachute could open. What a sigh of relief when it opened just in time.35

Flying Officer Leggett landed close to a gun position in south-east Malta: Struggling to extricate myself and sort-out my parachute an army pick-up appeared driven amazingly by a cheery army Captain I’d met in Valletta the night before.36

Captain M. Holdsworth of 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment drove Leggett to Luqa (from where 249 Squadron was temporarily operating due to flooding at Ta’ Qali). Later, Pilot Officer Oliver ‘Sonny’ Ormrod of 605 Squadron visited the crash site: In the evening the clouds cleared away and I took a walk across country to see the crashed Hurricane for exercise. The remains had been removed. Learnt from a soldier beside whom the pilot landed, that the pilot was an officer, F/O Legget [sic] of 249. There were small charred oddments lying around. Found the compass grid ring. The a/c had landed across a stone wall, so had not embedded itself in the earth.37

Leggett was briefly hospitalised with minor leg wounds. He returned to flying duties less than two weeks later, on 3 January 1942. On 22 December, German units for the first time flew more than 200 sorties against Malta.38 The fourth and last alert of the day sounded at 14:29 hours and saw fourteen Hurricanes scrambled for a raid involving approximately thirty-three enemy fighters.39 Two civilians were wounded. The RAF reported one combat fatality. Luftwaffe sources credit 2./Jagdgeschwader 53 with two Hurricanes destroyed: Oberleutnant Klaus Quaet-Faslem claimed a Hurricane shot down at about 14:36; Leutnant Heinrich von Schwerdtner claimed another south of Valletta fourteen minutes later. The latter was probably responsible for shooting down Pilot Officer Robert Matthews of 249 Squadron. Pilot Officer Ian McKay of 605 Squadron noted in his diary:

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Again to-day the hun were over and this afternoon there was a terrific dog-fight directly over us and as yesterday we saw a Hurricane go straight in. Apparently he was shot up at about twenty thousand feet and the pilot must have been killed and fallen over the stick for he didn’t get out and the aircraft came down nearly vertically. It must have been going about six hundred when it went in. It also exploded.40

The event seems to have made an impression on those who witnessed it, and yet there is little mention in official records. A brief note in the War Diary of 2nd Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment merely states that a Hurricane crashed near M33 (a defence post situated just west of Addolorata Cemetery).41 The actual point of impact was probably on the opposite side of the cemetery, at Ħal Saflieni. On 23 December, a 69 Squadron Maryland was lost together with the crew in circumstances similar to that of Maryland AR739 in August. While returning to Malta from a reconnaissance over Libya, Maryland BS766 transmitted a message but it was indecipherable. This may have been an attempt to warn Luqa that the aircraft was returning on one engine following fighter attack – something discovered only later when the observer’s log was recovered, for on arrival the aircraft stalled short of the aerodrome and crashed near a quarry, where it was burnt out. Sergeants Peter Wells, Peter Dive and Henry Metcalfe died at the scene. Approximately forty-five enemy fighters escorting a reconnaissance aircraft crossed the coast in the afternoon of 26 December. At least twenty-one Hurricanes were airborne. Not untypically, Malta’s outnumbered fighters came off worse. Squadron Leader Mortimer-Rose commanding 249 Squadron crash-landed at Luqa with a bullet in his heel, and Sergeant Ted Copp of 126 Squadron was shot up and baled out. The Canadian pilot landed safely near Tal-Balal (between Naxxar and San Gwann), while his Hurricane crashed near the Cisk brewery chimney at Santa Venera. Both were victims of Stab/Jagdgeschwader 53: Major Freiherr Günther von Maltzahn was credited with a Hurricane shot down over south-east Malta at 16:55; five minutes later Leutnant Karl-Heinz Preu claimed another to the north-west. Soon after 19:40 hours on Sunday 28 December, a single Ju 88 of 3./Nachtjagdge­ schwader 2 began to circuit the island before crossing the south coast and dropping its bombs on Qrendi landing strip.42 Searchlights caught and held the raider on three occasions, enabling both heavy and light AA to engage. The pilot, 20-yearold Leutnant Wilfried Babinek, was undeterred and continued to harass those on the ground. The courage of this officer and his crew, however admirable, was hardly appreciated by those at the receiving end of the bombs and bullets. Stanley Fraser served in 4th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery and kept a diary throughout his war service, which included two and a half years in Malta. Of this episode he wrote:

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Mounting guard that night, it was a really, cold & soaking wet business. The rain was pelting down on the guard room roof and we heard a bomber flying exceedingly low & its engines sounded just like a “Wellington”. A few moments later we were soon disillusioned when half a dozen “crumps” shook the place. The plane circled round & again flew over only a few hundred feet up. The sentry shouted to us as a searchlight caught the plane in its beam & the tracers began to stream towards it. We ran out into the rain, just in time to see the display, but it was all over in about half a minute. The tracers went right into the plane &, circling sharply, it dived straight to earth, still held in the beam, until it crashed with a loud explosion & the flames leapt upward illuminating the low clouds & the ground for quite a distance. Another to our score!43

Among the spectators was Pilot Officer ‘Sonny’ Ormrod, whose diary provides a detailed description of events: After my dinner, between 8 and 8.30 it must have been, the really exciting event of the day occurred. Knew there was an air raid on; but continued reading in the mess – air raids being so frequent now (the alarm is just going again as I write) that one doesn’t usually go out to look until one hears plenty of gunfire. Anyway a commotion attracted us outside and we found “flaming onions” streaking low over the mess at some low flying a/c behind which we could not see on account of the buildings. I was going round the first corner when a very bright flash caused me to draw back under the veranda. The bofors had scored a direct hit and I expected bits of exploded a/c to drop all around. It at once became obvious that the e/a had crashed on or near the aerodrome. Anyway we went “flat out” to see. Reaching the near side of the aerodrome, we could see the flaming wreckage on the other side just off the aerodrome. Paused a little to see if any bombs on board were going to explode and then raced on – what exercise! Arrived a little breathless in the vicinity of the wreckage, which was a good deal scattered. Fire extinguishers were turned on. Someone found the parachutes on the ground. They thought someone had “baled out” the parachutes being open (the airmen thought this) of course it was pretty well out of the question as he’d crashed from so low. Really the ’chutes had been burst open on impact. But a cry went up for someone with a rifle. A soldier, a Malt I think, came gingerly forward with a rifle at the “on guard” position. Damned dangerous as there were crowds of airmen all round him. I ordered him not to fire on any account (though I don’t suppose he heard). Anyway it was soon realised that there were no surviviors and besides there was barbed wire all around which would have held anyone trying to get away other than past us. Suddenly there were pops and bangs at the far end of the main wreckage and we were treated to a fore-wirk display of verey lights going off. Then I realised that it was raining very hard indeed, it had been raining lightly before. I took shelter on the edge of the aerodrome. The shower was soon over and the moon shone. A soldier took me to see one of the corpses lying at the side of the road. The poor devils had been disintegrated; a description here would avail no useful

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purpose. I was shocked by a Maltese workman dancing round a stray leg shouting “The —! I piss on his leg tomorrow morning!” Those airmen died nobly for their country and their Fuhrer; even though they be our enemies, whatever their crimes, that fact we should acknowledge. They were military airmen whatever else!44

The Ju 88, which was tentatively identified by the RAF as a modified A-5,45 came down between Il-Mizieb and Ħal Far, demolishing stone boundary walls and leaving wreckage spread across several fields as far as the western perimeter of the aerodrome. None of the crew survived.

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CHAPTER 5

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 1942 On Saturday morning, 3 January 1942, three Ju 88s took off from Catania for Malta. One pilot aborted the mission when a parachute was accidentally deployed inside his aircraft. The remaining two bombers continued towards their destination escorted by an estimated fifty fighters, of which twenty or so provided top cover. Twenty-two Hurricanes of 126, 249 and 185 Squadrons intercepted the raid. Anti-aircraft guns also engaged. Over Malta a Bf 109 F of 4./Jagdgeschwader 53 was hit by AA fire. Pilot Officer Tony Reeves of 185 Squadron reported that the German fighter blew up alongside his own aircraft at 8,000 feet. The pilot, Unteroffizier Werner Mirschinka, was killed. (What is assumed to be the crash site of this Messerschmitt has been located on farmland near the Chapel of Santa Agata, near Bubaqra.) In addition, AA claimed to have damaged a Ju 88, while the RAF was credited with one Ju 88 probably destroyed and another definitely shot down. The latter was M7+AK piloted by Oberleutnant Viktor Schnez of 2./Kampfgruppe 806. In December 1941, his unit had transferred from Germany to Catania, in Sicily. Schnez had undertaken his first Mediterranean sortie even before his Staffel was fully up to strength, conducting a reconnaissance flight south of Malta on 23 December. One week later he embarked on the first combat mission, carrying out a dive-bombing attack on Grand Harbour. The next sortie, against Luqa aerodrome, would also be the last for Oberleutnant Schnez and his crew: We approached at about 4,000 metres and dived and released the bombs at 1,000 metres. I pulled out at 600 metres and gained altitude, heading for Sicily. I had to fly across the island in a northerly direction at which time we were singled out by anti aircraft defences and several Hurricanes simultaneously. First, the latter hit the cooling system thus stopping the left engine. I had reached an altitude of 2,000 metres and was over the sea when the right engine caught fire following renewed attacks. To avoid another ditching – I had previously experienced life at sea after a belly-landing in the northern part of the Baltic and a subsequent 85-hour trip in a rubber dinghy – I turned back on a course for Malta, having decided to leave the aircraft by parachute.1

Interrogation of the bomb aimer, Oberfeldwebel Ulrich Arnold, revealed: Just before reaching MALTA cloud cover almost nil, but both machines carried on, dived to about 7000 feet, dropped their bombs, and M7+AK was then attacked by three Hurricanes. The first burst hit the cockpit then both motors were hit; the W/T put out of action, and HOPPE and FREESE were wounded. The right motor lost oil and seized up, and the crew baled out.2

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One of the successful Hurricane pilots, Sergeant Garth Horricks, a Canadian in 185 Squadron, noted in his log book: ‘I attacked Ju. 88 from quarter astern and set its port engine on fire. It crashed near Takali. Rear gunner put 10 bullets in my plane. I was hit in left arm. Saw Westcott bale out o.k.’3 Pilot Officer John Hulbert of 249 Squadron appears to have fired at the same Ju 88, by which time the port engine was already in flames. Pilot Officers John Russell and American Edward Streets, both of 126 Squadron, also participated in the action. Russell’s combat report states: On Patrol as Yellow 2 at about 18000’ sighted two Ju 88’s over Luqa. Attacked one steering West at about 12000’ with full beam shot, broke away & returned to attack from beam following to a quarter from above. Broke away because of Me109 on tail. One engine caught fire & one parachute left A/C. Fired 300 rounds. After evasive action followed but did not engage again A/C which steered towards Ta Qali. Sighted Wombat Red 2 delivering attacks. A/C crashed near Ta Qali after three more parachutes left A/C. Return fire on first attack only.4

Pilot Officer Streets reported: On patrol as Red One – at about 18,000 ft. Saw one Ju 88 over Luqa – Also 3 or 4 109’s attack one (88) immediately after Yellow 2 delivered attack – Followed enemy until all types bailed out firing all the time from ¼ to stern until it spun in and burned up – Followed it down to 0 feet. 250 Rounds of ammunition fired – Return fire from Rear Gunner until he bailed out.5

Schnez’s account continues: The English anti aircraft defences, which had fired at us during our attack and as we departed, were decent enough to stop firing when our damaged machine returned. I twice gave the order: “Aussteigen! Aussteigen!” [“Bale out! Bale out!”] My crew could bale out ‘at their leisure’ while I kept the machine steady, and only when I had left the controls did the machine go into a vertical high speed dive. Because I had failed to disconnect its wireless lead, I lost time pulling out the plug and only managed to leave the machine at the last moment. On the third attempt, I managed to grab the ripcord and deploy my parachute, and very soon after landed next to the debris of my exploding aircraft.6

One of the ground witnesses was John Galea: ‘I spotted a Ju 88 coming towards Zebbug smoking and getting lower and lower. I counted three aircrew bale out. The pilot still controlled the aircraft – it was nearing my village but luckily just clear of the buildings.’7 Galea watched as a Hurricane, obviously that flown by Pilot Officer Streets, pursued the Ju 88 A-4 in a low-level chase: ‘The plane turned over, the pilot came out and the parachute opened almost at once as otherwise he would not have survived – he was very low.’8

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The Ju 88 crashed in a field near Żebbuġ. Oberleutnant Schnez landed close by, freed himself of his parachute and then calmly looked around for his missing peaked cap. His search was interrupted by the arrival of uniformed personnel whose presence undoubtedly saved the pilot from the wrath of local civilians. Galea was among the many spectators at the scene: Soldiers and policemen arrived with the crowd which was not in a friendly mood. The pilot was brought along the narrow streets surrounded by the soldiers. A woman had some hot coffee in a tin and threw the stuff at the German but hit a couple of soldiers instead.9

Only Oberfeldwebel Ulrich Arnold escaped injury. Obergefreiter Gerhard Hoppe (wireless operator) and Feldwebel Heinrich Freese (air gunner) were slightly wounded. As for Schnez: Due to a bullet wound in my upper left arm, I was transferred to a field hospital after a short interrogation. There, I learned from the local press that it was assumed that I had intended to carry out a kamikaze attack, presumably because I had left the aircraft so late close to the aerodrome. However, I did not feel like a ‘kamikaze’ at all.10

The action of Schnez won the approval of Pilot Officer Ormrod, who commented: ‘the pilot did not bale out until after further attacks from Hurricanes his machine went into a vertical dive. He can’t have baled out at much more than 1000 ft. Great gallantry.’11 Sergeant J. A. Westcott of 185 Squadron had also been obliged to bale out. Westcott was picked up safely from just offshore; his Hurricane fell near the Officers’ Mess at Kalafrana. Oberleutnant Gerhard Michalski of 4./Jagdgeschwader 53 was credited with the destruction of a Hurricane 3 miles east of Valletta at 09:18 and may well have been responsible for shooting down Westcott, although squadron colleagues considered that he had accidentally been struck by anti-aircraft fire. Another victim was an American, Pilot Officer Howard Coffin of 126 Squadron, who was shot up by a pair of Messerschmitts and crash-landed, slightly injured, at Ta’ Qali. In addition to the Baltic Sea ditching, since June 1940, Viktor Schnez had made nine emergency landings. After he failed to return from Malta, it was wrongly assumed that he had again crash-landed, this time at Ta’ Qali, and that the Ju 88 had been captured intact. No such event ever occurred during the Battle of Malta. But the loss of Ju 88 M7+AK was still unique. There were rare instances when the crew of an enemy bomber was taken prisoner after ditching or baling out off the Maltese coast. However, 3 January 1942 was the only occasion when an entire crew survived after baling out onto Maltese soil. During the morning of 13 January, Maryland AR721 of 69 Squadron departed Luqa on a special reconnaissance sortie to the area of Pantellaria–Cape Bon–

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Kerkennah Islands. Six merchant vessels escorted by three destroyers were sighted 12 miles off Keliba, following which Wing Commander John Dowland (69 Squadron commanding officer) set course for Malta, arriving while an air raid was in progress. Two Hurricanes were airborne, but the pilots were prevented by cloud from intercepting enemy aircraft. However, Messerschmitt pilots succeeded in engaging the Maryland. Battery Sergeant Major F. G. R. Packington of 74th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment watched events unfold: A Maryland came in chased by two M.E 109s & they fought him just over our heads. The Maryland pilot shewed wonderful skill turning his plane all ways & the AA guns dare not fire. Round & round they [went and] put burst after burst into him & at last one member of the crew baled out [and] altho very low his parachute opened [this was the observer, Pilot Officer Arnold Potter, who survived]. The pilot made desperate efforts to evade & at last came down over the hill to our rear.12

The Maryland crashed just offshore near Cambridge Battery, Sliema. The gunner, Pilot Officer Robert Gridley, and the pilot died. The body of Wing Commander Dowland appears to have been recovered for burial. But, sadly, Gridley has no known grave. The latter had been on the island throughout much of the siege and had a Maltese wife. She gave birth to a son soon after her husband’s death.13 A 59 Squadron Hudson Mk III was lost in the early morning of 18 January during a transit flight from Gibraltar to the Middle East, when it crashed into high ground 3½ miles west of Luqa aerodrome. The pilot, Sergeant Alan Story, was killed together with Sergeants Noel Wouldes and Percy Hankins. Sergeant Colville survived, as did ‘a Spaniel dog’, according to Private T. C. (Charlie) Savage of 8th Battalion The King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), who was stationed at the nearby Inquisitor’s Palace.14 Air raid sirens sounded minutes later. Half an hour after the Hudson had crashed, a Ju 88 of 4./Nachtgeschwader 2 struck the same rise, no more than 1,000 yards from the wrecked RAF machine. It is uncertain what caused either aircraft to crash, but in a report about the Ju 88, RAF Intelligence commented: This aircraft was one of ten JU. 88s engaged in a bombing and nuisance raid over Malta 0423 to 0649 hours. It apparently lost its bearings in 10/10 low cloud and crashed into a hill, all the crew being killed and very few papers being recovered.15

According to the War Diary of Headquarters Royal Artillery Malta: 9 Bombers approached from the North – only two crossed the coast. The remainder patrolled south of the Island. 1 Raid crossed over St. Paul’s Bay and was engaged by Immediate Barrage (4234) at 8,000 feet. Second raid crossed coast at Madalena (4330) at 700 feet and crashed into hillside, near Inquisitors Palace (3720) – this aircraft was not barraged.16

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Charlie Savage recalled that he and a number of other soldiers were on their way from the Inquisitor’s Palace to relieve the overnight guard near Ta’ Żuta when the Ju 88 approached: It came over from the direction of Gebel Cantar, on our left, about 20 ft above us, and about 50 yds in front of us, flying toward Dingli [and] Sicily. We could see the pilot. We automatically dived down behind a wall [and] it crashed about 100 yds to our right. It was smoking heavily when it passed over us. Our training had taught [us] not to approach too quickly in case of exploding bombs, and rightly or wrongly, a fuse set to destroy the plane … Debris lay all around. We closed in, no sign of life, then sent a runner back to coy office at Inquisitor’s Palace.17

The aircraft, which was thought to have been carrying eight 50-kilogramme bombs, was totally destroyed. None of the crew survived and only the identity of the pilot, 22-year-old Leutnant Dieter Schleif, could be established. There were two alerts on Thursday morning, 22 January. The first was for a false alarm for a friendly aircraft; the second, at 11:28, saw at least sixteen Hurricanes scrambled from 126, 242 and 249 Squadrons to intercept several Ju 88s and escorting fighters. Afterwards, Flight Lieutenant Nigel Kemp of 242 Squadron reported: I was … Blue 1, leading Blue, Green, Black sections at 18,000’ about 10 miles East of Kalafrana. Whilst flying toward Luqa I saw two e/a (fighters) coming out of the sun. They broke away in a steep dive, and I began to follow them. At 14,000’ after having previously given “Tally ho”, we were fired at by A.A. causing us to break up into wide formation. At this moment 3 Ju 88s were seen just below us on our starboard side on the same course. Blue 2 and Green 2 attacked. Green 1 had to return to base owing to loose gun panels, and Black 2 was badly hit by A.A. I saw 3 Macchi 202’s about to attack our a/c. and accompanied by Black 1, engaged them.18

All three Squadrons became embroiled in the action, with Kemp claiming to have probably destroyed an MC.202 (probably a misidentified Bf 109). Other pilots claimed to have damaged two bombers and probably destroyed another.19 Two Hurricanes of 242 Squadron were hit by anti-aircraft fire: Sergeant Ray Harvey made a forced landing at Luqa with his aircraft missing one elevator and with the fabric stripped off the back of the fuselage. Sergeant Donald Neale, who had taken to the air still nursing injuries after having been shot up and crash-landing four weeks previously, lost his life when he spun in near Ta’ Qali. Sunday 25 January was to prove particularly costly for the RAF on Malta. At 10:18, all available Hurricanes were scrambled. Three returned early with mechanical trouble. The remaining eighteen or nineteen aircraft were bounced by Bf 109s, as Major Freiherr Günther von Maltzahn led Stab/Jagdgeschwader 53 into the attack:

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How did it happen? Initially, I was concerned that they would see us, therefore I led my five machines away to the rear in order to begin the first attack against the five Hurricanes, approaching in a wide arc out of the sun. This was successful. We came in unnoticed, and I attacked the Hurricane flying on the extreme left. It was hit, went down immediately, and hit the sea in flames. I assembled my Schwarm and began the second attack. The Hurricanes changed direction towards land and tried to climb above us. I allowed a little time to allow my machines to attack together. As I did so I saw that two of the higher-flying 12 Hurricanes were lingering, apparently to position themselves behind us. However, they didn’t do that, on the contrary, they flew towards land. As a result, I was able to commence the second attack unhindered. Again, I had a go at the machine flying on the outside left to allow my comrades a chance to shoot as well. Again, the Hurricane received a direct hit. The pilot baled out. I saw him falling frightfully close to my cabin roof. At the same time another two Mes attacked two enemy machines, which were also shot down and crashed in flames on land. So that was another three shot down. I then started the third attack on the large staffel of 12 Hurricanes, two of which had already headed inland. Once again I approached from behind with my machines homing in on the left [aircraft]. It went down trailing black smoke. Now a real hurlyburly broke out, in the course of which I was no longer able to follow the fate of the machine that was shot down. For sure though, another Hurricane was brought down by Leutnant L [Joachim Louis]. The other machines turned away while diving in order to get away from us. They succeeded in this; unfortunately they had the bad luck to come into contact with our fighters escorting the bombers, which were just then flying a mission against Malta. Again, two Hurricanes were shot down, and again plunged burning into the sea. Two more went down in a spin, trailing black smoke, but were not seen to crash. On the other hand, Leutnant P [Karl-Heinz Preu] pursued a Hurricane almost to the coast, where he hit her at a height of 600 metres and finished her off. That was the eighth shooting down. The fact that we came out of this encounter completely unharmed, without a hit, is down to good luck – it was a tremendously successful Sunday.20

Among Hurricane pilots in 126, 242 and 249 Squadrons, only Flight Lieutenant E. H. C. Kee of 242 Squadron fired his guns, expending all his ammunition on a Bf 109, which he chased 20 miles north. Luftwaffe pilots, on the other hand, claimed eight Hurricanes destroyed, which is close to recorded losses of five shot down and two that crash-landed as a result of battle damage. Flight Sergeant Charles Alpe (126 Squadron) and Pilot Officer C. R. Morrison-Jones (242 Squadron) were shot up and belly-landed at Ta’ Qali; Pilot Officers ‘Andy’ Anderson and C. A. Blackburn (both 126 Squadron) and Pilot Officer C. F. Sluggett (242 Squadron) all baled out. Anderson landed slightly injured at Luqa; Blackburn and Sluggett were admitted to Mtarfa hospital, the former with a shoulder wound. Pilot Officer John Russell (126 Squadron) was killed. Also shot down was Flight Lieutenant Peter Thompson of 185 Squadron, who related events more than fifty years later:

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I shall always remember it as being a complete shambles from the very beginning. The enemy plots were estimated at being between 20+ and 30+ and the Controller decided to scramble every available Hurricane on the Island. This turned out to be 7 a/c from 185 Squadron and 12 a/c from Takali. I was elected wing leader. 605 Squadron at this time as far as I can remember had no aircraft of their own. I cannot remember the Takali makeup. We finally got together as a Wing and then I think the Controller got the two plots mixed up. Certainly he put us down sun with the incoming plot above and behind us. Then my RT packed up and I looked at my No 2 to indicate my problem, but to my surprise his place had been taken by an Me 109! I took immediate avoiding action and hopefully set course for home, to find that Halfar was being bombed by a number of Ju 88’s.21

Four Ju 88s dropped about twenty bombs on the aerodrome. There were no casualties, but one Swordfish was destroyed and three more were damaged, together with a Fulmar and a Hurricane. As Thompson engaged the enemy (he was subsequently credited with having probably destroyed a Ju 88), he was in turn singled out for attack: I saw the bomb bursts on the airfield running from east to west. It was therefore easy to spot the bombers and they were at about 3000 feet. With a height advantage I was able to catch them up. It was only a few seconds after I had opened fire that I was severely clobbered. I had no option but to go ahead as the engine had been hit (as also was I). I was then hit a second time and the aircraft caught fire. I baled out at very low altitude and the aircraft and I ended up very close to each other. I must add that the Ju  88 probable was claimed for me by someone who apparently saw the action. For my part I was in hospital and had lost all interest in the day’s happenings.22

Among those watching from the ground was recently promoted Lance Bombardier Stan Fraser: This morning the sun is shining brightly &, with some H.Q. chaps I am manning no. 2 gun, when a formation of 11 “Hurricanes” flying at about 15,000 ft. in close formation are surprised by some “M.E. 109s” which burst into them from the rear. What a dog fight! Right above our gun site too! Droning, zooming, twisting, intermittent rattles of machine-gun fire and then two parachutes open & one fighter streaks straight down to earth a quarter of a mile west of the site, another fighter gliding gracefully in circles, although upside down, crash lands ¼ mile east of us. Unfortunately they were both “Hurricanes” but the pilots landed safely.23

Pilot Officer Ormrod was another eyewitness: Could hear fighters “up in the sun”. Thought it a “dog-fight”, but could not be sure. The sun shone brilliantly from a clear blue sky. After a short time the flash of sunlight on a/c

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fuselages attracted attention to the sky above Safi. The fighters had moved out of the sun. There was a fight in progress at an altitude in the neighbourhood of 15,000 ft or a little less. Suddenly saw that a pilot was descending by parachute. At that height he appeared not to fall, but to be suspended in the air like some cloud or celestial body. He swung gently from side to side at the end of the shroud lines. The strange part was that we had noticed no crashing a/c, nor could we now see one. Then an a/c came spinning down viciously. Supposed it must be his; but no – it stopped its spin and continued diving vertically as another pilot made an exit from its cockpit and proceeded to descend gracefully by parachute. We were glad he was out for the a/c was a Hurricane. Noticed another a/c gliding down in wide spirals in the vicinity of this second pilot. Looked at it with my [field] glasses. It was a Hurricane also. It was gliding inverted – most remarkable. It continued its inverted spiral glide until it disappeared from view shortly prior to striking the ground. This must have been the a/c of the first pilot to bale out. He most likely rolled on his back to assist his departure from the machine, which being well trimmed forwards had continued gliding in this position. Since the second parachutist baled-out several thousand feet below the first and since this a/c was only losing height slowly, it was quite possible for it to come past the second parachutist, although he had baled out an appreciable time after the first, whose a/c it was. Well that was two Hurricanes down already and we had not to wait long to see more follow. Another formation of Hurricanes curved round to our north. A single Me 109 was rapidly overtaking them from behind. Two peeled off to ward off this enemy; but the Me flashed past them before they were fully turned and one trying to turn too tightly flicked into a spin. The Me carried out the now considered obsolete No 1 attack. He dived down and zoomed up underneath the tails of the Hurricanes. He fired at several and then appeared to pass through the middle of them all. After that I don’t know where he went for I was watching a Hurricane that had fallen fast below the rest. It was crashing. The pilot baled out. The machine hurtled on in a TV dive and though we could not see where it crashed the sound reached my ears shortly after it had disappeared from my view, a thud mixed with a dull roar. Saw with regret that there was something amiss with the parachute. It opened to some extent, it was not streaming, but it was twisted somehow as if a shroud line had passed over the top. Since he still had some distance to fall and since it was slowing up his descent, it was hoped that the pilot would untangle it. But he did not. I now suppose that I was witnessing the end of P/O. Russell of 126 Squadron, though at the time I did not know who this pilot was.24

It is uncertain who baled out with a parachute malfunction, but Pilot Officer John Russell almost certainly came down offshore, as he has no known grave. Aircraft fragments discovered in a field at Ħal Tartarni, near Dingli, indicate the likely crash site of Flight Lieutenant Thompson’s Hurricane Z5147. One Hurricane probably came down near the southern perimeter of Qrendi landing strip; another near Żejtun, in a field known locally as Ta’ Marianu, and one more is said to have smashed through rubble walls before coming to rest in a field at Il-Ħotba, just south of Qrendi village.

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* At 09:10 hours on Tuesday 27 January, the Breconshire was escorted into Grand Harbour by the Royal Navy’s Force ‘K’. One destroyer transported a company of 1st Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (1 DLI); the merchantman carried supplies and additional troops. (Other members of the unit would arrive from Egypt by sea over the next few weeks.) At 10:17, warning was given of an impending raid. Hurricanes were scrambled, but none of the enemy aircraft crossed the coast. The sirens sounded again shortly before midday, as the soldiers were disembarking. This time, the Luftwaffe targeted Grand Harbour in an unsuccessful attempt to strike at the shipping gathered there. The raiders encountered no aerial opposition but were clearly dissuaded by AA fire, many bombs falling wide among buildings in Vittoriosa and Cospicua. The next raid was in the late afternoon and quite unexpected. Three Bf 109s swept in without warning and bounced a Hurricane of 1435 Flight (formerly the Malta Night Fighter Unit) on intruder raid air test. Pilot Officer Alexander Mackie was shot down between Rabat and Dingli and critically injured, dying later in hospital. Records indicate that he fell to Oberleutnant Helmut Belser of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 (who misidentified the aircraft as a Battle).25 There were thirteen alerts (including two for friendly aircraft) during the twentyfour hours to midnight 6 February. The ninth of these occurred at midday on the 6th, as Bf 109s covered the approach of a reconnaissance Ju 88. While the latter flew over Malta, the former patrolled off the coast. Before long, three Ju 88s appeared with their fighter escort, the former bombing Manoel Island, Tigné and Sliema. Six escorted Ju 88s then arrived with the area of Grand Harbour as the main target. Initial reports state that one civilian was killed and twenty-four were wounded, eight of them seriously. Bombs also fell at Ħal Far, where an Albacore was written off and buildings were damaged. No Hurricanes were airborne during the raid. However, anti-aircraft gunners shot down a Ju 88. The aircraft was struck in the tail, following which three of the crew baled out to be taken prisoner – the air gunner parachuted into the Mediterranean and was picked up some ninety minutes later. The 2./Kampfgeschwader 54 machine – either Werknummer 3556 (according to Luftwaffe records), or 3356 (as written on the observer’s folding seat recovered from the wreckage) – crashed at Għallis, just inland of Salina Bay. At 10:31 on 7 February, the alert sounded for the eighth time in ten hours, as four Ju 88s approached with an estimated seventeen Bf 109s. After the Ju 88s had bombed Ħal Far, two fighters strafed a 69 Squadron Beaufighter as it landed at Luqa. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Benjamin White, and the observer, Leading Aircraftman Norman Shirley, were wounded. The aircraft was set on fire during the attack, but Shirley was able to extinguish the flames and save reconnaissance photographs taken that morning over Sicily. His actions were recognised with an immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.

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From Safi, the Messerschmitts continued towards Ħal Far, where ‘Sonny’ Ormrod was monitoring events with a fellow pilot officer of 605 Squadron, Philip Wigley. Ormrod described what happened next: They [Bf 109s] reappeared over the ridge just beyond the Albacore dispersals. One bore to his port and disappeared from view passing the other side of the camp towards Birga Booga [Birżebbuġa]: but the other swung right straightened out and came straight for us. He could now have opened fire on us with his cannon and I supposed he would do so, so I stepped behind the building with Wiggley [sic]. Some airmen remained in the open (rather unnecessarily as they would have no warning before his shells and mg bullets arrived) and they gave cheers of joy. Bofors had hit the Messerschmitt and I saw his remains smoking on the slope to the left of the Albacore dispersals – he must have pulled right as he crashed. [Bofors fire had, in fact, blown off the tail of the Bf 109, causing it to crash in fields north-west of Ħal Far aerodrome]. I was rather irritated that he’d “gone in”; because it shook my faith in ground-strafing a little. On the other hand he should have kept lower, there is probably a bigger concentration of bofors guns on Malta than I am likely to meet and the Maltese guns have now had a great deal of practice. I did not visit the remains; but I understand that there was little left of either pilot or aircraft. I have heard gruesome descriptions – of an instrument panel, or rather its remains, coated with flesh and blood: of a pulped corpse with one foot sticking out: of a thumb stuck to the control column: of a flying helmet with its owner’s ears still inside. Such are the effects on the pilot of a high speed crash. Low flying offers quick death for a mistaken judgement.26

As a young boy, local resident Ninu Schembri visited the scene soon afterwards. There, he discovered the pilot’s head and decided to present it to his unsuspecting parents. While returning home along a nearby country lane he was stopped by a soldier who promptly relieved him of the grisly trophy. The head was placed in a bomb crater in a small field and covered over. Other human remains were dug in at the crash site, not far from defence post HF5 (later taken over as a farmhouse). Both locations were relocated in 1999. At the crash site, bone fragments, which lay all around, were gathered and buried nearby. Also found was a watch that had stopped at 11:22 – exactly when the crash had occurred. The relevant German authorities were informed. Unfortunately the matter was not taken further. The pilot, Oberfeldwebel Otto Göthe, continues to be officially listed as missing. On Monday morning, 9 February, Pilot Officer James Stuart of 249 Squadron took up Hurricane Z5326 on an air test. Soon afterwards the Merlin engine stopped and the Hurricane dived into the ground at Bidnija Hill, north-west of Mosta. Pilot Officer Stuart was killed. Except for a twenty-two-minute respite, Malta was on alert on 15 February from 02:00 to 18:36. In Valletta there were numerous casualties. Five people were also

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killed when an anti-aircraft shell fell and exploded at Birkirkara. Air raid warnings continued into the night as bombers approached the island and dropped bombs mainly in the sea. During the day, a number of Ju 88s arrived between 08:00 and approximately 10:00 hours, with Luqa as the primary objective. One aircraft was hit by heavy AA and crashed in flames at Tal-Qortin, south-east of Bubaqra. Stan Fraser’s diary records: Today we had much more encouraging results with our defences, and the A.A. gunners brought down 3 Junkers bombers, while the fighters got 2 M.E. fighters. The first bomber to come down was one of a formation of seven which dropped their bombs across the harbour & then flew across towards our site. A terrific barrage went up & then a cheer went up also, for dense smoke began to pour out from one of them; a parachute was the next thing to come out of the plane as it circled back across the coast diving steeply to its doom only a couple of miles from our site.27

Two bodies were later identified as Leutnant Waldemar Stadermann and Unteroffizier Martin Knobloch. The wireless operator, Oberfeldwebel Albert Stahl, baled out and came down in the sea, but was seen to sink almost immediately. Only the observer, Oberfeldwebel Walter Hesse, survived and was taken prisoner. Later the same day, while those on Malta patiently waited for the all clear, the crew of a 69 Squadron Martin Maryland Mk I were enjoying a comparatively idyllic time some 80 miles north-east of the island. At 12:45, three Italian cruisers and nine destroyers were located, whereupon the Maryland pilot, Squadron Leader W. E. M. Lowrey, set course for home. Soon afterwards, events took a turn for the worse when the port engine failed. Fifteen minutes later, there was further trouble when pilots of four Bf 109s spotted the reconnaissance aircraft, following which one of the fighters carried out an attack from below. The Maryland ventral gunner, Sergeant N. E. Rasmussen, promptly opened fire, causing the Bf 109 to dive sharply. It was not seen again. A second Messerschmitt then approached from the port beam. Lowrey made a feint turn to port, followed by a starboard turn towards cloud in an attempt to escape detection just as the other two 109s swept in from astern. By the time Lowrey reached cloud cover his aircraft’s aerial mast and starboard elevator had been shot away. The Bf 109s waited for the Maryland to reappear before recommencing their attacks from above and below. This time the dorsal gunner, Sergeant Durant, was able to claim hits on one of the fighters, which was last seen in a vertical descent at 2,000 feet. One of the remaining pair attacked again, its cannon shells damaging the starboard wing flaps, ailerons and engine of the Maryland. The petrol tank was hit, the starboard window shot away, the gunner’s cockpit was smashed, and a fire started when rounds ignited some Vereys cartridges. The aircraft also went into an almost uncontrollable spin, creating difficulties for the two gunners as they struggled to bring the blaze under control. Once more, Lowrey managed to reach cloud cover, and when he next emerged into clear sky the Messerschmitts had gone. The Maryland continued to within 12

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miles of Malta, when it again came under fighter attack. Cannon and machine-gun fire tore into the aileron flaps, engine and instrument board. Lowrey’s helmet was hit, his goggles were knocked off and yet he somehow escaped injury. The arrival of Hurricanes, scrambled to cover the returning Maryland, now caused the Bf 109s to break off their engagement, enabling Lowrey to concentrate on prelanding checks. As the undercarriage was lowered, the fuel-starved starboard engine stopped, leaving the pilot with no option but to attempt a ditching just off the coast. The undercarriage was hurriedly retracted, whereupon several feet of the starboard wing and the aileron fell off, together with the rudder. Leading Aircraftman Philip Chandler was watching events from Kalafrana: 109s, hanging about all day, this evening attacked returning Maryland. Our machine limped overhead, making for Luqa. Saw that port engine had stopped and tail was shot to hell. Maryland turned back and limped pitifully along bay, skimming the water. She pancaked about 100 yards from where I stood. Just previously the crew threw something overboard. A launch dashed out and rescued all three [sic] of crew just after plane went down. 109s then attempted to attack but were driven off by Hurricanes and ground defences.28

Of the four-man crew, only the observer, Flying Officer J. E. Bosley, was injured, having broken an arm when the aircraft ditched. However, one of the covering Hurricanes was shot down into the sea, taking Pilot Officer Peter Lowe of 605 Squadron to his death. The victors, in both cases, are thought to have been pilots of Jagdgeschwader 53. In 1969, a number of exploratory dives by members of Malta’s RAF Sub-Aqua Club led to the discovery of Maryland AR714 on the seabed some 400 yards east of Bengħisa Point. Besides being scrambled too late, Malta’s fighter pilots had so far tended to use the outdated vic and line astern formations, leaving themselves vulnerable to attack by the Luftwaffe, whose fighter pilots had adopted the procedure of flying in pairs and fours in line abreast, with the pilots able to look inwards so as to cover as much sky as possible. In February 1942, Squadron Leader P. S. (Stan) Turner arrived to take command of 249 Squadron. He quickly decided on some radical changes. It was due largely to his intervention that the RAF in Malta began to follow the example of the Luftwaffe, flying in pairs and in loose ‘finger four’ sections. Another decisive tactic implemented by Turner and Malta’s outstanding operations controller, Group Captain A. B. ‘Woody’ Woodhall, saw the fighters scrambled as the raids were approaching, thus giving the Hurricanes time to gain altitude south of the island, well away from the enemy’s course of attack. Then, on the word from ground control, they would dive on the intruders, increasing their speed in the process.29 Malta was on alert for much of 22 February as German aircraft carried out fighter patrols and bombing attacks. All three aerodromes were targeted, resulting in damage

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to buildings, vehicles and aircraft, including five Albacores and two Swordfish at Ħal Far (three of the Albacores were written off). Further damage and destruction was caused to civilian property. A number of people were injured. Both sides incurred losses in the air. At 13:22, Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept an imminent raid. Sergeant J. R. Sutherland of 185 Squadron recorded: On the 22nd, the Squadron came to Readiness at midday, with W/Comm “Ragbags” [Alexander Rabagliati] leading. Three 88’s and some 109’s were intercepted over Hal Far on a scramble. We jumped the 88’s as they were pulling out of their dive, but only one is claimed as damaged (by self). I managed by a lucky shot to fix up a 109 who was about to tackle Sgt [J. A.] Westcott, who later observed his late attacker spin down minus a wing. Sgt [D. E.] Eastman had quite an enjoyable time as the attached newspaper clipping will show.30 P/O [R. M.] Oliver was very indignant when he landed after being attacked by a 109 as his one and only good pair of trousers were ruined by glycol. He put up an excellent performance in bringing back safely his much damaged aircraft. S/LDR [Ronald] Chaffe did not return, but no body knows why. It is with sorrow that I record his death, as, though he had been with us for so short a time, we had admired him as a leader and a man, little though we knew him. He was rather quiet, though that may have been because he was still feeling his way on the island, but what he did say or do, had a very definite purpose behind it, and we were happy in having such a man as our leader.31

Feldwebel Heinz Hipper and Unteroffizier Max Nairz of Jagdgeschwader 53, who were each credited with a Hurricane destroyed, were probably both responsible for shooting down Squadron Leader Chaffe.32 He was spotted in his dinghy 4 to 5 miles south of Delimara, but a subsequent search failed to relocate him. He was not seen again. Sergeant Sutherland’s victim was Unteroffizier Walter Schwarz of 9./Jagdgeschwader 53, who was found dead in the wreckage of his Bf 109 when it came down at Il-Ħotob, between Qormi and Balzan. Among those who arrived to view the spectacle was John Mizzi. ‘There were more dogs than people,’ he recalled, ‘and the dogs were eating bits of flesh from the pilot.’33

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CHAPTER 6

MARCH–APRIL 1942 There were seven alerts during daylight hours on 1 March. In the early afternoon, Hurricanes of 242 and 605 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept three Ju 88s and a number of Bf 109s. A Ju 88 of 8./Kampfgeschwader 77, damaged in combat and written off after an emergency landing in Sicily, was a likely victim of this engagement; only one of the four crew survived. One Bf 109 of II./Jagdgeschwader 53 crash-landed, and another made a wheels-up landing, although it is uncertain whether either had already been damaged in battle. Leutnant Hermann Neuhoff (7./Jagdgeschwader 53) claimed a Hurricane destroyed at 13:10; another was claimed two minutes later by Leutnant Hermann Munzert (9. Staffel). In all, three British fighters were lost. Canadian Flight Sergeant David Howe of 605 Squadron baled out near Fort St Lucien, injuring his ankle; another Canadian in 242 Squadron, Sergeant Ray Harvey, baled out into the sea badly burnt and mortally wounded. He was dead by the time ASR arrived. It was rumoured at the time that he had been hit in the chest by two cannon shells, presumably after abandoning his aircraft. Pilot Officer James Tew, an American in 242 Squadron, was also killed, his Hurricane crashing at Marsaskala Bay, although it is unclear whether on land or just offshore. Little was found of the pilot, who has no known grave. There were several air raids during daylight hours on 3 March. That night, Malta remained under alert from 19:38 to 06:18 the next morning. Bombs were dropped at many locations on the island and there were a number of casualties. At 21:02 hours, Flying Officer Denis Winton of 1435 Flight took to the air in Hurricane Z3562, callsign Stallion 35. Fifteen minutes later the fighter’s Merlin engine failed. Winton survived, baling out over Ta’ Qali at about 500 feet; his Hurricane crashed near Rabat. Seven air raid warnings sounded between dusk and dawn on 4 March. At 12:24, Ħal Far was the main objective in an attack involving eleven Ju 88s and Bf 109s. No Hurricanes were airborne, but anti-aircraft accounted for one Messerschmitt, which crashed on the rocky shore at Pembroke Ranges, just north of St Andrew’s Barracks.1 Unteroffizier Benedikt Wegmann of 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 baled out into the sea nearby. Major H. A. A. Howell of the Royal Army Pay Corps was among those who put out in a small boat and picked up the pilot, who was handed over to personnel of B Company, 11th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers. During interrogation, Wegmann appeared doubtful as to whether he had been shot down, and seemed inclined to believe that his machine may instead have suffered engine failure.2 This is supported by a comment in the Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldung (personnel

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loss report) that states Wegmann had reported motorschaden (a faulty or damaged engine) shortly before he baled out. There were two alerts, with only a nine-minute respite, between 19:12 on Wednesday 4 March and 06:32 the next morning. Anti-aircraft guns engaged the raiders, firing twenty-two barrages. Malta night fighters maintained a constant patrol. In the early hours of 5 March Sergeant James Wood of 1435 Flight was airborne in a twocannon Hurricane when he observed a Ju 88 (7T+JK of 2./Küstenfliegergruppe 606) firing at a searchlight. Approaching the raider from behind, Woods closed to about 300 yards. The bomber’s slipstream prevented him from taking aim until he was just 50 yards from his target. There was only time for a twenty- to thirty-round burst before Woods disengaged, his aircraft narrowly missing the tail and port wing of the enemy machine. Notwithstanding the relentless fire by its rear gunner, Woods had succeeded in seriously damaging the Ju 88. A series of coloured lights – probably flares – were seen moments before the aircraft fell in flames to the south-west of Siġġiewi. There were no survivors. One of the crew was subsequently named in a Royal Air Force Intelligence report as Unteroffizier Engelmann (evidently the observer, Unteroffizier Friedrich Engelbert).3 Anthony Busuttil of Siġġiewi, at the time nearly 10 years of age, learned from a friend that a Ju 88 had crashed not far from his village: It was nearly 8.00 a.m. and we immediately decided to go and see the crash. Gebel Ciantar is not more than two miles away from Siggiewi, so within three quarters of an hour we were on the spot of the crash. It was a sunny morning, big parts of the Junker were scattered all over the area. About 8 soldiers were around collecting parts of the bodies in sandbags. My friend and I found a foot with the big toe missing. We left it on the ground as the soldiers sent us away because, they told us, there may be some ammunition that may be dangerous.4

Twisted scraps of aluminium, Perspex fragments, cartridge cases and other debris litter the rocky plateau of Ġebel Ċantar. At the edge of the crash site a carob tree is said to mark the communal grave of what remained of the Ju 88 crew. After another night under alert, there was little respite, with several air raids during the following day, 6 March. In the late afternoon, a reconnaissance Ju 88 with two Bf 109s flew across Malta, and four bomb-carrying Bf 109s made an ineffectual attack against Ta’ Qali aerodrome. No Hurricanes were airborne, but anti-aircraft guns engaged, HAA claiming one Bf 109 shot down. Oberleutnant Hermann Raab baled out of his 10./(Jabo)/Jagdgeschwader 53 machine and was taken prisoner when he landed near Ta’ Qali. His Messerschmitt crashed on the western edge of Rabat. In order to survive, Malta continued to be resupplied by sea. Food and all manner of materiel had been delivered but the number of fighters received thus far was still

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not enough and there remained an urgent requirement for even more. On 7 March, fifteen Spitfire Mark VBs were flown in via HMS Eagle. The Spitfire was to make a distinct impression on the air battle. The Mark V was a fighter with a speed to match the Bf 109 and the firepower required to destroy the Ju 88. But after their arrival it would be another three days before the Spitfires were combat-ready. At about the same time, 1435 Flight received, as a welcome addition to its own Hurricanes, four Beaufighters on detachment from 89 Squadron in Egypt. Monday 9 March was another day of virtually continuous enemy air activity. The last action prior to the Spitfires’ introduction to the air battle took place in the afternoon. In all, eighteen Ju 88s and twenty-six Bf 109s, some of them bomb-carrying Jabos, were reported over the island between 12:21 and 15:50 hours. The aerodromes were the main targets, where a number of aircraft were damaged on the ground. Fourteen Hurricanes were scrambled at 13:28 (apparently thirteen took to the air); these had all returned to base by 14:25. Twenty-two minutes later, four Hurricanes of 185 Squadron from Ħal Far and six of 126 Squadron from Ta’ Qali were scrambled. Notwithstanding a number of claims by both units, it was the Hurricanes that came off worse. Sergeant Gordon Tweedale of 185 Squadron attacked a Ju 88 but was then set upon by at least three fighters and wounded in the heel by a cannon shell. On returning to Ħal Far, he was again targeted by a Messerschmitt but managed to crashland due to the timely intervention of armourer Sergeant Baines, who was manning a twin-Brownings machine gun, as well as the prompt action of another pilot, Sergeant Archie Steele, who opened fire while coming in to land with wheels and flaps down. Squadron Leader Stanley Norris damaged a Ju 88 that was attacked in turn by Pilot Officer J. Crichton and, apparently, by Pilot Officer Howard Coffin (all of 126 Squadron). But the Merlin engine of Coffin’s Hurricane was hit by enemy fire, resulting in the American force-landing between Safi airstrip and the nearby village of Gudja. Coffin escaped with superficial head injuries. Luftwaffe records acknowledge just one combat loss during the day, and this occurred later in the afternoon. Among those who witnessed the event was Pilot Officer Phil Wigley of 605 Squadron: I was duty officer at Hal Far and one of my responsibilities was supervising the filling of bomb craters after a raid to enable the airfield to become serviceable again … a Ju 88 was shot down and crashed at Hal Far some time after 16.15 hrs – I was with the craterfilling personnel at the time near the south side of the airfield and two crew members of the Ju 88 baled out at low altitude and landed about 100 yards from me. They were only a few yards from each other and both were unconscious but showed no outward signs of wounds … Both were taken to Station Sick Quarters before they could become victims of the unfriendly intentions of local people!!5

The raid, between 16:13 and 18:57 hours, had involved a dozen Ju 88s, including a reconnaissance aircraft, and eleven Bf 109s, some of which carried bombs. Ħal Far,

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Luqa and Safi were all targeted. Although the raiders encountered no aerial opposition, they faced both light and heavy anti-aircraft fire, the gunners ultimately destroying the 6./Kampfgeschwader 77 machine over Ħal Far.6 The pilot, Oberleutnant Gerhard Becker, and the rear gunner, Unteroffizier Anton Schweiger, did not survive. The men seen to bale out by Phil Wigley were the observer, Unteroffizier Arnulf Thiemann, who died later in hospital, and the wireless operator, Unteroffizier Walter Kunzi. Malta’s first Spitfire Vs were allocated to 249 Squadron. Seven of the new fighters were scrambled for the first time at 10:12 hours on 10 March for a bombing raid in which Bf 109s escorted three Ju 88s, which targeted Luqa. Eight Hurricanes of 126 Squadron and four Hurricanes of 185 also took to the air. The Spitfires quickly made their presence felt when Flight Lieutenant Philip Heppell was credited with shooting down a Messerschmitt that crashed into the sea. AA, it seems, was also credited with the destruction of a Bf 109, and several were also claimed as probably destroyed or damaged. In the event, Feldwebel Heinz Rahlmeier of 8./Jagdgeschwader 53 was shot down and killed. In turn, Australian Sergeant Jack Mayall of 126 Squadron died when his Hurricane was shot down at Mrieħel. A pilot who crash-landed his Hurricane escaped without injury. In the afternoon, there were four more air raid warnings, one for a fighter patrol and three for bombing raids. The last alert, at 16:32, continued for nearly two hours and involved an estimated forty enemy aircraft. Four Spitfires intercepted, together with eight Hurricanes of 242 Squadron and three of 605. Although one Ju 88 was claimed as destroyed and two others as damaged, it appears that none was lost on this occasion. However, Pilot Officer Ken Murray of 249 Squadron was fatally injured when his parachute apparently malfunctioned after he had baled out of his Spitfire over Ta’ Żuta, on the south coast. German sources name Unteroffizier Hans Schade of 8./Jagdgeschwader 53 as the first of his unit to destroy a Spitfire over Malta at 11:10 hours on 10 March. However, the only RAF fighter lost that morning was a Hurricane, suggesting that Schade had, in fact, shot down Sergeant Mayall. Pilot Officer Murray evidently fell to the Kommandeur of II./Jagdgeschwader 3, Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Krahl, who claimed a Spitfire at 17:10 hours. On 18 March, both 242 and 605 Squadrons were disbanded. Pilots of the former merged with 126 Squadron, while pilots of the latter unit joined 185 Squadron. A five-hour raid commenced soon after 08:00 on Friday 20 March and involved about twenty Ju 88s that arrived at intervals under fighter escort. Bombs fell in the areas of Valletta, St Julian’s Bay and Ħamrun. According to initial reports, six civilians and two soldiers were killed and about fifty were injured, nearly all of them civilians. (Casualty lists indicate that a number of those who were injured later died.) Among the fatalities was a boy who was killed when an AA shell fell and exploded at Birkirkara.

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Sixteen fighters were scrambled, with four Spitfires, led by Flight Lieutenant P. B. ‘Laddie’ Lucas of 249 Squadron, providing top cover for twelve Hurricanes. While patrolling at 11,000 feet, the 249 Squadron quartet observed six Bf 109s heading north over Filfla, an uninhabited islet south of Malta. The Spitfires, with a height advantage of some 2,000 feet, attacked. Pilot Officer Robert ‘Buck’ McNair was credited with shooting down a Bf 109. This was thought to have crashed south of Delimara. AA also engaged, claiming one Ju 88 and a Bf 109 destroyed and four bombers damaged. In fact, 7./Jagdgeschwader 53 lost one fighter; the body of the pilot, Unteroffizier Josef Fankhauser, was washed ashore in Sicily nearly seven weeks later.7 A Spitfire VB, flown by Rhodesian Pilot Officer Douglas Leggo, was also shot down. As ‘Laddie’ Lucas saw it: [After] combat and separation, pilots were looking for another to join up with in line abreast. The drill was now automatic. It was the best recipe for survival, given the odds stacked against us. In my section, we spotted, far away to port, a single Spitfire obviously looking for a mate. As we turned to go to his aid, a lone 109, diving steeply and very fast out of the sun, pulled up, unseen, under the Spitfire. From dead astern, the pilot, who plainly knew his business, delivered a short, determined closing burst of cannon and machine gun fire, sending his victim rolling on to his back and spiralling down to earth or sea. It was a clinical operation. Relieved, we saw a parachute open. As we watched the silk canopy floating down in the distance, with the pilot swinging on its end, another single 109, diving down out of broken cloud, made a run at the ’chute, squirting at it as he went and collapsing it with his slipstream as he passed by. The canopy streamed, leaving the pilot without a chance. The next thing we knew, the 109 was diving away for Sicily with never a hope of catching it.8

Pilot Officer Leggo is believed to have been shot down by Leutnant Ernst Klager and/or Leutnant Hermann Neuhoff, both of III./Jagdgeschwader 53, who claimed a Spitfire within three minutes of each other. Pilot Officer W. R. (Raoul) DaddoLanglois pursued the victor, expending all his ammunition without apparent result. The demise of ‘Douggie’ Leggo was witnessed by members of 4th Heavy AntiAircraft Regiment from their gun position near Ħaġar Qim. Afterwards, Lance Bombardier Stan Fraser wrote in his diary: Before breakfast we witnessed a dog-fight above our site, which resulted in a rather sickening start to the days activities, for one of our Spitfires had one of its tail fins practically shot off & the pilot lost control of the plane. It fell like a falling leaf, describing small circles, with its nose downwards, and several times it seemed as though the pilot had managed to straighten out into a glide, but no – on it came until, just over 100ft. from the ground, the pilot baled out. He was too late; his parachute just billowed until the cords were taut, when he reached the ground about the same time as the plane which just pancakes in the next field only a couple of hundred yards from our camp.

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When we picked the pilot up he was grasping the harness of the parachute with both hands – dead; we placed him on a stretcher covering him up with the parachute, and carried him into our M.I. room. I thought at the time of his family in Rhodesia somewhere, just having breakfast maybe, oblivious of the horrible shock which awaited them, depriving them of the pride which they felt in having a son so young, in his early twenties, and a pilot officer in the R.A.F.9

The episode is one that remained in the minds of other gunners. Fifty-three years after the event, George Lord remembered: The pilot of a Spitfire which had sustained bad damage ejected from his plane but was too low for his chute properly to open. He dropped between the gun-position and a line of hills, known to us as Jebel Chanter [Ġebel Ċantar]. … Several of us ran to see if we could be of assistance. Some two hundred yards the G.P. [sic] On arriving at the scene it was obvious the young man was quite dead. On his shoulders was the word “RHODESIA”.10

Howard Bell, then an Acting Bombardier, recalled: His body was brought in on a stretcher by our medical orderly, L/Bdr Jimmy Corr … and placed on the floor of the M.I. Hut. I saw him there and noticed he was dressed in blue battledress with one shoe missing and a large hole in his sock, which somehow seemed to make the whole incident more tragic. Later, the R.A.F. came and took him away.11

There is one obvious and important discrepancy between what was perceived by ‘Laddie’ Lucas, and by those on the ground. Lucas was the last survivor of those who flew with Douglas Leggo on 20 March 1942. He died exactly fifty-six years later, having always maintained that he saw the Rhodesian deliberately killed after abandoning his aircraft. Yet, according to George Lord, ‘There were no enemy aircraft in the immediate vicinity.’12 He and other ex-gunners were convinced that Leggo’s parachute simply did not have time to deploy. Timings and events were meticulously recorded by No. 8 Sector Operations Room Fighter Control. A log book entry at 08:29 states that Leggo’s parachute did not open, with a further comment seven minutes later, ‘The Spitfire pilot baled out too low ½ mile West of Siggiewi.’13 Commenting in 1999, Hermann Neuhoff was unable to distinguish between his many combats, but was adamant that, ‘none of my men attacked a pilot in his parachute. A pilot in a parachute was taboo. It was the same as someone raising his hands or showing a white flag.’14 One can only speculate, but if a Bf 109 flying at a slightly higher altitude had swept past Leggo just as his parachute streamed, it might appear to a distant observer that the aircraft had flown directly over the parachute canopy, apparently collapsing it

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in the process. Or did Lucas unknowingly witness the demise of Unteroffizier Fankhauser? That is a question which, today, only the dead can answer. In March, Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring announced a new strategy with the aim of destroying RAF fighters on the ground prior to dealing with any remaining bombers and torpedo aircraft and then concentrating on targets in the area of Grand Harbour. In the evening of 20 March, a powerful force, including approximately fifty Ju 88s, opened the new phase by hitting Ta’ Qali. The destruction was such that the aerodrome was rendered temporarily unserviceable. Bombs also fell well outside the target area, killing and injuring civilians. In the early hours of Saturday 21 March, there were nuisance raids by individual bombers and a brief alert at 06:45, when four enemy fighters crossed the coast. Between 08:15 and 08:38, three Bf 109s dropped bombs in the Ta’ Qali area. Minutes later the sirens sounded again, as Bf 109s escorted an estimated fifty to seventy Ju 88s with Ta’ Qali aerodrome as the primary objective. No Hurricanes were airborne, but AA was credited with shooting down one Ju 88 and damaging two more. There were casualties, including three who were injured by AA fragments. Between 11:07 and 14:32 hours, Bf 109s patrolled over and around Malta while eight Bf 110s bombed Ta’ Qali. The latter machines were engaged by Hurricanes of 185 Squadron, whose pilots were credited with shooting down four of the twinengine Messerschmitts (another was claimed as damaged); AA also claimed a Bf 109 destroyed. At 14:36 there was another heavy raid that would last more than two hours. Bf 109s escorted up to seventy or more Ju 88s, with Ta’ Qali again the main target. No Hurricanes were scrambled, and once more anti-aircraft gunners were the sole defence, with claims of three Ju 88s destroyed and three others damaged. Initial reports indicated that in four residential areas 135 civilians were killed, seriously injured or buried under debris. At Gafa Street in Mosta twenty-four people died and nearly twice as many were injured when the ceiling of a rock shelter collapsed. Among service personnel, one Royal Australian Air Force pilot officer and five RAF officers perished when a bomb landed next to the Point de Vue hotel at Rabat.15 At 16:59 hours there was a short alarm when a Ju 88 appeared on a reconnaissance sortie. There was a further raid after dark when two Ju 88s approached and bombs were dropped near Rabat and off the coast. During the day, the Durham Light Infantry was particularly hard hit. Five soldiers were killed when bombs fell in the vicinity of Mtarfa hospital. Six more were wounded; one died soon afterwards and another died the following day. Luftwaffe losses on 21 March appear to have been comparatively light. A Bf 110 of 9./Zerstörergeschwader 26 crashed into the sea about 19 miles north of Malta. A Ju 88 of 5./Kamfgeschwader 77 was also lost in undisclosed circumstances. The crew from this and the Bf 110 were posted missing. One Ju 88 of 2./Küstenfliegergruppe 606 was shot down over Ta’ Qali. The aircraft crashed on farmland about 800 yards north-west of the aerodrome. The pilot and

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Staffelkapitän, Oberleutnant Rudolf Krieg, was unable to get out of the aircraft. The remainder of the crew baled out to be taken prisoner. Leading Aircraftman Jim Somerville (249 Squadron) captured the air gunner, Oberfeldwebel Emil Fenrich, and probably saved his life in the process: I saw a parachutist land not far from maintenance. I dived out and brought him in to our slit trench. It was a German airman. I did not see the aircraft from which he bailed out. After a few minutes I told him I was taking him to our H.Q. “No,” he said, “More coming.” “Another wave?” I asked. When he said yes we waited at maintenance until the attack was over. Just as we were setting out for the “Caves” I noticed a crowd of farmers gathering and some soldiers coming from Rabat – at least from the direction of Rabat. It had been a long twenty-four hours. “Go with the soldiers,” I told him. He told me his name, which I could never remember, and that he came from Heidelberg, the university town in Germany. He gave me the ribbon of his Iron Cross.16

On 20 March, Convoy ‘MW10’ had departed Egypt for Malta. SS Clan Campbell was attacked and sunk en route. While assisting the commissioned auxiliary supply ship Breconshire, the destroyer HMS Southwold struck a mine and was lost. Following the arrival at Malta of the supply vessel and the merchantmen Talabot and Pampas, the Luftwaffe redirected its efforts against the harbours. As a result of heavy raids on 26 March, direct hits were made on Talabot and Pampas together with Breconshire. Within days all would be written off. Additional losses included the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Plumleaf, the already damaged submarine P39 and destroyer HMS Legion. On 21 and 29 March, Malta was reinforced with sixteen more Spitfires. During the same month, fighter units underwent some reorganisation. 242 and 605 Squadrons were absorbed by 126 and 185 Squadrons and on the 27th, Hurricane IICs of 229 Squadron were transferred to Malta from North Africa. There were eleven alerts on 31 March, with the Luftwaffe carrying out small-scale raids throughout much of the day. Sergeants Archie Steele and C. E. (Ernie) Broad of 185 Squadron were ordered up at 09:45. ‘Tally Ho!’ followed at 10:05. Steele was shot down one minute later. At about the same time, Leutnant Hans Langer of Stab II./Jagdgeschwader 53 reported his first victory, misidentifying the Hurricane for a Spitfire. Broad noted: ‘Jumped by 4 109’s Sgt. Steele killed. Had short burst at last Me.109. But went into spin pulling out at 100’.’17 Broad landed safely soon afterwards. The squadron diarist, Sergeant Garth Horricks, subsequently recorded: Sgts. Steele and Broad were scrambled after some Ju. 88’s hiding in the clouds. While flying at cloud base 4 Me. 109’s suddenly appeared behind them. Steele, it appears was a bit slow in turning, and one of the Me. 109’s shot him down. Broad had a quick squirt at one of the 109’s but observed no results. Sgt. Steele’s death came as a great blow to the

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Squadron. He was one of the most skilful and keenest pilots on the Island. He can be ill spared during these hard times. Steele was just getting into stride, having destroyed two Me 109’s as well as having some probables and damaged to his credit. I knew Archie Steele in private life, and I know every one agrees with me when I say he was a damn good fellow.18

Sergeant Steele’s Hurricane crashed nearly 3 miles north-east of Ħal Far, in a field close to Tas-Silġ Battery. Horricks continued: Shortly after Steele and Broad encountered the 109’s, a Mosquito, in fact the only one on the Island, appeared over Halfar with two Me. 109’s on its tail. The results were disastrous. With one engine on fire, the Mosquito crash landed on our drome and was burned to a cinder. The crew of two, fortunately escaped unhurt.19

The Mosquito, W4063 of 69 Squadron, with Pilot Officer Philip Kelley at the controls and Sergeant Pike as observer, had been recalled minutes after departing on a photographic reconnaissance of Tripoli. As the pilot reduced speed preparatory to returning to land at Luqa, Sergeant Pike saw two Bf 109s, at least one of which swept in to attack. The Mosquito was struck in both wings and rear part of the fuselage. Descending from cloud over Ħal Far, Pilot Officer Kelly promptly carried out a wheels-up landing on the aerodrome. The likely victor was Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Ehrenberger (6./Jagdgeschwader 53), who was credited with the destruction of a twin-engine aircraft, which he mistook for a Hampden, at 10:28. There were heavy attacks on 1 April resulting in extensive damage to vessels in the harbour area. The minesweeping drifter Sunset and submarines P36 and Pandora were sunk, the latter with many fatalities. Between 17:10 and 18:58, there was a raid involving an estimated seventy Ju 87s, Ju 88s and Bf 109s; some of the fighters patrolled off the coast while the bombers proceeded inland towards Ħal Far, the Dockyard area and Cospicua. Bombs also fell in outlying districts and there were a number of civilian casualties. The RAF was able to scramble five Spitfires and a number of Hurricanes at 17:50. There were claims by fighter pilots and anti-aircraft gunners, and at least one Ju 87 was accounted for (another Stuka may have been shot down off the coast). AA was probably also responsible for the destruction of a Bf 109 of 5./Jagdge­ schwader 3, although according to one source the low-flying aircraft struck a wall, causing the pilot to lose control. German records note that Unteroffizier Hans Pilz was last heard from when reporting that he was pursuing a British fighter at very low level over Valletta. Soon afterwards, Pilz crash-landed his fighter in a wheat field close to Raħal Ġdid (Paola). The aircraft came to a stop in an inverted position, and locals rushed to free the trapped pilot. Somewhat surprisingly, he was offered a tot of whisky, which he declined. Within minutes, the Air Raid Police arrived, accompanied

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by a doctor, who also offered Pilz a drink. This time it was accepted. The prisoner was then led away and treated for his injuries.20 Among those who were credited with destroying Ju 87s were Pilot Officer Peter Nash and Rhodesian Flying Officer George ‘Buck’ Buchanan, both of 249 Squadron, and Flight Sergeant Jack Fletcher, a Canadian in 185 Squadron. In addition, there were claims for up to five ‘probables’ (some may have later been upgraded to ‘confirmed’) and two ‘damaged’.21 Another 249 Squadron pilot, Flight Sergeant Ray Hesselyn, from New Zealand, also claimed a Ju 87: ‘I gave him everything I had. In a couple of seconds he burst into flames and dived straight into the drink.’22 Certainly one Stuka came down just inshore at Il-Qali, in the Delimara area. The gunner, Gefreiter Wilhelm Neubauer, was killed. The pilot, Unteroffizier Winfried Günther, baled out into the sea and was picked up and taken prisoner. According to Günther’s interrogation report: ‘The prisoners’ [sic] Ju. 87 had orders to attack a Cruiser which he had already attacked in the morning. Just before beginning their dive (at 12,000 feet) they were hit by A/A.’23 That night, as military personnel inspected the crashed Stuka, a bomb in the wreckage exploded, killing Lance Bombardier John Scarborough-Taylor and Gunners Thomas Burfield, Ernest Smith and Thomas Richardson, all of 4th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Corporal William Foote, Lance Corporal Charles Pearce and Private Ernest French also lost their lives, while Private R. Garrett and Lance Corporal John Bell were wounded, the latter dying of his injuries more than three months later. All were in 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment. Other army and air force personnel listed as having died on 1 April are all thought to have been victims of the same terrible event. They include Flight Lieutenant Frederick (Bob) Povey, Corporals Ronald David and Joseph Pitt, Leading Aircraftmen Michael Ellis and Stanley Hoskin, all of No. 501 Air Ministry Experimental Station. Povey’s death was especially tragic, for he had recently given up his seat on a UK-bound aircraft so that a married man could return home in his place. The first major raid of Saturday 4 April commenced soon after 11:00 and continued for nearly an hour, during which an estimated twenty-five Ju 88s, fourteen Ju 87s and three Bf 109s targeted Grand Harbour. There was extensive damage to civilian property, particularly in the area of the Three Cities (also known as Cottonera and comprising Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea). Anti-aircraft fire was credited with destroying one Ju 88 and three Stukas and also damaging a Ju 88 and one Stuka. Fighter Control Ops ‘B’ noted that one Ju 87 was ‘shot to pieces’ north of Tigné.24 This appears to be connected with a police report concerning the next raid, which followed just minutes later: ‘Parts of an enemy plane fell in Margherita Square [Cottonera].’25 According to German records, one Ju 87 of 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 was lost over Malta on this date. The wireless operator, Unteroffizier Georg Groner, baled out and was taken prisoner; the pilot, Feldwebel Hans Frank, did not survive. *

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The arrival of several supply ships in early 1942, however welcome, barely improved the worsening food shortage. The poor diet, combined with the permanent stress and tension, so affected the health of some that it was not unusual to see people being carried into air raid shelters.26 Stan Fraser’s diary entry for Wednesday 8 April 1942 provides a graphic description of Malta at this time: As the raids have been so intense during the past week, especially during yesterday, I decided to pay my regular visit to Valletta today, being on 24hr. leave, to see the extent of the damage for myself. Our first lift was to Luqa ’drome in a small van. It took us right across the landing field & we alighted in the centre of the camp. What a desolate scene! Hardly a building remained intact, & most of the portable type buildings had weird shapes reminding me of these sideshows we see in England – the worlds ugliest house, or the crooked house at the fair – buildings with bulging sides, no doors or windows & a few sheets of corrugated iron missing or, usually, all except a few sheets blown out until they hung by a single bolt, etc. Inside a clerk or picket may be seated at a table using the telephone, the lines of which are kept constantly in repair. The main occupation seemed to be salvage work by R.A.F. ground staff & also Maltese labourers, bomb holes were filled as fast as possible, mainly by P.B.I. [Poor Bloody Infantry] especially on the runway; fittings etc, were piled onto trucks – fire extinguishers, light switches, telephones. Many planes were strewn about the field, most of them crippled from bomb splinters or flying debris, others through crash landings, etc. Altogether a disheartening scene. From the aerodrome we managed to get a lift in a small car being used by a flight Lt. – incidentally there were no windows in the car and there was an unintentional sunshine roof! Before leaving the camp the siren had sounded & the guard informed us that 30 bombers were coming in and we had just reached Marsa creek when the guns opened up in greeting for them. The car stopped & we witnessed a dive bombing attack by Stukas on Marsa itself. The raid only lasted 10 minutes & so we continued on our way, having squeezed another Flight Lt. in the tiny car. A bomb crater right across the road, about 80 ft. wide, which had burst the sewer main, made it imperative for us to make a detour to arrive eventually in the city of Valletta. Throughout the journey we had been passing through stones & debris scattered across our path but here, in the city, it was impossible to drive around owing to the many fallen buildings. We alighted at the Castille, which is the War H.Q. of the island, and decided to make a methodical tour in order to ascertain the extent of the damage. Looking into the harbour first we could see many gaps in the dock which had earlier been occupied by destroyers, tugs, floating cranes, merchantmen of the recently arrived convoy, now the tips of the funnels or mastheads were just visible above the water, or, if they had been berthed in shallow water, then they now rested at a rakish angle on the bottom. Most of the convoy cargo had already been salvaged thank goodness. We next viewed the larger buildings around the castille, which had received a direct hit itself &, although the front wall still stood, the interior was reduced to a heap of

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rubble. The Opera House, the Museum & the Governors Palace had all been directly hit & the two former were now useless, as also was the Education office. Walking down the main street – Kingsway – I noticed that every street running from it, to the right or left, was blocked with fallen masonry. Three raids took place within the first hour of our tour, all on the harbour area and the sky filled with J.U. 88s & M.E. fighters. Never have I seen bombs bursting at such close range & with such a feeling of comparative safety. Three of us were sheltering in a small electric switch room, about 5ft. square, cut into a wall overlooking the harbour; the doors had been blown off & thus we had a good view of the bombs bursting as they struck the rocks & water less than ¼ mile away, the blast was terrific. Floriana houses also received several direct hits which caused clouds of dust to envelope [sic] the district all around. We managed to get a lift out of Valletta having seen the main damage, and found that we were unable to get anything to eat or drink; our next visit was via the districts of Hamrun & Birkirkara in search of food. Eggs, chips & coffee we found, and also the lucky find of a shop selling soap – Palmolive. More raids followed whilst in Hamrun but we were out of the target area, although we noticed carcasses of horses & a donkey lying in the road – casualties from a previous raid. Our fighters have taken to the air again &, in spite of terrific odds against them, are putting up a very good show. Later we were caught in Marsa area when it was raided & saw many aerial combats, our fighters diving in to attack the Junkers in spite of the barrage which A.A. were putting up. One of our planes was blown in two & the pilot baled out as it spun to earth in flames. [Flight Lieutenant Philip Heppell of 249 Squadron survived; his Spitfire probably fell in Grand Harbour.] The general scenes in the town & fields is [sic] just like those of the battered villages of Belgium & France during the last war, debris, bomb craters, twisted girders, etc. The Maltese are bearing it very well and making the best of a hopeless situation equally as well as the people of Britain did during the 1941 winter.27

There were raids throughout the day. Attacks continued after dark and into the early hours of the 9th, with Malta-based night fighters airborne during six of eight alerts, during which a total of nine aircraft dropped bombs on land and in the sea. The first intruder approached from the east over Żonqor Point and was successfully intercepted by 89 Squadron’s Flight Lieutenant Gilbert Hayton and Pilot Officer Norman Josling in Beaufighter X7750, callsign Stallion 41. Following a short burst of fire the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 Ju 88 came down in flames in the locality of Ħuttaf Gandolf, north-west of Kirkop. There were no survivors. Due to the high attrition rate, the RAF was finding it increasingly difficult to sustain its fighter capability. German fighter pilots frequently outnumbered their opponents and sometimes encountered no aerial opposition whatsoever. On such occasions, the RAF adopted a rather unorthodox defensive procedure, as explained by Flight Lieutenant Hugh ‘Tim’ Johnston of 126 Squadron:

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Sometimes, when we can put up no aircraft at all, Fighter Control lays on a dummy R/T conversation. The other day, after a corporal in a cubicle had announced that he’d spotted four 109s and was going to attack them, the German listening service picked it up and broadcast a warning, which confused the Huns so much that there was a good deal of nattering in high-pitched German and finally a burst of cannon fire!28

As well as the fighter squadrons, Malta’s strike aircraft also suffered fearful losses. Surviving machines were kept operational by all available means, with ground crews often using spares scavenged from the wrecks that littered the aerodromes, and frequently working through the night to service a grounded aircraft. To protect the precious aeroplanes and service vehicles, dispersal pens were constructed from sandbags, rubble, stone and earth-filled petrol cans, and whatever else could be utilised. Within three months, nearly 300 pens were constructed along with 27 miles of dispersal runway. This mammoth task was achieved by civilian labour, the Navy and Air Force and as many as 3,000 soldiers at a time toiling under the most oppressive conditions in the cold, mud and rain, while in constant danger of air attacks.29 II. Fliegerkorps was relentless in its efforts to pound Malta into submission. The Spitfire deliveries and Hurricane reinforcements were barely sufficient to sustain an effective fighter defence. Yet the Maltese, a devout nation, displayed an unshaken belief that God was on their side and that the RAF, the artillery and the Navy would see them through this difficult time. The Governor and Commander-in-Chief, General Sir William Dobbie, himself a religious man, was not averse to expressing his own trust in Divine Providence, and in April 1942 it seemed as though nothing short of a miracle could save Malta. The last daylight alert recorded for Friday 10 April began at 17:44 and continued for over an hour. Some sixty-five Ju 88s and twenty Ju 87s were escorted by fighters towards Grand Harbour and the aerodromes at Ħal Far and Ta’ Qali. There were no casualty reports. The raiders were engaged by anti-aircraft guns and intercepted by four Spitfires and eight or more Hurricanes (at least two other Hurricanes returned early to Ħal Far, one with an overheated engine and another with a faulty air speed indicator). Afterwards, Flight Sergeant Garth Horricks of 185 Squadron described events in his own inimitable style: Squadron came to readiness at 13.00 hrs. with eight serviceable aircraft. 229 at other end of the field had four. Just after tea we were scrambled for approx 100 bombers and 50 Me. 109’s. Twelve took off, by the time we were at 15,000 there were 9 left. Things suddenly happened and every Hurricane found himself surrounded by seven 109’s. Then more things happened. We tried to get to the bombers but the 109’s didn’t think we should. A great argument ensued, resulting in too many private dog-fights to count. The first section led by F/L. [Rhys] Lloyd and with P/O’s [Oliver] Ormrod and [Phil] Wigley got at the bombers while Yellow section led by F./Sgt. [D. E.] Eastman with Sgts. [Colin] Finlay, [Ernie] Broad and myself more than contacted the Me. 109’s. In the first

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few minutes of the fight Sgt. Broad was forcibly ejected from his aircraft by anywhere from one to fifteen 109’s. However his parachute opened as planned and he landed at Naxxar, suffering from “superficial lacerations” in other words “cuts”. [Sergeant Broad’s Hurricane crashed on the southern outskirts of Naxxar]. F/L. Lloyd had a whack at the bombers, but was set upon by some 109’s. He played with them for awhile, and after shaking off his allotted ten Me’s he landed at Luqa with only a few holes in his plane. P/O Ormrod also landed at Luqa but in a much different manner. He was cruising around in between 109’s when he suddenly spied five or six Ju. 87’s in line astern diving on a target. He thought they were playing so he got in behind the third one and played too. Only he played with .303 and probably got one of the 87’s. Meanwhile the boys flying the 87’s behind him thought he was rude, by butting in like that, so proceeded to shoot at his Hurricane till it caught fire. P/O Ormrod thought his plane would burn much better on the ground than in the air, and knowing that all good fires are at Luqa, he landed there and jumped out of his now fairly warm aircraft while it was still running along the ground. We congratulate him on getting his fire down O.K. on Luqa.30

Braving enemy fire, several of the fire tender crew and a flight sergeant rushed to assist Pilot Officer Ormrod, unaware that he had already abandoned the Hurricane. Soon afterwards, the petrol tank exploded. (In recognition of their efforts, Corporal Hugh Clawson and Leading Aircraftman Edward Mitchison were each awarded the George Medal). Horricks’ account continues: While this was going on P/O Wigley put a lot of lead in an 87 and turned around to look for some 109’s to play with. But he looked the wrong way because the 109’s were all behind him.31

Phil Wigley described what happened next: After about 30 minutes, and many attacks by Me 109 Fs on me, and several by me on them and the bombers, my Hurricane was hit in the coolant system and hot liquid sprayed about the cockpit, probably from the damaged header tank. Of course, the engine over-heated and so I tried to land, first at Hal Far, but was attacked by a 109 F, then at Luqa where the same thing happened. I therefore thought my best action would be to bale out as the engine was losing power and flames were beginning to appear. As the German fighters had complete control of the air over Malta that evening, I did not want to risk being shot up while hanging below my parachute – That happened to several pilots in the Malta battle. I considered a low bale-out over the sea to be the best option - Ditching a Hurricane is not recommended because of the prominent radiator under the fuselage. I headed south towards the sea, but the engine had almost completely lost power and the fire situation was now becoming a problem. The last altitude I noticed on the altimeter before I jumped was 700 feet. This would have been set at zero at Hal Far, so I

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would have been about 900 feet above sea level.32 However, I was losing height gradually and also lost valuable seconds getting rid of the cockpit hood. Also, I hung on to the radio mast behind the cockpit before I finally let go, pulling the rip-cord when clear of the rudder and tail-plane, probably at about 400 feet above the ground. The parachute opened perfectly, although the shroud lines briefly entangled my feet, and I landed on rock after about 10–20 seconds. I heard the aircraft hit the ground, or it may have been the fuel tanks exploding in the air, very soon after I pulled the rip-cord. The remains of the Hurricane were only about 20 yards away from my point of landing. [This was in a shallow gorge overlooked today by the reverse osmosis plant near Għar Lapsi]. A corporal of the Maltese forces arrived with a Tommy gun in case I was German or Italian and led me up a rocky slope to a path which led to a RAF RDF station. On the way I met the oldest Maltese lady in the world who was charming and shook my hand for about five minutes! I was well looked after at the RDF station and later taken in a truck to Siggiewi to await collection from Hal Far. By then it was dusk. I was taken into the little police station and treated very kindly, before adjourning to the adjacent Friendly Bar. However, some local people thought I was an enemy airman and I was obliged to go to the door and show them my RAF wings. If I had been German or Italian anything could have happened.33

Among the Hurricanes that sustained battle damage was that piloted by Sergeant Pendlebury of 229 Squadron, who was fortunate to walk away after belly-landing in a small field near Luqa aerodrome. All were victims of Jagdgeschwader 53. Horricks had claimed a Bf 109 destroyed, Wigley a Bf 109 damaged, Ormrod a Ju  87 probable and Lloyd a Ju 88 damaged. A Bf 109 destroyed was also credited to 249 Squadron’s Flying Officer ‘Buck’ Buchanan; a Ju 87 probable and a Bf 109 damaged to Pilot Officer Peter Nash, and a Ju 88 destroyed (in conjunction with AA) plus one other damaged to Flying Officer Norman Lee. Sergeant N. Vidler of 229 Squadron claimed one Ju 88 damaged. AA seems to have also claimed one more Ju 88 probably destroyed and to have damaged another. Unteroffizier Paul Böger of 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 was lost in unusual circumstances. During a Spitfire attack, the air gunner somehow parted company with Ju 88 3Z+HS, falling to his death at Ta’ Qali. Strangely, he was not wearing a parachute. Stranger still, a German parachute was recovered 3 or 4 miles away at Wardija. This was the Ju 88 credited to Flying Officer Lee and shared with AA. Ju 88 3Z+HS did in fact return to base. It would be shot down with the loss of the entire crew the very next day. A Ju 87 of III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 crashed in the Mediterranean, probably during the same raid, (the crew was apparently saved by Axis air sea rescue); a Bf 109 of 7./Jagdgeschwader 53 also failed to return. Buchanan was acknowledged as having shot down the latter, but according to Horricks: ‘I attacked an Me. 109 but saw no results. Then attacked second 109 and hit him with my cannon. He exploded in mid-

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air and came down in flames. Pilot bailed out o.k.’34 The pilot, Leutnant Hermann Neuhoff, would later subscribe to the official Luftwaffe view that another Bf 109 had mistakenly shot him down: On 10 April 1942, I was flying with my Schwarm over Malta. Suddenly my second Rotte disappeared. Instead, three Spitfires appeared. I shot at one aircraft as it flew in front of me. At the same time I was hit. Leutnant [Werner] Schöw reported his first victory – unfortunately it was me! He had mistaken me for a Hurricane. I stayed in my aircraft because I knew that if I came down in the drink I would be fished out again. However, when the fire spread I jettisoned the cockpit hood. Shortly afterwards the ’109 exploded. It was lucky for me that I had released my harness and got rid of the cockpit hood. I ejected from the aircraft at 2,500 metres altitude and deployed my parachute at about 400 metres and ‘belly-landed’ near Luqa.35

Neuhoff descended 50 yards from defence post LQ8 at Luqa aerodrome; his Messerschmitt crashed about 300 yards away (not far from the present-day Luqa Barracks). The officer in command at LQ8 was Lieutenant Clifford Clark of 2nd Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment: I and two of the men dashed out to meet him. He was injured but stood up and was limping slowly towards us with, what appeared to be, a pistol in his hand. It was fortunate for him that we did not overreact because it eventually turned out to be his Verey light pistol. He arrogantly refused to be helped and with us limped into LQ8 where we sat him down and gave him a cup of tea and a cigarette. … Our task was to get him to HQ without the local Maltese villagers taking the law into their own hands. There had been other incidents where enemy pilots landing by parachute had been, shall we say, less than well treated. I eventually took him, with a strong armed guard, to HQ only to be ticked off because I had given him a cup of tea and a cigarette, whereas the Intelligence always wanted to talk to these people before they had got over their shock. He handed his Verey light pistol and his Luftwaffe wrist watch to me, both of which I have to this day.36

* The Dockyard area and aerodromes at Luqa, Ħal Far and Ta’ Qali were targeted late in the afternoon of 11 April. An unserviceable Wellington and a petrol bowser were written off and other aircraft were damaged. At Ħal Far a soldier was wounded. At least one German aircraft was shot down. After flying through the harbour AA barrage, Ju 88 3Z+HS of 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 – the same machine from which Unteroffizier Paul Böger had fallen to his death the day before – was engaged with light machine-gun fire by The Dorsetshire Regiment Battalion Headquarters and D Company locations. Second Lieutenant J. Quentin Hughes of the Royal Artillery witnessed what occurred next:

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I stood on the cliff near Schirop [Xrobb il-Għaġin] and watched a Ju 88 crash and burst into flames about 25 yards from our 18 pr [field gun] at Munsharr [Munxar]. The undercarriage shot forward & landed in the sea, while the rest of the plane hit the cliff head & burned itself out.37

None of the crew survived. In the early hours of Sunday 12 April, air raid sirens warned of two approaching raiders. These dropped bombs off the coast and also on land in the area of Rabat. An 89 Squadron Beaufighter, callsign Stallion 51, piloted by Sergeant Reginald Miller with Sergeant F. J. M. P. (Mike) Tearle intercepted one of the aircraft, shooting it down in flames from 23,500 feet. The 276 a Squadriglia B.T. BR 20M crashed at Nadur on Gozo. Aviere Scelto Ettore Pizzi and Sergente Gianfranco Viola baled out, but the automatic opening device of both parachutes malfunctioned. Viola deployed his parachute canopy manually. He was the only survivor and was taken prisoner at Cominotto, a tiny islet off Comino. A preliminary interrogation revealed that, of the five-man crew, only the pilot was an experienced aviator. For the remainder, it had been their first – and only – operational flight. Viola also described the moment when the aircraft was attacked: On the night 11/12 April the a/c in question had dropped its bombs (target unrevealed) and was setting course for home (base unrevealed) when a burst of fire was heard from the port side. It was thought that the armourer was testing his guns. Before the armourer could answer the captain’s question another long burst raked the a/c from the starboard side and the starboard engine was seen to catch fire. Almost immediately after, fire broke out in the fuselage itself. The mechanic made for the escape hatch while the prisoner opened the cockpit hatch and they both jumped. The Captain apparently remained at the controls and the remaining members of the crew failed to bail out as they were burned with the a/c which crashed on Gozo at 0135 G.M.T.38

* In the late morning on 14 April, Pilot Officer ‘Sonny’ Ormrod watched from Ħal Far as two Bf 109s flew towards the aerodrome from the direction of Safi: One was hit by machinegun fire as he came over the ridge beyond the Albacore dispersals, where we now keep Hurricanes. He hit the ground and blew up with a vivid flash and a puff of black smoke. Such was the way in which he disintegrated that the engine ricochetted more than 100 yds farther alone like a great cannon ball. The remains of this a/c burnt for a while longer with a bright orange red flame and a column of jet black smoke. The other “Me 109” curved round over Hal Far climbing, as if watching the pyre of his companion, and then flew off to sea. This is the second time I’ve seen a low flying Messerschmitt shot down on coming over that ridge.39

Another eyewitness was Pilot Officer Ian McKay:

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This morning the Air Officer Commanding Middle East [Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder] gave us a pep talk and told us we were doing a magnificent job here. We all wished he would go up in one of our Hurricanes against Me 109F’s that outnumbered us at least ten to one. There was a raid just after the talk and then the 109’s started ground straffing. One was firing on its way over the aerodrome when it was hit by ack ack [anti-aircraft] and it went straight in. There was a terrific explosion and huge sheet of flame. The engine rolled at least two hundred yards away from the wreckage. The pilot was more or less swept up.40

The pilot was Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Krahl, Kommandeur of II./Jagdgeschwader 3. Krahl had not been wearing his identification discs. Consequently, RAF Intelligence failed to recognise who the deceased ‘Oberleutnant’ was, recording instead that: ‘A Hauptmann Heinz KRAHL, who may conceivably be a brother of the pilot of this aircraft, was acting Gruppenkommandeur of II/J.G.3, having previously been in J.G.2. He is the holder of the Ritterkreuz.’41 A wing section with its Balkenkreuz marking was salvaged from the crash site and afterwards displayed on a wall of the pilots’ dispersal hut. The trophy also became a popular feature in photographs of 185 Squadron personnel. After much research, Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Krahl’s crash site was identified in September 2000, when wreckage stamped with Werknummer 8784 was discovered on farmland between the wartime defence post HF5 and the present-day Lyster Barracks at Ħal Far. The contribution made by the Maltese was formally recognised on 15 April 1942 by King George VI: ‘To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.’42 It was the highest honour that an appreciative British sovereign could bestow on a community. Malta’s ordeal, however, was far from over. Five days later, on 20 April, forty-seven Spitfires comprising 601 (County of London) and 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadrons were flown off the American carrier USS Wasp. During the event, a RAF sergeant of the Aircraft Servicing Party was struck by a spinning propeller and killed. The operation continued and all but one Spitfire arrived at Malta. The exception was due to an American pilot who diverted to North Africa. The Germans carried out three heavy raids on this date, although there were relatively few casualties. The first commenced at 08:12 and lasted one hour fifteen minutes. At Grand Harbour the crippled Pampas was set on fire. Enemy aircraft encountered no fighter opposition, but AA claimed two Ju 88s destroyed and a Bf 109 damaged. The next raid took place between 12:29 and 14:00, while the newly arrived Spitfires were parked on the aerodromes. Luftwaffe aircrew demonstrated their usual skill and courage, but a determined resistance ensured that all but two or three Spitfires

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escaped destruction on the ground. In the air, Spitfire pilots of 249 Squadron were credited with destroying up to three Bf 109s and two Ju 87s, and together with Hurricane pilots claimed to have damaged other aircraft. AA gunners claimed two Ju 88s destroyed and two more damaged. During the day, the Luftwaffe acknowledged just one aircraft destroyed and one damaged in combat. An unidentified pilot was rescued after a Bf 109 of 1./Jagdgeschwader 53 crashed in the Mediterranean. A Ju 88 of Stab III./Kampfgeschwader 77 was also hit and badly damaged by AA fire over Luqa aerodrome. The Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldung records that the observer, Leutnant Hans Christian Albert Meyer-Lülmann, met with a hero’s death (he was subsequently promoted to Oberleutnant); the air gunner, Feldwebel Erwin Heide, received a serious chest injury and died the same day in a field hospital at Ragusa, Sicily. The fate of the wireless operator, Unteroffizier Walter Seidel, is unknown (he was apparently posted missing). The unnamed pilot survived. A RAF Air Intelligence report names Leutnant Albert Meyer-Luelmann as having died at Malta on 20 April 1942.43 A Malta Police air raid report for the same date notes that between 12:25 and 13:53 hours: ‘A German Airman who bailed out landed at “Ta Guta” [Ta’ Żuta] in the limits of Rabat, he died after fifteen minutes, another German Airman was seen coming down in the sea.’44 The first airman referred to was undoubtedly Meyer-Lülmann; the second airman was probably Siedel. The third major raid was later that afternoon (17:15–18:49). According to the RAF Daily Intelligence Summary, thirty Bf 109s arrived over Malta with sixty-four Ju 88s and twenty-five Ju 87 Stukas. Army War Diaries tend to be slightly more conservative, one report putting the number of bombers at fifty-five Ju 88s and twenty Ju 87s. Ta’ Qali seemed to be the main objective, but Luqa, Safi, Ħal Far, Kalafrana and the Dockyard area were all targeted. Bombs also fell at Mosta, resulting in civilian casualties. Spitfires and Hurricanes were scrambled. There were claims for at least four enemy aircraft destroyed, and several probably destroyed and damaged. But it was Malta’s fighter pilots who came off worse. Leutnant Herbert Soukup (6./Jagdgeschwader 53), Leutnant Walter Zellot (1./Jagdeschwader 53) and Leutnant Karl-Heinz Quaritsch (8./Jagdgeschwader 53) were each credited with having shot down a Spitfire. And of five 126 Squadron Spitfires that took to the air, three failed to return. Of these, however, two fell to Bf 109 pilots. Flight Sergeant George Ryckman, a Canadian, was posted missing, while American Pilot Officer Hiram ‘Tex’ Putnam, was critically wounded by cannon fire (probably Quaritsch’s victim). His Spitfire flew into a steel radio mast in the area of Ta’ Salvatur before crashing nearby. Putnam died the next day. The third Spitfire, flown by Flight Lieutenant Tim Johnston, was lost in unusual circumstances. As Johnston was attempting to land at Luqa, a stick of bombs burst on the aerodrome and something struck and seriously damaged his aircraft. Johnston had no option but to bale out. By the time he was able to free himself of his helmet, radio telephone (R/T) cable and oxygen tube, all of which had effectively secured him to the aircraft, he was off the northern perimeter of the aerodrome and heading west.

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Looked at the altimeter and saw 900 feet; that was enough, so pushed the stick hard forward and felt myself rise from the seat and shoot half out of the cockpit; then I stranded. I was sitting on the starboard wall of the cockpit with my head and shoulders in the open and my legs inside; the chute had caught somewhere and was holding me fast; the aircraft had fallen off in a left-hand spiral dive and the ground looked incredibly close. I tried to shake myself free, but the machine had gathered speed and the slipstream as well as the chute was pinning me down. I tried to lever myself over the obstruction with my arms, but the strength of the wind made me feel puny and helpless. I knew it was hopeless to get back into the cockpit and try to regain control. It was now or never; 1,000 feet is usually given as the minimum safe height for jumping, I’d never had more than 900 and now half of that must have been lost. I felt trapped and desperate and as a last resort I threw my head and shoulders back as hard as I could in a backward somersault. Free at last. I was turning over and over so fast that the movement seemed to confuse my arms, and when my hand reached for the rip-cord it wasn’t where it should have been; I had to make three separate grabs before I found it. As the chute opened the sensation was as if a giant was swinging me round his head by the scruff of the neck, then suddenly the world, which had been whirling round, came right side up. I looked up and made sure that the canopy had opened properly and then wondered whether 109s would shoot me up before I reached the ground, but immediately realised how silly that was, I was only 150 feet up and seemed to be falling astonishingly fast; just had time to see my machine hit the deck a couple of hundred yards away on the other side of a small ravine when I was bracing myself for my own landing. I wasn’t swinging at all and dropped straight on to a rocky terrace and immediately fell forward on my hands and knees; luckily the chute collapsed at once, so I just lay where I was, panting and sweating as if I’d run a quarter, but profoundly thankful to be alive.45

Flight Lieutenant Johnston and his Spitfire came down at Għar Ħanżir. Pilot Officer Putnam crashed not far away at Ta’ Kandja. At 07:22 on 21 April, an estimated thirty-four Bf 109s escorted as many as thirtyseven Ju 88s towards Malta. Luqa, Ta’ Qali and the Grand Harbour area were targeted. Once again, a bomb hit the merchantman Pampas. (The Royal Navy trawler Jade, lost on this date, was probably sunk at this time.) At Luqa, an unserviceable Maryland was damaged, while at Ta’ Qali four Spitfires were written off and five were damaged, apparently all during the morning raid. Houses at nearby Mosta also suffered, although there were no casualty reports. Six Hurricanes and about twice as many Spitfires were airborne and there were claims by both sides. Actual Luftwaffe losses are unknown. However, the RAF lost two fighters. Pilot Officer Stanley Brooker of 126 Squadron failed to return, while Sergeant John Fullalove of 229 was shot down and killed. Only one Luftwaffe claim can be found with a time that coincides with the 07:22–10:20 raid: Oberfeldwebel

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Rudolf Ehrenberger of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 is credited with having destroyed a Curtiss P-40 at 09:02 hours. Wartime records that provide the precise locations of aircraft crashes in Malta are limited. Often, the loss of an aircraft is given scant mention. Nothing is known about the demise of Pilot Officer Brooker. The only significant clue as to the fate of Sergeant Fullalove is provided in the ORB of 229 Squadron, which states that his Hurricane broke up over Fort Leonardo.46 Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the wreckage fell in the vicinity. An ex-infantryman who had served in 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment recalled that he was part of a patrol that found Sergeant Fullalove, looking as though he were asleep, in the cockpit of his crashed, but otherwise intact, Hurricane. But had the former soldier somehow confused the event with the shooting-down four weeks later of Tenente Remo Cazzolli, who crash-landed his Reggiane Re.2001 very close to the fort? At 09:07, five minutes after the claim by Oberfeldwebel Ehrenberger, a report emanating from Ħal Far mentioned a parachute over Żonqor.47 (Fort Leonardo is situated about 1 mile along the coast, north-west of Żonqor.) Was this a sighting of Brooker or Fullalove? Or was it an enemy airman? In October 1997, aircraft fragments were located in a field about 450 yards southwest of Fort Leonardo, and midway to the main Żabbar–Marsaskala road. Local eyewitnesses maintain that a fighter had crashed there one spring morning and the pilot’s body, burnt beyond recognition, was nearby. In 1998, a RAF ordinary rank’s cap badge was found in the same area. It showed clear signs of fire damage. Although the evidence is circumstantial, it would appear that a RAF senior non-commissioned officer had met his end there. In all likelihood that man was the unfortunate Sergeant John Fullalove. There were six alerts during daylight hours on 22 April. The last began at 17:24 hours as Bf 109s escorted some fifty Ju 88s and twenty Ju 87s towards their objectives. The Dockyard area and Luqa, Safi, Ta’ Qali and Ħal Far were bombed. A number of aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground. There were direct hits and near misses on gun positions, resulting in death and injury to military personnel. Civilian property also suffered, with further casualties, including two fatalities, when buildings collapsed at Senglea. German aerial reconnaissance had revealed the construction of what appeared to be an underground hangar at Ta’ Qali. To deal with this perceived development, a number of Ju 88s were provided with rocket-assisted bombs with an alleged capability of penetrating up to 45 feet of solid rock.48 Although the RAF had indeed attempted to excavate a hangar in the cliff face bordering the south-west perimeter of the aerodrome, the stone had proved unsuitable for such a scheme. Subsequently, the site was painted with mock hangar doors, and damaged fighters were left at the ‘entrance’ in order to lure the enemy into attacking a dummy target.49 The tremendous bombardments in the latter part of March may have been an attempt to neutralise the

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non-existent threat. Certainly, there was an effort to do so during the late afternoon raid of 22 April. As the raiders neared Malta, six Spitfires of 126 Squadron and two Hurricanes of 185 Squadron took to the air. A number of engagements took place, resulting in claims for enemy aircraft probably destroyed and damaged (at least one ‘probable’ may have been later upgraded to destroyed). Anti-aircraft gunners were credited with shooting down a Ju 87 and a Ju 88 and damaging two other machines. During the day’s activities the Luftwaffe confirmed the loss of one Ju 88 together with its crew, as well as a Bf 109 (the pilot baled out). Some aircraft were damaged, although not necessarily as a result of combat operations. On this occasion, as was often the case, it was Malta’s fighters that came off worse. A Hurricane was claimed shot down at 18:00 hours by Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, Kommandeur of III./Jagdgeschwader 53. Minutes later, two Spitfires were claimed destroyed, one by Feldwebel Walter Recker of 4./Jagdgeschwader 53 and another by Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Ehrenberger of the unit’s 6. Staffel. Three Bf 109s were seen to attack a Spitfire flown by Pilot Officer Frank Jemmett, before it crashed and burst into flames at Tal-Virtu, near Rabat. Personnel of 11th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers rushed to assist from a nearby observation. They were joined by Pilot Officer Jeffery West (249 Squadron), who had happened to be nearby. The burnt and seriously wounded pilot was extricated from the cockpit and rushed to hospital, where he died later that evening. Pilot Officer Jemmett had been on Malta less than four weeks. Another casualty was Pilot Officer ‘Sonny’ Ormrod of 185 Squadron. Ormrod had been on Malta since November the previous year. He had celebrated his twentieth birthday on 16 April and on the 18th learned that he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was dead four days later. Ever keen to engage the enemy, Ormrod had devised a dangerous tactic of pursuing hostile aircraft into and through Malta’s barrage, in spite of warnings not to do so. On 22 April, his luck ran out. His Hurricane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and it appeared to onlookers that Ormrod baled out. But for whatever reason his parachute did not deploy. The body of Oliver Ormrod was found on a rooftop at Cospicua several months later, on 31 August 1942. Between 10:54 and 12:03 hours on 23 April, Bf 109s escorted approximately forty-two Ju 88s and fifteen Ju 87 Stukas over Malta. The aerodromes and Dockyard area were targeted, resulting in considerable damage and destruction. At least one serviceman was killed and several were injured. Four civilians were reported wounded by a hand grenade at Mosta.50 Spitfires and Hurricanes were scrambled. There was one successful interception by Sergeant Gordon Tweedale of 185 Squadron: Jumped a mob of Ju 87’s in their dive for HAL FAR. Had 300 on the clock and got a lovely burst at one from dead astern. Then an AA shell in the barrage blew half the hood off and pushed the side in apart from making a lot of holes. Plenty of 109’s about but they only had one squirt at me. Landed O.K.51

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Tweedale’s victim, a Ju 87 of 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3, crashed just offshore in the northern part of Marsaxlokk Bay. Among the many spectators was Pilot Officer Phil Wigley: I watched from the sea front at Marsaxlokk the Ju 87 shot down by Gordon Tweedale – the pilot was probably wounded and tried to ditch in the bay. His aircraft hit the water, turned over immediately and sank, leaving some wreckage on the surface. I went out in a motor boat with an airman (from Kalafrana, I believe) to look for survivors, but there were none. All I saw was a tyre floating on the sea. I remember that, although there were many light and heavy AA guns in the area, not one fired on the 87 as it glided down to ditch.52

The diary of Pilot Officer Peter Nash of 249 Squadron records the apparent fate of the gunner, Gefreiter Franz Nettelnbreeker: ‘An 87 was shot down off Kala this afternoon. One of the crew baled out and 2 109’s shot him up in his brolly and 4 109’s killed him in his dinghy. This time they blundered.’53 The pilot, Unteroffizier Jürgen Schwengers, remained trapped inside the Stuka, which was clearly visible on the seabed, providing interested sightseers with an unusual albeit morbid spectacle until the wreck was eventually salvaged. Soon after 18:00 hours on 24 April, numerous fighters accompanied up to thirty-six Ju 88s and nineteen Ju 87s, which arrived in three waves. The first wave bombed Ta’ Qali, the second headed towards Grand Harbour and Valletta, and the last targeted Msida Creek. There were injuries among military personnel and civilians. Seven fighters were scrambled to intercept, albeit without conclusive result. Three Ta’ Qali Spitfires were ordered up to provide aerodrome defence. Two of the latter returned with R/T trouble; the third, piloted by Flight Lieutenant ‘Laddie’ Lucas, turned back due to a problem with the Spitfire glycol coolant system. Unable to reach an aerodrome, and none too keen on baling out, Lucas decided to risk a forced landing in Malta’s countryside. In the event he made a perfect wheels-up landing in a field west of Siġġiewi. It was, as he later described it, ‘A shot in a thousand, I would never have made the same job of it again.’54 Saturday 25 April saw some of the heaviest aerial attacks and widespread death and destruction. There were three heavy raids during daylight hours in which the Luftwaffe specifically targeted Malta’s land forces. Primary objectives were army camps at Għajn Tuffieħa and Mellieħa, the Pembroke area and military quarters at the Poor House (between Marsa and Luqa). The first daylight raid occurred between 06:37 and 08:00 hours. According to reports, forty to eighty-five Ju 88s and up to seventeen Ju 87s crossed the coast with an escort of just three Bf 109s. Bombs, including incendiaries, which were probably intended for Mellieħa camp, fell on the nearby village of Mellieħa, where several houses were demolished. Six Hurricanes and four Spitfires were all that were

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serviceable, but none appears to have been airborne during the raid. However, antiaircraft guns engaged, shooting down one Bf 109. Feldwebel Alexander Kehlbuth of 5./Jagdgeschwader 53 baled out and landed in a field in the area of Mqabba. His Messerschmitt is believed to have crashed nearby at Tal-Milħa farm. At 12:45 there was a follow-up attack lasting just over an hour and again involving numerous bombers, this time heavily escorted by fighters. On this occasion bombs also fell at Ta’ Qali. Four Hurricanes of 185 Squadron and two of 229 were scrambled, and six or seven Spitfires took off from Ta’ Qali and Luqa. Claims included one Bf  109 shot down by Sergeant Gordon Tweedale of 185 Squadron, and a Bf 109 and a Ju 88 destroyed by Sergeant Paul Brennan of 249. In addition, one Ju 87 was claimed as probably destroyed and several other aircraft as damaged. Certainly, one Messerschmitt was brought down; the pilot, Unteroffizier Heinrich Becker of 8./Jagdgeschwader 53, baled out to be picked up by Axis air sea rescue. In turn, the RAF lost a Hurricane piloted by Warrant Officer Douglas Corfe of 229 Squadron, and a Spitfire with Pilot Officer Kenneth Pawson of 601 Squadron. The former probably fell to Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke of III./Jagdgeschwader 53 and the latter to Oberfeldwebel Josef Kronschnabel of 9./Jagdgeschwader 53. Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham of 601 Squadron wrote in his diary: Pawson was the first of our Squadron to be killed – on his first flight – Parry [Flight Lieutenant Hugh Parry] and I were walking back across Naxxar market place, and talking of the last raid; “The dreaded Pawson may be an ace by now” he said “things happen so suddenly here – he may have shot four down.” Then we reached the doorway of the mess just as the ‘B’ Flight car drew up and we learned the news – yes, he may have destroyed four; he stayed with the bombers too long and was attacked mercilessly by the 109s as he tried to get back to the island. He most certainly destroyed 1 Ju 88. He crashlanded at Salina and died on his way to hospital from wounds and injuries.55

Pilot Officer Pawson’s Spitfire crashed on a small hill just south of Salina Bay. Warrant Officer Corfe’s Hurricane came down in the Mellieħa area. One report indicates a location 150 to 400 yards south of the seventeenth-century Torri l-Aħmar (Red Tower) and close to where, according to a local landowner, a British aircraft crash-landed in a field near the present-day Mellieħa Holiday Centre. The last major raid began at 17:41. Malta’s land forces were again targeted but bombs also fell at Ta’ Qali, Sliema and St Julian’s. Six Hurricanes and four Spitfires were scrambled, but one Spitfire and two Hurricanes were back on the ground within minutes due to various problems. Another Spitfire took off to assist the reduced force, which continued to intercept an estimated fifty-seven Ju 88s, up to twenty-four Ju 87s and many accompanying Bf 109s. In the air there were claims for one Bf 109 and two Ju 88s destroyed in addition to one Ju 88 damaged, while AA gunners were credited with damaging two Bf 109s and a Ju 87. 229 Squadron had scrambled two Hurricanes, one of which returned to base when it became unserviceable. Several Bf 109s attacked the remaining Hurricane over

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St Paul’s Bay, shooting it down near Victory Chapel. The pilot, Flight Sergeant Lucient Brooks, was killed. There were two claims by German fighter pilots: Hauptmann Walter Spies of II./Jagdgeschwader 53 was credited with a Spitfire destroyed at 17:59, and Oberleutnant Friedrich Below of the unit’s III. Gruppe claimed a (misidentified) Curtiss P-40 one minute later. Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham was among those observing events from the RAF rest camp at St Paul’s Bay. 4 109s had appeared over the hill on the opposite shore of the bay – a lazy note of their engines. The leading two climbed suddenly and turned out to sea, the second pair followed. A machine roared out from a fold in the hills, it turned violently to the right and disappeared back from where it had come – there was a burst of machine gun fire – a pause then I saw the machine again – it appeared from round the side of the hill, its left aileron breaking away – it turned upside down then it struck the ground. A bubble of crimson flame seared up where it struck and a smoking shape bounced on down the hill, then it stopped and burst into flames also. Two large fires were now burning on the opposite hillside and thick black smoke was rolling back from the flames. Was it a Hurricane or a Messerschmitt? I think it was a Hurricane, I think so too said a squadron leader – the fires gradually were dying out, the first had stopped completely but black smoke still oozed from the second fire. Little flames were still dancing among the rocks, and through the field glasses we could make out several figures running down from a scarlet building further up the hill. The sea was a peaceful deep blue and lapping quietly on the rocks; the hillside was yellow and white – the noise of engines had now died away and the silence was broken by the sudden impetuous scream of the siren – some Maltese bar keeper giving the all-clear. Some army officers were coming down the paths from the house; they came out through the archway where the honeysuckle was, onto the terrace. “We brought these along,” they said “they are all the things we could get from the pilot. He was badly burned about the head and he had a cannon shell through the pelvis.” They produced a torn fragment of battle dress burnt on all sides but the wings were intact, and a letter badly charred, but from which we could establish his identity. The letter was to his girl friend in America, but he was a Canadian we could see that from his khaki battledress. His name was F/Sgt Brooks.56

A Spitfire also crash-landed at Ta’ Qali. This last raid, like the two that preceded it, had been directed at Malta’s land forces. At Spinola, a heavy anti-aircraft gun position received a direct hit, with initial reports indicating that nine other ranks had been killed and two wounded. In all, there were some forty fatalities among military personnel and at least three civilian deaths. No. 39 and No. 45 General Hospitals – the former at St Andrew’s Barracks and the latter at St Patrick’s – did not escape the attention of German bombers. A report by Colonel A. C. MacDonald, commanding 39 General Hospital, lends support to the conviction that the buildings had been deliberately targeted:

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A Red Cross, constructed of white sheets and red ward screens, had been laid out, and a German pilot officer patient had been asked to advise about its location and dimensions (60’ x 60’), and said it was sufficient. One bomb hit the middle of the Red Cross, other bombs hit the nearby Steward’s Store and Pack Store, while an unexploded 2000 lb. bomb lay about 20 yards away. … Total killed in the Hospital as the result of these 3 raids were 8 O.Rs [other ranks] R.A.M.C., 4 O.Rs patients.57

* Approximately fifteen Ju 87s and fifty-five Ju 88s arrived with escorting fighters dur­ ing another heavy raid between 14:28 and 15:37 hours on 26 April. Targets included Grand Harbour, gun positions at Spinola and Salina and searchlight positions at Tigné, St Paul’s Bay and Attard. There was considerable destruction in residential areas. Casualties included at least one civilian fatality and several wounded. Three Spitfires of 249 Squadron and three of 601 were scrambled along with two Hurricanes of 229 Squadron and two of 185. One Ju 87 was claimed probably destroyed (subsequently upgraded to destroyed), while AA was credited with one Ju 88 destroyed; in addition a number of aircraft were claimed as damaged. Several RAF fighters were damaged in combat, one of them force-landing on returning to base and the other crashing when it was attacked while landing; both pilots were wounded. One Spitfire was shot down and crashed in the main street of Qormi. Denis Barnham and Flying Officer Cyril Hone of 601 Squadron witnessed the fate of the Spitfire pilot from a vantage point near Naxxar. Barnham recounted: ‘B’ Flight took over readiness at mid-day to-day … and we went out onto the hills during the lunch time raid to see how they got on – over came the waves of bombers, the noise of the shells shrieking out into space was the same as before, the barrage of black smoke smeared as the planes past [sic]. Clouds of dust and smoke had risen from where the bombs had burst near Valetta and was drifting Westwards towards Luqa, when we saw something we had not previously seen during raids although it had often happened – Hone saw it first “There’s a parachute coming down” he remarked quietly. “Where” I shouted. He pointed it out to me about 4,000 feet and above the drifting dust of the bombs. It seemed to be coming down very fast – was it going to pass behind the smoke or fall in front of it – but it was already there a white silhouette against the drifting redness. It was falling appallingly fast, something must be wrong, yes one side of the chute was flapping loosely but the man hanging there was not struggling; as far as I could see he was just suspended looking down at his feet, or perhaps past them at the earth which must be rushing up to meet him … “Oh God he won’t survive that” I said to Hone. His parachute appeared suddenly in front of a sunlit square house and he disappeared from sight behind one of the stone walls in the valley beneath us.58

The pilot, as Barnham soon learned, was Pilot Officer Walter Cripps, a Canadian in his own squadron.

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He had landed with one foot shot away by a cannon shell and had broken his other ankle on landing. (Later we learned that Cripps had died in hospital from spinal concussion and shock.)59

There was one claim for a Spitfire shot down by Hauptmann Helmut Belser of 8./Jagdgeschwader 53. Forty-six Ju 88s and sixteen Ju 87s escorted by a dozen Bf 109s were reported over Malta between 11:00 and 11:53 hours on Monday 27 April. Bombs fell in the centre of the island and a soldier was seriously injured at Paola. At Luqa, an unserviceable Wellington was burnt out, and a Beaufort and a Maryland were damaged. Elsewhere, there was destruction of civilian property and a minesweeper sustained minor damage. Light AA accounted for two Ju 88s shot down, one of which struck the ground alongside beach post L42 before careering towards Fort St Rocco and coming to a stop a short distance away. There were no survivors. Of the four crew, RAF Intelligence could identify only Leutnant Hans-Georg Witt and Sonderführer Leutnant Edward [Eduard] Petertil of 4./Lehrgeschwader 1.60 An early morning sweep by two Bf 109s on Tuesday 28 April was followed by a brief lull, during which Pilot Officer Thomas Foley, a Canadian in 229 Squadron, took off for a test flight in Hurricane BE555. Foley’s fate is described in a statement written later in the day by Corporal R. A. Brooks: I came on duty at 05.30 hours and P/O Foley complained to me that Hurricane aircraft No: BE.555 had not been getting full emergency boost when last flown P/O then suggested that we can the aircraft up. He obtained 12 lbs boost and was fully satisfied with the ground test. On returning to the dispersal hut it was suggested that he air test the aircraft. He took off at approx. 0700 hours and the air-test lasted approx 10 minutes. During this time the performance of the aircraft seemed to be normal. He then attempted to land but failed to do so. He again opened his throttle, circled the ’drome, left hand circuit, wheels and flaps down. He again attempted to land down wind and this time he did touch down with his main wheels first, he bounced badly, wobbled then opened up to take off again. He retracted his undercarriage and did a left hand circuit once more. It seemed as if he was going to attempt an up wind landing, but the engine cut out, and he attempted a flat turn to try to land on the ’drome at a point near the road to the windsock. He passed out of my view behind the barrack blocks. A few seconds later he crashed and a thick cloud of smoke arose from the burning aircraft. The time was then approx 07.15 hrs.61

Foley did not survive. Half an hour later, sirens warned of the approach of Bf 109s and an estimated forty-three Ju 88s and twenty Ju 87s. Grand Harbour, Manoel Island and Tigné, aerodromes at Ħal Far and Luqa and military camps at Għajn Tuffieħa and

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Mellieħa were all targeted. Military equipment and many buildings were destroyed or damaged and in the harbour area four vessels were sunk. Bombs also fell in residential areas. Thirteen bodies were recovered from the rubble of Public Shelter No. 7 at Senglea. At Floriana, St Publius Church was hit and in the crypt, where many had sought refuge, at least eleven died. Others were injured and about sixty people suffered from shock and the effects of the blast. Two Spitfires of 603 Squadron and three Hurricanes of 185 Squadron had taken to the air at 07:40. Three more Spitfires (two of 126 Squadron and one of 601) took off from Luqa three minutes later. A Ju 87 and a Bf 109 were attacked and possibly damaged and AA gunners were credited with one Ju 88 destroyed and two damaged. Pilot Officer Jack Fletcher of 185 Squadron was lost after baling out. He apparently deployed his parachute too soon. The canopy became entangled with the tail plane of his Hurricane before tearing free, the pilot falling to his death south-east of Dingli and a few hundred yards from the burning wreck of his fighter. In late April, Allied reconnaissance aircraft photographed what appeared to be three airfields under construction in Sicily. All indications were that they were intended for gliders for an Axis invasion of Malta. Codenamed ‘Herkules’ by the Germans and ‘C3’ by the Italians, such an operation had indeed been planned for that summer, with an attack force five times the strength of that deployed during the 1941 invasion of Crete. But ‘Herkules’ was never to materialise, with Hitler instead giving priority to offensives in North Africa and Russia. Ultimately, the German Afrikakorps would be fought to a standstill, thereby shifting the balance of military power in the central Mediterranean. But in April 1942, the threat of invasion was very real and would remain so for months to come. Towards the end of the month, there began a significant reduction in Sicily-based Luftwaffe units, as their bombers and fighters were redeployed. Attacks against Malta would continue, but on a lesser scale, supplemented by Italian aircraft. Accordingly, the Regia Aeronautica began to reappear over Malta during daylight hours. The latest Luftwaffe offensive was wound down at a critical time. Such had been its effect that the 10th Submarine Flotilla now departed Malta for the safety of Alexandria. The submarines would not return until the end of July. According to Luftwaffe records, Malta operations between 20 March and 28 April 1942 involved 5,807 sorties by bombers, 5,667 by fighters and 345 by reconnaissance aircraft – a total of 11,819 sorties. In this five-and-a-half-week period, the weight of bombs dropped is reported to have exceeded 6,557 tonnes.62

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CHAPTER 7

MAY 1942 At 17:42 hours on 3 May 1942, Malta came under attack by twenty-two Stukas, eight Ju 88s and numerous Bf 109s, including fighter-bombers. The raid lasted less than an hour, at the end of which three soldiers and at least one civilian had been wounded, the latter by AA splinters. A Hurricane was damaged at Ħal Far, and a Photographic Reconaissance Unit (PRU) Spitfire, a Wellington and an aircraft hangar were damaged at Luqa. At least five Spitfires were airborne from Ta’ Qali and Luqa.1 603 Squadron’s Flight Lieutenant William Douglas damaged one Ju 87. Pilot Officer Jack Slade of the same unit attacked another and after stoppages in both 20mm cannon, proceeded to shoot it down with machine-gun fire. As a result of Slade’s attack, the Ju 87’s engine seized, whereupon the pilot, Gefreiter Karl Haf, made the fatal decision to attempt an emergency landing. While descending over the coast at Żonqor, it must have become horribly apparent to Haf that the area was strewn with rocks and hardly suitable for any kind of landing, but by then it would have been too late. The Stuka touched down, turned over and was wrecked. Haf was killed. The wireless operator, Gefreiter Fritz Weber, was very lucky to sustain only minor injuries. He was taken prisoner by soldiers of 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment and admitted to Mtarfa hospital, where a nursing sister, Miss G. M. Bates, recorded in her diary: ‘Had a German prisoner admitted to G upper (he hated the raids!) You cannot stop our men from treating people as they find them! They loved Weber and his bed was usually surrounded!’2 Presumably, the 21-year-old airman also won the affection of his interrogator, who was able to compile a detailed two-page report: 1. AIRCRAFT MARKINGS – On the upper surface of the starboard tail plane – the figures 2075 in pencil and on the starboard side of the fuselage a black S followed by a black 7 on a white square. 2. ACTION – This crew took off from Biscari at 1520 hrs. with orders to attack an A/A. Position in the Luqa Hal Far area. When over the Island at about 2,000 feet they were attacked by Spitfires and the engine cut. The W/T. Operator wanted to bale out but the pilot preferred to make a forced-landing, the aircraft crashed and turned over on its back, the pilot being killed and the W/T. Operator WEBER receiving superficial injuries. 3. UNIT – WEBER refused to give this but papers found on the aircraft suggest the presence in Sicily of a Ju. 87 Wing consisting of Squadrons 7, 8 and 9 and a Staff Section probably of three aircraft. The prisoner probably belonged to the 9th. Squadron. 4. SERVICE HISTORY – WEBER had been 2½ years in the Luftwaffe and said that he volunteered for the Air Force because the living and rate of pay were better than in the other Services. He wanted to become a pilot but was evidently rejected and finally

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allocated as a W/T. Operator in a Ju. 87 Unit. His rate of promotion was slow, probably as a result of his lack of keenness, and he was not due to become an Unteroffizier (on completion of a year as Gefreiter) until 1st. May, 1942. 5. UNIT MOVEMENTS – In November, 1941, he was posted to Salonika where for four months he was engaged in practice flights but did not fly operationally. The Greeks were starving and unfriendly. Germans there were offered as much as 20/- for a loaf of bread. He then returned to Germany for a few days and was thence posted to Sicily (probably as a replacement for one of the Ju. 87’s. lost when operating over Malta), where he made his first operational flight. Before being shot down he had made six operational flights against Malta, most of which were directed against A/A. Positions. 6. INVASION – The prisoner was ignorant, and had evidently not considered the possibility of this. 7. When attacking A/A. Positions they normally dived to approximately 1,800 feet but the depth of dive was determined by orders given before they took off. 8. The prisoner’s Ju. 87 was equipped with two machine guns firing forward and one in the rear but he said that some Ju. 87’s. had two coupled machine guns in the rear position (N.B. Guenther, shot down 1/4/42, said that his Ju. 87 had two machine guns firing forwards and two firing from the rear position). 9. The normal bomb load was 1 x 500 kilo bomb carried under the fuselage and 2 x 250 kilo or smaller bombs stowed under the wings. These could be released together or separately but if separately the 500 kilo bomb was always released first. 10. The high rate of serviceability of Ju. 87’s. at Biscari largely resulted from the fact that replacements of aircraft from Germany only took one or two days to arrive. They were flown by fresh crews so that the number of crews at Biscari exceeded the number of aircraft. 11. A paper recovered from WEBER gives the following table: Bodenstelle. Zitrone Stab Geyer 7 Staffel Blume 8 Staffel Leber 9 Staffel Wotan 12. MORALE – WEBER’s security is average but his morale is poor. He is ill informed, apathetic, resolved never to fly again and does not care how the war finishes provided it finishes. Before the war he was a member of the Hitler Youth Movement and is still impressed by Hitler’s achievements but is now war weary. At home the Germans were not short of food but were anxious for (a German) peace.3

* Eight Spitfires were scrambled between 17:39 and 17:41 hours on 4 May to intercept a raid on Grand Harbour by five Z.1007s, escorted by Italian and German fighters. At Birkirkara, one casualty was reported when a woman was slightly injured by a splinter from an AA round. In the air, the RAF lost yet another fighter pilot:

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AA fire started up over Valetta and I saw a formation of Italian bombers doing level bombing from about 8000 feet – it was a wonderful sight those five large machines relentlessly coming on despite the frenzied black puffs of AA smoke that seemed to burst right amongst them. The formation sometimes wavered but it closed up again immediately. I can deeply admire the self control which the pilots must be exercising to stay in that tight Vic. If the harbour was their target they overshot for I could see their bombs flickering and bursting along the valley towards Luqa. No Spitfires attacked the bombers because they had been engaged by 109s. There had been a dog-fight and much cannon fire, a 109 had made a thunderbolt attack on a section of two Spitfires that were turning; of course he did not hit them but shot past and downwards with a shriek and a howl as he came towards us on the hill, past and out over Valetta. You could see by the way the plane flew that the pilot collected himself, had a quick look behind when he realised he was alone, opened his throttle and climbed over the sea towards his home; a mere dot by then streaking across the sky at a tremendous speed. It is strange to see a 109 by itself so I looked around the sky for his No 2. A section of two Spitfires were climbing up in what appeared to be a Vic formation, that was equally strange and tactically useless – they should be in a wide line-abreast so that each could guard the other’s tail. They turned in a circle to the left and came along the same path much higher, then I saw the second 109 high above. It had seen our Spitfires and made a graceful turn down the sky behind them; it seemed to choose No 2 of the section as its target but in the later stages of the attack changed its mind and concentrated on No 1. No 2 broke violently away to the left but No 1 continued to fly straight and level for that ½ second longer in which the 109 got in an accurate burst from underneath his tail. I saw a flash of white beneath the Spitfire’s cockpit and the 109 had broken away steeply upwards. Smoke seemed to be coming from the Spit but it did a circle to the left and came over our hill much lower at about 2000 ft. His No 2 had made an inquisitive turn towards him, but now as they neared us the section was in wide line abreast, the smoke had stopped the engine seemed to be running well – the Spit must have been lucky for now the section seemed to be continuing its flight. As the Spitfire passed directly over my head I saw it tremble, as if a doubtful hand was holding the stick. It continued and past over Naxxar village where we lived, but then it turned to the left, its nose dropped and a plan view of a Spitfire was diving downwards. If he pulls out now he’ll come straight down on us. I looked round for possible shelter for I fully expected him to make an endeavour to pull out! But he didn’t, the Spitfire continued. Straight downwards, the elliptical shape of its wings the slender body and the tail plane in dark silhouette above the square topped houses of Naxxar. I expected it to crash in Naxxar market square, but it didn’t it continued straight on downwards and disappeared from sight the engine still roaring; there was a pause and I saw one of our pilots put his fingers in his ears as it struck the ground on the hillside beyond. Soon a pillar of smoke rose behind the village. I turned to the pilots “Well I hope you have learned the lesson from that” I said, “his No 2 was flying far too close to him; never let me see you doing the same.” We ran but what was the use of running. I suggested they stay behind because it would not be a

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sight that would do them any good, but they came and we were joined by small boys – a strange party making its way through the narrow streets and out into the stone walled fields. The plane had crashed near the army camp, and the soldiers saluted me smartly, a party of them was called to attention and I took the salute with my hand to my tin hat as I led my pilots down the road. They had saluted the honour of the air force officer who had just died. We made our way over the hill and we could see down over the tops of the white stone walls. Dark red flame rose up from a gully and black smoke drifted away from the top of it – A trumpeter played the last post from the camp nearby; I thought it was rather a fine gesture. I gathered a wallet, two post cards from a girl in England (and a photograph of her) and his ring all in some miraculous way [had] been thrown clear. I gave them to W/Commander Gracie who arrived when I was watching a Sgt Major and a corporal shovelling earth onto the flames near the wheel which I could make out in the flattened debris. The army MO wanted to know where we wanted the body to be sent. “Dig it in” said Gracie – “No don’t dig it in” I said “for some girl in England may someday want to visit his grave.” “Any stone monument will do in the cemetery” he replied – I did not agree, although as we walked back to his car I meditated that the spirit was not limited, but free not bound by space or time, but that there really was in that rich earth a richer dust concealed.4

So died Flight Lieutenant Norman MacQueen of 249 Squadron, as described by Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham. MacQueen had fallen to Unteroffizier Walter Manz of 9./Jagdgeschwader 53, who claimed a Spitfire, his first victory, over Naxxar at 18:00. (Another, 601 Squadron, Spitfire landed with a shot-up radiator.) Among Spitfire pilots, there was one claim by Australian Sergeant Paul Brennan: We scrambled late in the afternoon. Almos [Pilot Officer Fred Almos] and Linny [Pilot Officer Ossie Linton] were rather slow getting off the ground, and when the fighter sweep came in we were only at 8000 feet. The Huns caught us as we headed up sun, a little south of Gozo. The 109’s were everywhere. Linny and I were at once separated from Mac and Almos. The two of us mixed it with eight 109’s in a hell of a dog-fight. We went into violent steep turns, dived down, and pulled up again at them. But the Hun fighters came at us from every direction – from the beam, underneath, astern and head-on. We were separated in a twinkling. The last I saw of Linny was when he was in a vertical dive, skidding and twisting like blazes, with four 109’s hotly pursuing him. It seemed to me as if I had been throwing my aircraft about for an hour, although probably it was less than five minutes, when a Hun blundered. He made a belly attack on me, missed and overshot. He pulled straight up ahead of me. He was a sitting target. I gave him four seconds. He went into a spin, pouring glycol. During the next few minutes, by manoeuvring violently, I succeeded in shaking off the other 109’s. I called up Linny, and learning he was over Ta-Kali I joined him there. Woody [Group Captain A. B. Woodhall, Senior Controller] reported that some 109’s, low down, were off the harbour, and we went out to meet them. As we crossed the coast, however, Almos called up that Mac was in trouble and wanted to land. Followed by Linny, I turned back

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to give Mac cover. We were approaching Ta-Kali when I saw him. He was gliding across the aerodrome at 5000 feet, and seemed to be under control. As I watched his aircraft gave a sudden lurch, side-slipped about 1000 feet, and then seemed to come under control again. I did not like the look of things. I called up: “Mac, if you’re not O.K., for God’s sake bale out. I will cover you.” There was no reply. A couple of seconds later his aircraft gave another lurch, went into a vertical dive, and crashed at Naxxur [Naxxar], a mile from the aerodrome. Almos and Linny landed while I covered them in, but it was some time before I was able to get in myself. Everybody was down in the dumps over Mac. We felt his loss very keenly. He was one of our finest pilots, and had shot down at least eight Huns. He had been one of the first Spitfire pilots awarded the D.F.C. for operations over Malta, and he had richly earned his gong. At the time of his death he was acting as C.O. of the squadron, but neither that nor the fact that I was merely a sergeant-pilot had prevented us from being the best of good cobbers. We had made many plans against our return to England.5

Flight Lieutenant ‘Laddie’ Lucas remembered Norman MacQueen as a close squadron friend: We felt his loss deeply for he was universally liked with his sunny and modest personality which bore ill to no man. Life was a game to be played to the full until the final whistle. For Norman, ‘no side’ had come cruelly early.6

Flight Lieutenant MacQueen met his end at San Pawl Tat-Tarġa, just north of Naxxar. But what was open countryside in 1942 has since been transformed into a residential area, making it all but impossible to determine exactly where the crash occurred. Ħal Far aerodrome was the main target during a raid between 09:45 and 10:43 hours on 6 May involving about ten Ju 88s and a similar number of escorting Bf 109s. There was little material damage, but two naval officers and four ratings were wounded, as were two civilians. Anti-aircraft guns were in action and Hurricanes and Spitfires were scrambled. At 10:03 a Hurricane flown by Flight Sergeant David Roy of 229 Squadron crash-landed at Ħal Far (the Hurricane was written off). Ten minutes later, Flight Sergeant Allan Otto, a Canadian in 603 Squadron, was injured when he crash-landed his Spitfire in a small field 300 yards west of Ta’ Qali west dispersal. Sergeant Robert Lees of 229 Squadron failed to return and was posted missing. Flight Lieutenant Tim Johnston of 126 Squadron, who had been fortunate to survive after baling out the previous month, had another lucky escape. Three cannon shells struck the underside of his Spitfire with such force that Johnston either blacked out or was knocked unconscious: When full consciousness returned, I found myself still in the seat, squirming this way and that against the straps, but making no effort to undo the harness and get out, with a great flame rushing up from the bottom of the cockpit and being drawn past my face by

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the suction of the slip-stream. My first thought was that this time it was certainly the end and that there must have been some mistake, because I wasn’t supposed to die. The fire prevented me from seeing anything outside the aircraft, but I could tell by feel that it was diving very steeply and fast and, after being blacked out for those few moments, I must have imagined I was nearer the ground than I actually was. After the last experience I never thought I should be able to escape this time. I can remember I noticed a curious smell; I don’t know whether it was something burning, or me being burnt; it was not so much unpleasant as entirely strange to me, and it was this, not heat or pain, which was the most forcible physical sensation. I found afterwards that my legs had been peppered by cannon-splinters, but I never felt them at the time. No past life flashed before me, I think things happen too quickly in the air for this to be possible; I only remember that everything was red, that I felt this terrible flame was robbing me of the power to think, and that I knew that if I lost my head it would destroy me. I thought of what was waiting a few hundred or a few thousand feet below, I didn’t know which, that terrible crash and burst of flame. In the meantime I’d very deliberately pulled out the locking-pin of the harness; I knew I couldn’t afford to fumble with it and remember I shaded my eyes with my left arm and looked down so as to make sure; then half stood in the cockpit, decided there was no time to try to take my helmet off and it would have to be risked, kicked the stick forward as far as I could, felt the helmet and mask parting, and was shot forward into the air. The aircraft was diving so fast that I might have been an arrow and it a tautened bow. I must have passed out at once, I don’t even remember pulling the rip-cord and have no memory of the chute opening or of the descent, only hitting the ground, then more oblivion. I began to come round as the first Tommies arrived; they helped me to unbuckle the chute and soon had me on a stretcher.7

Tim Johnston landed north-east of Siġġiewi in the area of A Company, 8th Battalion The King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster); his Spitfire crashed at D Company’s location near Villa Azzopardi, Żebbuġ. Johnston would spend three weeks recovering in hospital before being flown back to England. Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Ehrenberger of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 and Leutnant Hans Langer of Stab II./Jagdgeschwader 53 each claimed to have shot down a Spitfire, the former at 10:03 and the latter eleven minutes later. South-east Malta was targeted during a one-and-a-half-hour raid commencing at 08:35 on Friday 8 May, and involving half a dozen Ju 88s and fifteen Ju 87s escorted by numerous fighters. Bombs fell at Luqa and in the Ħal Far and Kalafrana area; casualties included two soldiers killed at Birżebbuġa. Eleven Hurricanes of 185 and 229 Squadrons and four Spitfires of 126 Squadron were scrambled at 08:54. There were two claims for Messerschmitts damaged by 126 Squadron, and one for a Ju 88 damaged by 229 Squadron; 185 Squadron (whose Hurricanes would be replaced by Spitfires the next day) submitted five claims. Sergeant Gordon Tweedale was credited with one Bf 109 destroyed and a Bf 109 and a Ju 88 probably destroyed

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(the Ju 88 was possibly later upgraded to destroyed); fellow Australian, Sergeant John ‘Tony’ Boyd, claimed a Ju 88 probably destroyed (possibily upgraded to destroyed), and Canadian Sergeant Wilbert ‘Doddy’ Dodd an MC.202 ‘probable’. Anti-aircraft gunners were credited with shooting down a Ju 87 and a Bf 109. Two Hurricanes of 185 Squadron were damaged; Sergeant Colin Finlay force-landed at Luqa, and Sergeant Boyd belly-landed at Ta’ Qali. Actual enemy losses include one Ju 88, a Ju 87 and a Bf 109. The Ju 88 A-4, which ditched off Sicily with the loss of its crew, almost certainly fell to Sergeants Tweedale and Boyd8 (both of whom, together with Sergeant Finlay, would be dead within a week). Unteroffizier Heinrich Becker of 8./Jagdgeschwader 53 was shot down for the second time in less than a fortnight. At Comiso that morning, he had been tasked with escorting German bombers over Malta: When the bombers had competed their mission and were on their way back home, our Staffel headed off to attack the Flak batteries around Luqa aerodrome. During this action we had air battles with Spitfires and Hurricanes. When we attacked the Flak position at low altitude and I pulled my Bf 109 F4 back up I was hit by Flak behind my cabin. The aircraft went into an instant spin and turned upside down. I saw in the mirrors the machine’s tail falling next to me towards the ground. I threw off the cabin roof, dropped out of the machine and immediately pulled the rip-cord. After the tug of the parachute opening I landed none too gently on the ground 3 seconds later. The parachute canopy came down directly over me. I was still trying to disentangle myself from the cords when a soldier ran towards me brandishing a rifle. I briefly raised my hands. The soldier approached to about 1 metre, placed his rifle between his legs, reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette case. With the words [sic] “Please” he offered me a cigarette. These were the first words in English I ever heard. In the meantime, a military jeep appeared, the crew blindfolded me and drove me to a prison.9

The Bf109 crashed at Marsa Sports Club. Becker was duly interrogated, RAF Intelligence noting the ‘very good’ morale of the ‘security conscious’ prisoner.10 Light anti-aircraft also accounted for a Ju 87 D-1 that crashed off the coast. Neither the pilot, Feldwebel Walter Obermeiländer, nor the wireless operator, Unteroffizier Albert Westphalen, survived. Their Stuka is almost certainly that discovered by scuba divers at Sikka il-Bajda, a reef east of Aħrax Point.11 On 8 May, Wing Commander Edward Gracie had addressed personnel of infantry units supplying working parties at Ta’ Qali. He informed them that some sixty Spitfires were due to arrive on the island and that it was imperative that air supremacy be obtained. Aircraft were to be serviced and bomb craters filled in at all costs; every available machine was to be put in the air, and working parties were to carry on regardless of air raids. Similar preparations were also in hand at Luqa and Ħal Far.

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Early the next morning, 9 May, 650 miles west of Malta, the carriers HMS Eagle and USS Wasp flew off sixty-four Spitfires. One returned to land on Wasp with a faulty fuel system; another crashed into the sea during take-off, taking the pilot to his death, and two pilots were lost en route in unknown circumstances. Yet another machine crashed at Ħal Far; the seriously injured pilot died soon afterwards. Fiftynine Spitfires were thus delivered during Operation ‘Bowery’, the latest effort to reinforce beleaguered Malta. While all available Hurricanes and Spitfires provided air cover, ground crews hurriedly re-armed and refuelled the new Spitfires, which were taken over by experienced Malta pilots who sat strapped in the cockpits, ready to scramble. Antiaircraft ammunition restrictions (introduced as a result of shortages) were lifted in anticipation of the expected enemy onslaught. So far during May, AA had fired 591 x 4.5-inch high-explosive (HE), 3,633 x 3.7-inch HE, 428 x 3-inch HE, 140 x 3.7inch shrapnel, 36 x 3-inch shrapnel and 4,067 x 40mm rounds. In just two days, until ammunition restrictions were re-imposed on the 11th, the number of rounds expended would amount to 492 x 4.5-inch HE, 5,716 x 3.7-inch HE, 1,010 x 3-inch HE, 115 x 3.7-inch shrapnel, 57 x 3-inch shrapnel and 6,036 x 40mm.12 The Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica were determined to destroy the new arrivals. One German and three of Malta’s fighter pilots would lose their lives on this date. The first daylight alert was for a reconnaissance by a single Ju 88 escorted by five Bf 109s. The next commenced at 09:24 and would continue for three and a half hours. An estimated forty-five to fifty-three fighters escorted bombers, reported by the RAF as four Z.1007s and a Ju 88, towards targets in the area of Grand Harbour, Marsa and Floriana. Among the casualties were eight killed at the latter location. As the first of the delivery Spitfires approached, Hurricanes from Luqa and Ħal Far were ordered up to escort them in, while six Spitfires of 603 Squadron provided high cover. Other Spitfires were scrambled during the course of the raid. Unteroffizier Helmut Schierning of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53, who was reported missing, was almost certainly shot down during one of the morning dogfights. Two Spitfires were also lost together with the pilots: Flight Lieutenant John Buckstone of 603 Squadron crashed offshore and Pilot Officer Harry ‘D’Arcy’ Milburn of 249 Squadron came down on the clifftop at Wied Magħlaq, on the south coast. Both were likely victims of Jagdgeschwader 53. At 16:10 hours, there was a fifth alert involving approximately twenty Bf 109s and eighteen Ju 87s; the latter bombing the Luqa and Grand Harbour areas. Two soldiers were killed and several wounded at San Pietru heavy anti-aircraft gun position (XHA 1). At Luqa an unserviceable Wellington was burnt out and a Spitfire slightly damaged. The raiders were engaged by AA and Malta’s fighters. About twenty-one Spitfires were airborne from 249, 603 and 185 Squadrons, and eight enemy aircraft were claimed as probably destroyed and damaged. There was one claim by Hauptmann Helmut Belser of 8./Jagdgeschwader 53. His likely victim was Sergeant Gordon Tweedale of 185 Squadron, who was shot down

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and killed in his first sortie in a Spitfire. Tweedale’s Spitfire Mk VC BR248 crashed in Lija, killing a passerby, Gunner Seraphim Cauchi of the Royal Malta Artillery. The scarred wall of a building on the corner of Saviour Street, damaged by the Spitfire in the final moment of its terminal dive, remains as a poignant reminder of the deaths of both men. Having survived his first day on Malta, one of the reinforcements enthused: The tempo of life here is just indescribable. The morale of all is magnificent – pilots, ground crews and army, but it is certainly tough. The bombing is continuous on and off all day. One lives here only to destroy the Hun and hold him at bay; everything else, living conditions, sleep, food, and all the ordinary standards of life have gone by the board. It all makes the Battle of Britain and fighter sweeps seem like child’s play in comparison, but it is certainly history in the making, and nowhere is there aerial warfare to compare with this.13

Attacks continued into the following day, by which time, however, the bombers had another target. Early on Sunday 10 May, the fast minelayer-cruiser HMS Welshman reached Grand Harbour and disembarked 117, mainly RAF ground personnel. She also brought a cargo of supplies, including ammunition, aero engine parts and 15 tons of smoke-producing generators. There were two alerts in the early hours when bombs were dropped primarily in the Luqa area, at Tigné and off the coast. The all clear sounded at dawn. Within an hour, another air raid warning heralded the approach of an air reconnaissance involving a Ju 88 and escorting Bf 109s. A fighter sweep followed at 07:50. Four more daylight raids followed, three of which developed into attacks on the harbour area. In Malta, there were already 7 tons of smoke contained in ninety-two generators. These were positioned around Welshman at distances of between 100 and 200 yards and were ready for the first major raid at 10:40 hours. On a signal from Fighter Control, half were ignited, providing a screen that effectively shielded the vessel from the air for twelve minutes, whereupon the other half were ignited. At midday the sirens sounded again, but just three aircraft appeared, probably on reconnaissance. By 13:00, unloading of Welshman was completed, and the used generators replaced in time for the next attack at 13:59. The smoke screen, anti-aircraft barrage and muchimproved fighter force cost the enemy dearly, and enabled HMS Welshman to depart that night.14 Stan Fraser described the first raid on the harbour: The siren sounded at about 9.30 a.m [sic] and everybody was keyed up with expectancy, for large formations of Spitfires & Hurricanes were airborne, a smoke screen already enveloped the harbour area, and a special “Ship” barrage had been prepared, the restriction on ammunition being cancelled. Telephonist reported “Tally-ho!” which means that fighters have sighted and are about to engage the enemy.

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“Stand by for Ship barrage” was the order given, as all eyes scanned the sky in the direction of the harbour. Then, before we could see the bombers, the order came: “Ship’s barrage – Fire.” The original arrangement for the barrage was 5 rounds rapid fire from each gun on pre-arranged co-ordinates, & then, if necessary, repeated. Whilst we watched the sky over the harbour it became clouded with A.A. bursts within a few seconds, until it developed into a thick dense haze with Stukas diving through one after the other, many of them never straightening out & crashing to earth together with their bomb load. For two and a half minutes the guns blazed away at the rate of one round every 5 seconds. Never had there been such a barrage fired over this island! The noise was terrific and, over all the gun positions on the island there hung a thick pall of cordite smoke. Our fighters pounced upon the enemy after they came through the barrage and made quick work of those which did manage to straighten out. What a scene! What a din! What a tonic!15

Sergeant Paul Brennan of 249 Squadron was among those scrambled to counter the first attack: We climbed steeply, endeavouring to gain height rapidly. There were already many 109’s above the island, and the bombers were due to arrive any minute. We managed to reach 14,000 feet when 109’s attacked us over Filfla. As they came in I could see more 109’s above, waiting the opportunity to jump us. All five of us started turning with the 109’s attacking us. Woody called up and told us the 87’s were diving the harbour. While Buck [Flying Officer ‘Buck’ Buchanan] and his pair held off the Hun fighters, Johnny [Pilot Officer John Plagis] and I beetled over the harbour. The barrage was the heaviest I had seen so far in Malta. The flak puffs were so numerous that they formed a great wall of cloud, contrasting oddly with the Bofors shells shooting up like huge, glowing match heads. We dived through the barrage to get at the 87’s on the other side. I looked down as we went through the flak, and the ground seemed to be on fire with the blaze of guns. My aircraft was not hit, but it rolled and yawed, and almost got out of control. I came out of the barrage suddenly. The sky seemed to be filled with aircraft. The first thought that struck me, so numerous were the aircraft, was that there was great risk of collision, and that I would have to watch out carefully. Spitfires were coming in from all points of the compass, and there were plenty of 109’s about as well. Three thousand feet below me, sharply silhouetted against the blue sea, a couple of fellows in parachutes were floating downwards. The thought occurred to me that I might be joining them shortly. As I watched a 109 crash into the sea I thought that at any rate there was one less with which to contend. Tracers started to whip past my port wing. I turned to starboard. An 87 was right in front of me. It was in the act of pulling out of its dive. I gave it a quick squirt, but overshot it, and found a 109 dead ahead of me. I had a quick squirt at him, but again overshot. Buck was yelling: “Spits over the harbour, for Christ’s sake climb! They’re up here.” I pulled up my nose to gain height, giving the motor all she had. As I shot up, climbing 5000 feet in a few seconds, I had another quick squirt – this time into the belly

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of an 87. I saw cannon-shells go into his motor, but had no time to see what effect they had on him. Then I was above the 87’s, and went into a steep climbing turn, waiting to pick out one. Spits seemed to be everywhere, weaving beside the barrage, ready to pounce on the 87’s as they pulled out of their dive. It was not long before the Spits were getting on the tails of the 87’s. Wherever I looked I could see only 87’s with Spits already on their tails. It was several seconds before I saw one which I reckoned was my meat. Diving on to his tail, I opened fire, noticing an 87 crash into the sea and start to burn as I did so. My fellow went into a hell of a steep turn, and I followed him round, firing all the time. I had given him three seconds when the thought flashed through my mind, “This damn’ 87 should blow up.” But, to my surprise, he didn’t, so I kept firing. There came no return fire : either the barrage or my fire had got the rear-gunner. The 87 continued in his steep turn, climbing all the time. I hung to him grimly, and kept on firing. I could see all my stuff going into his cockpit and motor. Suddenly he went to pieces. He literally flew apart – an awesome but satisfying sight for a fighter-pilot. His radiator fell off, the air scoop broke away, the pilot’s hood whirled off in one piece, and bits of fuselage scattered in every direction. Black smoke poured from him. Rather dumbfounded, I was watching him spinning down when Johnny called up: “Spit attacking 87, there’s something firing at you.” I looked round quickly. I saw the big yellow spinner of a 109 about 50 yards from my tail. Flashes were coming from his guns. I got a hell of a fright, and pulled the stick back to turn. By this time my speed had fallen away. My aircraft gave a hell of a shudder, flicked over on its back, and started to spin. The suddenness of events so confused me that I did not realize I was spinning. I imagined the 109 had got me, and I prepared to bale out. Subconsciously I must have applied corrective control. My Spit stopped spinning to the left, and I was so surprised that I almost let it go into a spin to the right. The 109, probably deciding that he had shot me down, had left. Johnny told me later that the Hun had been firing at me for about 10 seconds. I put my nose down to gather speed. Right beneath me, about 100 yards from the bomber I had seen crash earlier, my 87 was plunging into the sea. Having no ammunition left, I went home. … I did not take off again. I was so tired out that, despite all the noise and excitement, I slept throughout the afternoon.16

Grand Harbour was targeted again in the evening. A preliminary assessment of the day’s tally was put at fifteen enemy aircraft destroyed by the RAF, twenty probably destroyed and twenty-two damaged. AA gunners were credited with four destroyed.17 At least two Italian and eleven German machines failed to return. There were also enthusiastic claims by Axis pilots, but just two Spitfires fell to enemy action: Australian Pilot Officer Maxwell Briggs of 601 Squadron was posted missing, while Pilot Officer John Mejor (126 Squadron) was rescued by High Speed Launch 107 (HSL 107) after baling out into the sea. Another Spitfire was shot down by AA fire; the pilot, Sergeant Dickson (601 Squadron), baled out off the coast and was picked up injured by Maltese in a dgħajsa. On the ground, three civilians were reported to have been injured, one of them seriously.

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The next morning, the headlines of the Times of Malta proclaimed: ‘BATTLE OF MALTA : AXIS HEAVY LOSSES’, the sub-headings declaring: ‘‘SPITFIRES’ SLAUGHTER ‘STUKAS’’ and ‘BRILLIANT TEAM WORK OF A.A. GUNNERS AND R.A.F.’ After listing enemy losses, came the opening paragraph: The last two days have seen a metamorphosis in the Battle of Malta. After two days of the fiercest aerial combat that has ever taken place over the Island the Luftwaffe, with its Italian lackeys, has taken the most formidable beating that has been known since the Battle of Britain two and a half years ago. Indeed, in proportion to the numbers of aircraft involved, this trouncing is even greater than the Germans suffered at that time.18

Complimentary messages sent by exultant commanders included the following on 11 May, from His Excellency the Governor and Commander-in-Chief Malta, Field Marshal Lord Gort, VC: I congratulate all the fighting services on their magnificent team work over the week-end and I particularly congratulate the Royal Air Force and the Anti-Aircraft defences on their notable success. The Luftwaffe has seen that wounded Malta can hit back gamely.19

Although there would be several more months of hard fighting before the siege was finally raised, 10 May 1942 is considered as the turning point in a battle that had already lasted nearly two years. Luftwaffe casualties on that eventful day include a Stuka, claimed in the morning by Royal Marines light anti-aircraft (LAA); the III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 machine splashed into Dockyard Creek, opposite the Marines’ Bofors position at Fort St Angelo. No parachutes were seen. Captain Franklin F. Clark commanded the Royal Marines detachment at St Angelo. He recalled: After that particular raid we went out to trawl for a souvenir. When we got to the spot we could see the aircraft clearly under water, but it had a large unexploded bomb attached to it, so we thought it wise to let it alone and rowed back to the jetty.20

In the evening, another Ju 87 crashed on nearby Senglea seafront at Triq Ix-Xatt Juan B. Azzopardi. This was almost certainly a 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 aircraft piloted by Unteroffizier Walter Rastinnes, who was taken prisoner; the wireless operator, Unteroffizier Walter Rauer, did not survive. Theirs was one of at least three Stukas claimed by AA between 18:10 and 19:47 hours.21 In the same raid, Squadron Leader John Bisdee of 601 Squadron was credited with destroying a Z.1007, the 211a Squadriglia B.T. machine disintegrating over Kalkara. Two airmen baled out. Neither survived. One landed in the ornamental fountain of Villa Portelli (Kalkara). This was probably Sottotenente Salvatore De Maria. He died about half an hour later. There were eight alerts during daylight hours on 11 May, but only two turned out to be bomber raids. The second of these occurred between 17:30 and 18:30, as Bf 109s

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escorted three Ju 88s (or two Ju 88s and an Italian bomber) towards Ħal Far and Luqa. Spitfires of 603, 601 and 185 Squadrons were scrambled. In their enthusiasm to attack a Bf 109 over Ta’ Qali, two Spitfire pilots of 603 Squadron collided. Flight Lieutenant William Douglas and Pilot Officer Riversdale ‘Barney’ Barnfather, who both baled out, survived (one of the pilots descending at St Paul’s Bay). Both Spitfires are believed to have fallen south of St Paul’s Bay in the vicinity of Bidnija, where the wreckage was scattered over a wide area. The last of five alerts during daylight hours on Tuesday 12 May began at 17:35 with the approach of three Savoia-Marchetti S.84s and four Ju 88s, heavily escorted by Italian and German fighters. The main target was Ta’ Qali, where one airman and a soldier were wounded and two Spitfires and a vehicle were damaged. Fighters were scrambled in good time for the raid and as aircraft returned to refuel and re-arm, others took off, thus maintaining an effective air defence. Fighter Control, struggling to keep tally, at one point recorded that some twenty-four Spitfires and six Hurricanes were airborne. Two Spitfires collided during the rush to take off. There were also combat losses. Flight Sergeant Cyril ‘Joe’ Bush (126 Squadron) was wounded and crashed on landing. Sergeant Charles Graysmark (601 Squadron) baled out off the south coast and, although he was picked up by HSL 128, did not survive; Pilot Officer Michael Graves (126 Squadron) was also shot down, but baled out uninjured. Claims by Malta fighter pilots included two (misidentified) Z.1007s destroyed in addition to a number of aircraft probably destroyed and damaged. RAF ground defences at Ta’ Qali also claimed to have damaged a Bf 109. Three Re.2001s of 2o Gruppo Autonomo C.T. seem to have made emergency landings on returning to Sicily.22 603 Squadron’s Pilot Officer Eric Dicks-Sherwood was credited with the destruc­ tion of one of the Italian bombers and Flight Lieutenant Lester ‘Sandy’ Sanders, apparently in conjunction with Flying Officer Richard Mitchell of the same unit, claimed another. Certainly, one S.84 of 14 a Squadriglia B.T. was shot down. Four of the crew abandoned the aircraft before it crashed at Tal-Pitkal, near Dingli. Australian Sergeant John ‘Slim’ Yarra, who had recently taken on the role of 185 Squadron’s chronicler, described events in the unit diary. Referring to himself in the third person, Yarra wrote: We were again scrambled from Luqua [sic] & had an unfortunate accident. Two of our aircraft collided taking off, which reduced our strength to five. The remaining five went up, however & met the bombers over Halfar. There were only 4 JU 88’s in this raid, who managed to cross the coast. P/O Wigley damaged one of these. Sgt Yarra destroyed an ME 109. Sgt Yarra also had quite an enjoyable time playing with some Dagoes who were coming down in parachutes after some destructive person had severely tampered with their cant 1007 [sic]. The Italians took a rather poor view of Sgt Yarra’s efforts to amuse them. These efforts took the form of placing the parachute canopy in the slipstream of a Spitfire. The canopy promptly collapses & the type has to

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fall a few hundred feet until the chute opens again. Consequently 4 very sick Dagoes landed in the water off the island.23

Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham of 601 Squadron also chanced upon the Italians. After pursuing one of the S.84s out to sea, Barnham had found himself alone and decided to return to Malta: I headed back – suddenly, as I was recrossing the coast at St. Paul’s Bay, my mouth went dry: three dots were rushing head-on towards me. Three dots; 109s? three dots with white smudges above them! Parachutes! I turned quickly to avoid those three white parachutes – three Italians, swinging to and from and drifting southwards with the earth far below us. Circling round and round them was rather fun, for the three Ice-cream Men, one slightly higher than the other two, appeared to go up and down like figures on a merry-go-round. As I watched them I became aware that they were staring back at me in terror: probably thought I was playing with them, that any second I would come in to attack them with blazing machine-guns or fly over the top of them to collapse their ’chutes as the Germans do to us – I gave them a wave. Immediate response – they all waved back, sinking towards the ground, yet jerking up and down as they waved. It was a glorious display of Italian friendliness! The lower we got the more and more swiftly the ground came up to meet us. I edged away, so that they could concentrate on their landings, for they were very nearly down on the cliff tops near Dingli. A gust of wind blew them over the edge and they fell another three hundred feet into the sea. I was powerless to help them, but, to make sure they were safe, I dropped down from the sky and my view, as I raced along the wave-crests, was limited to the blue-green water sliding under my wings and the tall cliff rushing past. There they were: three white silk stains drifting in the swirling water; a lot of splashing too. I pulled up in a steep climbing turn over the cliff brink and back across a deserted landscape to dive again for another run past. A quick glimpse revealed the three of them trying to climb on a ledge. On the third run I saw them all standing safe and sound. They were waving happily.24

As Barnham’s account clearly illustrates, one of the four Italians must have descended some time before his three companions. The War Diary of 1st Battalion The Durham Light Infantry includes a curiously misleading entry that obviously refers to this event, but is dated 5 May (when no Italian bombers were actually lost over Malta): One Italian bomber crashed in ‘C’ Coy Area, two burnt bodies were found in the wreckage and one body was thrown clear and found a few yards away. Three Italians were rescued from the sea by launch off ‘D’ Coy Area (JEBEL CHANTAR.)25

The body ‘thrown clear’ was apparently Aviere Scelto Francesco Carabellese, as confirmed by a brief note included with a file on Italian prisoners of war in Malta:

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The above [personal details of Francesco Carabellese] are particulars of the body of an Italian airman which fell near searchlight station 335 220 on 12/5/42 and they were handed in through C.I.B. by the Durham Light Infantry.26

The map reference 335 220 is several hundred yards from where the S.84 came down, as opposed to the ‘few yards’ stated in the DLI War Diary. A Malta Police report only serves to confuse matters further: An enemy bomber crashed and became a total wreck in a garden at “Ta-Saliba” in the limits of Dingli. One of the crew was found dead in the vicinity of the wrecked bomber. Four other members were seen baling out, two of whom were last seen clinging to the rocks at “Ta-Zuta”.27

The only certainty seems to be that four of the six-man crew baled out and that some clambered ashore below Dingli cliffs. The War Diary of Malta Tanks (Royal Tank Regiment) noted on 12 May: ‘Attempted rescue of parachutists off Dingli but could not get to them.’28 In fact, one of the crew, Sergente Eugenio Rivolta, was recovered dead by the crew of HSL 128, the log of which has the following entry: ‘2020 Picked up Italian Pilot Eugeni [sic] Rivolta.’29 According to the Malta Police two days later: ‘The two airmen reported to be clinging to the rocks at “Ta-Zuta” are not there and no trace of them could be found.’30 Presumably, some kind of vigil would have been kept on the baled-out enemy airmen. How is it, then, that none survived? A few days later, Barnham wrote in his diary: Am I in hell. For this evening in the mess I brought up the subject of the three Italians I had seen fall into the sea at the foot of the cliffs in their parachutes. I had reported their position, but no attempt had been made to rescue them for several days. On a ledge they had been, but all that had been found was blood. The Maltese are believed to have pushed rocks over the edge of the cliffs to drop on them.31

Stories about baled-out enemy aircrew being killed before they could be taken prisoner are not uncommon. Almost without exception such tales are told by those who had heard about such an occurrence, but did not actually witness it. In this instance, however, it would appear that events have been misrepresented, possibly intentionally, with official reports only increasing speculation as to how four men died after taking to their parachutes. Between 09:00 and 10:15 on 14 May, three Ju 88s escorted by Bf 109s crossed the coast and proceeded to bomb Luqa (where a lorry was damaged) and Ta’ Qali (where a Spitfire was damaged). One serviceman was reported wounded at each location. Twenty-eight Spitfires were scrambled to intercept the raid; seven pilots were credited

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with three Bf 109s and two Ju 88s destroyed, one Bf 109 probably destroyed and two damaged. Individual claims cannot be verified, but on this date three Ju 88s of Kampfgruppe 806 failed to return from their mission over Malta and a Ju 88 and two Bf 109s crash-landed in Sicily. Sergeant Colin Finlay of 185 Squadron was shot down off the coast a few hundred yards from Wied iż-Żurrieq. His body was recovered by personnel of 3rd Battalion The King’s Own Malta Regiment. Sergeant Finlay had been killed just before becoming tour-expired. He almost certainly fell to a pilot of Jagdgeschwader 53, at least three of whom submitted claims for a fighter destroyed (including two misidentified as P-40s). (Another Spitfire was damaged when it belly-landed after running short of fuel.) There was a respite of more than two hours before the next alert at 12:36, when three Ju 88s approached, escorted by German and Italian fighters. Clearly, the Luftwaffe was taking minimal risks following its heavy losses of the 10th. Seventeen Spitfires and four Hurricanes were scrambled. Of three Ju 88s claimed as destroyed, one was shared with AA gunners and two were shared between several pilots. Fighter pilots were also credited with one MC.202 probably destroyed and a Bf 109 damaged. In turn, 185 Squadron lost another seasoned pilot. As he was preparing to take off, Australian Sergeant ‘Tony’ Boyd had reported a problem with his radio transmitter. Consequently, his departure was delayed by six crucial minutes. Had he become airborne on time, his fate would undoubtedly have been different. Boyd was unlucky. Like Finlay, he had been due to stand down prior to his imminent return to the United Kingdom. But at 12:48 hours he was attacked by an unidentified fighter and crashed on the perimeter of Luqa aerodrome. Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham, who was at readiness with other pilots of 601 Squadron, witnessed the event: A Spitfire came circling down in a medium turn just beyond the far side of the drome, as graceful as a bird, brown and then duck egg blue on its belly as it banked near us and away again. It was getting low now, very low, surely that pilot is keeping it in that diving turn too late. I leapt to the top of a tall rock as the machine beginning to flatten out disappeared from sight at the far end of the aerodrome. A pause, then a gigantic bubble of flame shot up to 100 feet seared right across the aerodrome and left no trace of smoke – a roar and then silence.32

The signal to scramble came moments later and Barnham was soon involved in the fight. I searched the white haze [out] to sea when suddenly straining my eyes I picked them out three tiny dots in the remote space towards Sicily. So beautiful it all was, to see the three tiny dots was more like welcoming some old friends home from their travels – but these were bombers. They were coming nearer – one more orbit of the sqdn would bring us nicely in position – I came out of the turn and there they were abreast of us, three black Ju 88s in formation, a tight Vic. So we had to go in and shoot them down, very

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well – “In we go now Exiles” I called over the R/T. The black formation was just moving from abreast of us now over the white houses and the blue sea of the Grand Harbour below inland towards the aerodrome on the brown ochre island lying below us to the right. I will attack the bomber on the right I thought and from then on my eyes were fastened on him and him alone. I had a quick look round but saw no enemy fighters near, so I curved in downwards onto his tail. I fired one burst well in front of him – then he dived and was a shape against the brown earth. I became aware of the heavy anti-aircraft shells bursting near us, a flash of red then black smoke. Yes they are very accurate to-day I thought. I could see them bursting right on our level; one each side of my bomber just beyond the wing tips – yet he flew on. Fighters I thought and stood the aircraft on its right wing and turning right searched all the sky above and behind me. Black puffs of Ack Ack were bursting near but I had an impression of shapes of aircraft against the white haze in the sky – some Spitfires behind me and some different shapes too but none attacking. I turned back – yes my bomber was there just below me and in front, he appeared to have turned left a little – nothing behind me that side, so I laid the red spot of my gun sight above his left engine and fired. A gigantic flash appeared on its black round shape. I stopped firing (I should have gone on) and thought well that’s that and swung away to the right searching the sky, I weaved to the left again and had an impression of my bomber tailing a plume of blue white smoke from its left engine – just like the one I had seen my first flight here – shapes of 88’s beyond and a swift realisation that four tiny dots falling away from one black shape were bombs. Was it my bomber dropping bombs? I don’t know. But I was rushing earthwards now what was the use of staying for all the squadron behind me when I tackled the bombers would follow them in – the air was rushing past the cockpit and with my head too near the side I could feel my eyelids being torn away. Black cumulus clouds of dust were rising up below. Soon as I slowed down and landed at Luqa I saw dust drifting away from Takali and black smoke welling up from a black spot on the ground. Had they bombed after all then? I landed and waved lustily at the crew who ran towards me from the pen. The news was soon round but running to the next of my boys as they came in it seemed they had had no luck. All three bombers had been shot down I learned from those who had been onlookers, one had fallen on Takali and two in the sea. Whose was whose I don’t know but we were back on readiness and leaving the Intelligence officers to sort out what had happened. I should have concentrated on the other engine when the port one was on fire and then on the fuselage because it might have got back as I left it – Ingram had followed me in and had observed strikes from his fire – I was very reluctant in my heart of hearts to share it with him, but I did and now I realise it was more possibly his than mine. But it had come down that was the main thing – which it had been I don’t know one of those in the sea or that one which had almost fallen on the dispersal point at Takali?33

New Zealander Pilot Officer Mervyn Ingram reported: Red & Blue sections intercepted 3 Ju88s and 12. 109 escort at 16000 ft over Grand Harbour. I attacked Ju88 already damaged by F/Lt Barnham and fired 160 rounds into

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it. Strikes along starboard side and a/c crashed on Island. This a/c shared with F/Lt Barnham. All three bombers destroyed. 1 Ju88 confirmed destroyed.34

Flying Officer Richard Mitchell of 603 Squadron was also involved in this action. All three pilots were credited with shooting down the same bomber. Flight Sergeant John Hurst of 603 Squadron, together with AA gunners, was also credited with one Ju 88 destroyed. It would appear that Barnham, Ingram, Mitchell, Hurst and ground fire all contributed to the destruction of either Ju 88 M7+CH, piloted by Feldwebel Günther Schwerdt, or M7+FH, flown by Hauptmann Emil Braun. (Flight Lieutenant Lester Sanders of 603 Squadron was also credited with damaging a Bf 109.) Squadron Leader Lord David Douglas-Hamilton (603 Squadron) recounted the final moments of the Ju 88: The next raid came in about midday. I had just come off ‘readiness’ and was on the aerodrome sheltering in a slit trench. The bombers were a long time coming in, but finally three 88s were observed approaching Takali. “Now we’re for it!” I thought. They had not far to go, when I saw the rear one break away with smoke streaming from it. Then I saw Spitfires attacking, and another 88 broke away with smoke and flames pouring from it. The leader was now just starting his dive on my end of the aerodrome, when I saw a Spitfire above it with its cannons puffing away. Almost immediately the wing of the 88 became a mass of flame; the petrol tank had been hit. The 88 jettisoned its bombs at the edge of the aerodrome, then did a drunken swoop across the aerodrome, and one of its engines fell out. It crashed just beside the landing ground and burned furiously with columns of black smoke. We got out of our slit trench and cheered. I went round to look at the wreckage. It was well smashed up. The pilot was reclining backwards in the front of the wreckage, quite dead, but still grasping the control column. He had evidently been trying to control the aeroplane until the end. Soon there was little left of him or the 88.35

Barnham’s account continues: The CO had driven down with the other boys who had watched the fight from Naxxar and collected some relics for our bar in the mess – squadron trophies – he also told a horrible story of the German pilot who was sitting on top of the wreckage as it burned – badly wounded no doubt but raising his arm in a “Hail Hitler salute” as he died. They came back and ate a hearty dinner but I was glad I hadn’t seen it.36

One eyewitness, a young boy at the time, joined other children who gathered at the scene. He, too, remembered that one of the crew was alive and trapped in the burning wreck. On noticing them, the German waved an arm, apparently motioning for the youngsters to stay away. According to a former photographer in the Royal Air Force, the airman was prevented from being rescued by a RAF officer who then used his revolver to shoot the hapless individual.37

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At 17:13 hours, air raid sirens signalled yet another attack. Once again, three Ju 88s, accompanied by Bf 109s and MC.202s, crossed the coast, this time bombing Safi and Gudja. Twenty-two Spitfires and six Hurricanes were scrambled. One Spitfire was shot down into the sea, taking Flight Sergeant Harold Fox to his death. The 249 Squadron pilot was later credited with a Bf 109 destroyed. Fighter and AA claims amounted to two Bf 109s and a Ju 88 destroyed, one Bf 109 probably destroyed and three Bf 109s and a Ju 88 damaged. Flight Lieutenant Barnham, on his third scramble of the day, was orbiting with other Spitfires when he saw three Ju 88s and their fighter escort approaching Żonqor. Anti-aircraft guns opened fire as the 601 Squadron aircraft closed on the bombers: We were already in, we were coming down from slightly above and I [sic] turning the machine to the right I had an impression of the escort of Me 109s turning in behind us, as I lifted the nose so the right hand 88 and then the leader disappeared underneath my propeller boss. I gave a long burst of cannon fire but being fully aware that the escorting 109s must just be about to open fire on me. I swung sharply to the left. Yes those were the 109s firing away, a head on attack it was now and as the black leader flashed past I saw he had a blood-red spinner on his Messerschmitt, it seemed to be rotating slowly and the light shone beautifully on it. There were more narrow black shapes with straight wings diving down, and when they had past I turned to the left. One of the bombers, it was the leader had been hit, had I done that or was it the boys but what did it matter, for he was falling down the sky – a 109 was coming at me from the left where a lot of fighter shapes were whirling amongst the black smudged bursts of Ack Ack. I turned towards him, and saw another behind me, I rolled over on my back and did aileron turns with the blue and rusty bay [Marsaxlokk] straight in front of my nose. Looking behind me I soon saw that I was alone – I eased out of my dive and was weaving when I saw wreckage falling down beside me on my left; a black shape was rotating flatly and spraying blue smoke as it spun slowly down. A black square shape detached itself and was left up in the air behind it and the wreckage spun flat and faster with the smoke shooting out. Round and round and round with the smoke making a graceful tight spiral in the sky.38

At Kalafrana, RAF armourer Phil Chandler watched as the bombers dived overhead: One of them received a direct hit. Smoke poured forth immediately and he did a sharp turn, crossing the path of one of his comrades. This turn was perhaps too much for the stricken machine, for both engines fell out. Then the whole box of tricks fell to pieces. The whole mainplane came off and spun lazily down, leaving a spiral of blue smoke, amid a shower of smaller fragments which continued to flutter down for some minutes afterwards. One got away by parachute.39

Later, Barnham noted in his log book, ‘Nazi observer who baled out said he was shot down by fighter leading the Spits. i.e. my bird.’40 Nonetheless, AA gunners received the credit for shooting down the bomber.

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Obergefreiter Herbert Burger was the sole survivor, and only just managed to escape after the aircraft went into a spin. Those killed were Unteroffizier Hans Prokesch, and Obergefreiteren Hermann Köster and Ferdinand Lechner. RAF Intelligence was able to compile a detailed report that revealed the considerable experience of two of the crew of Ju 88 M7+BL: The observer, Burger, after completing his training was sent to the Russian front where his Unit was mainly engaged in attacks on shipping, though occasionally, as Prokesch’s papers show, it carried out dive-bombing attacks in support of infantry. Burger’s opinion of Russian men and material was low. He said he was sent to Sicily in December, 1941. … Prokesch’s papers show that he carried out 68 flights in the Mediterranean including 54 bombing attacks on military targets in Malta, 5 protective convoy patrols, 3 divebombing attacks on English convoys and 2 reccos. Burger had, he said, completed 80 operational flights in the Luftwaffe averaging almost one a day from Sicily and complained of the strain on his nerves particularly during the months of December, January and February. The attacks during March and April were not so wearing as by this time Malta’s defences, had weakened but, he still reckoned Malta the toughest of all bombing propositions and was looking forward to his retirement from operational flying, which was possible, he thought, after about 100 operational flights.41

* Soon after 15:40 hours on 15 May, a heavily escorted Ju 88 appeared over Malta. Six Spitfires were scrambled and there were several claims, including two MC.202s and a Bf 109 destroyed. One Bf 109 F-4 was certainly shot down, as described by Squadron Leader Douglas-Hamilton: We were ‘stooging’ around at 25,000 feet for a considerable time; it was very cold and I even got frost-bite in a finger. We were bounced once by a pair of 109s, but avoided them successfully. Eventually we were told to go down. Suddenly I saw a 109 sweeping down on my No. 2. I warned him to break away, and turned towards the 109. It still came on, by this time at me, and we were approaching each other head-on at great speed. I resolved not to give way before he did, and he evidently made the same resolution. We were going straight at each other, and as soon as I got my sights on him I opened fire, and kept firing. He opened fire a second afterwards. It all happened in a flash, but when he seemed about fifty yards away I gave a violent ‘yank’ on the stick and broke away to the right. As I did so, his port wing broke off in the middle, and he shot past under me. I turned and looked back; his aeroplane did about five flick rolls to the left and broke up. Then a parachute opened.42

The German fighter smashed into the ground just inland from Marsa Creek. Leutnant Herbert Soukup of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 baled out with one arm broken by a 20mm cannon shell and drifted towards Żejtun. There, the parachute canopy

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caught on the roof of a house at 14 Bandolier Street, leaving the pilot dangling just out of reach of angry locals. Eventually, he was rescued by personnel of B Company, 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment, and taken to Mtarfa hospital, where he shared a ward with Flight Lieutenant Tim Johnston of 126 Squadron: My neighbour the 109 pilot proved to be a Sudeten of Czech antecedents; he knew little English, but I learnt some of his history. He had previously been a Stuka pilot, had managed to get transferred on to fighters, and had made more than a hundred flights over Malta; he claimed five victories, one Blenheim, one Hurricane and three Spits. This was his first theatre of operations, although he’d been in the Luftwaffe more than two years. He seemed to have been assimilated by the Germans and, although he wasn’t a party member, or noticeably a Hitler enthusiast, he identified himself with the Herrenvolk. His reasons for doing so were unconvincing and I thought he protested too much; it was probably self-interest. He said supposing we weren’t English, but our country had been conquered by the English, wouldn’t we fight for England? We said ask the Irish, but he didn’t see the point. Douglas-Hamilton, who had shot him down, visited him in hospital and I couldn’t help overhearing their conversation; when asked why 109 pilots shot up dinghies and parachutes he denied that they ever did so and described it as “Schweinerei”. A case had just occurred in which one of our pilots had been picked up in his dinghy, either dead or at the point of death, with a cannon-shell through his neck; he was told of this but refused to believe it. The cases of 1940 were then quoted, but he still said obstinately: “Das glaub’ ich nicht” [‘I don’t believe that’]. Nor would he admit that our rescuelaunch had ever been attacked. I couldn’t make up my mind whether he believed what he said or not.43

* There was much activity in the early hours of 17 May. Searchlights illuminated four E-boats of 3.Schnellbootsflotille on a mine-laying operation several miles offshore. Coastal batteries engaged, immobilising S 34. Other boats attempted to lay a smoke screen while the crew was rescued and an attempt made to blow up the damaged vessel. The remaining E-boats then withdrew. During the night, there was also a raid by BR 20Ms, some of which dropped bombs on Malta and Gozo. Three of the Italian aircraft were claimed destroyed by a Beaufighter of 89 Squadron, although it would appear that all returned to Sicily. At the same time, there was an unheard-of escape attempt by prisoners of war at Malta. After being shot down on 8 May, Unteroffizier Heinrich Becker had been held with others in a makeshift detention centre, actually a large room in a bombdamaged building surrounded by barbed wire. From his description, the location was probably in the Pembroke area. Less than elaborate precautions were taken to prevent anyone from breaking out. Where on Malta could an Italian or German ever feel safe? However, as Becker’s account shows, there were some who chose to risk all in order to return to their units:

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The people guarding us were a sergeant major, together with a sentry who did the rounds along the barbed wire. The sergeant major slept in our room with his rifle. Only a few metres from our “house” a food store was located, belonging to nearby barracks. I found a set of keys by chance, which also contained the key to the food store. Using a self-made copy of the key it was possible to get into the food store. This was the beginning and fundamental prerequisite for the idea to escape from imprisonment. Initially we had to search along the coast, which was about 2 km away, for a boat that would be suitable for our escape attempt. As the guard routine enabled us to crawl underneath the barbed wire, three prisoners went at night-time to find a suitable boat. After a few kilometres we found in a nice bay a boat, about 6 metres long, which appeared suitable for our escape attempt. I swam to it and inspected it. The boat was well equipped, but only had one rudder and one mast. Now we could commence preparations for our escape attempt. There were rudders to be crafted, and containers to be obtained for provisions and water. We found nearly all we required in the food store. Three of us wanted to escape. As part as our preparation, we returned once more to the bay we had selected. Everything was as we had found it before. We waited for a night that was a little overcast and when the sea was reasonably calm. After a while we had a night with those conditions. We had no trouble to escape to the selected bay with our provisions. Heavily laden we arrived in the bay; everything seemed to be going according to plan. I was about to jump into the water in order to tow the boat ashore, when the entire bay was lit with searchlights. To be on the safe side, we hid in the shrubbery … The bay was lit up for about 1 hour – after that the air raid warning sounded. German [sic] bombers attacked Maltese aerodromes. Shortly before dawn we returned to our accommodation, leaving the provisions and rudder behind and were glad that our planned escape had not been successful. We would have been unlikely to survive the 100 km to Sicily.44

In the circumstances, the would-be escapers had probably made the right decision. For with the coming of dawn there was further Allied air activity. Two pairs of Hurricanes of 229 Squadron were dispatched to strafe the abandoned S 34. Rather than have the vessel fall into British hands, the Germans were just as determined in their efforts to destroy her. Following further attacks by Bf 109s, the E-boat finally sank.45 Two Spitfires of 249 Squadron were scrambled at 07:02. Twenty-two minutes later, four fighters of 603 Squadron were ordered up. At 07:42, a reconnaissance Ju 88 was intercepted and shot down by Flying Officer George ‘Buck’ Buchanan (249 Squadron). Five Spitfires of 126 Squadron then took to the air and soon afterwards Flight Sergeant Thurne ‘Tommy’ Parks destroyed an air sea rescue Dornier Do 24 flyingboat. Bf 109s and MC.202s were active over and around Malta for much of the morning and six RAF personnel were injured when two MC.202s straffed Ħal Far

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aerodrome. At about midday, fighters and a Do 24 were reported off the coast. Two Spitfires of 249 Squadron and six Spitfires of 603 Squadron were airborne; the latter unit’s Flight Sergeant John Hurst and Pilot Officer Leslie Barlow were both credited with damaging the flyingboat (apparently the second of two that failed to return on this date). Flight Sergeant Laurie Verrall of 249 Squadron was credited with a Bf 109 destroyed and one damaged; Pilot Officer Peter Nash of the same unit was credited with another destroyed,46 and Pilot Officer Neville King of 603 Squadron with one damaged. 5./Jagdgeschwader 53 lost at least two aircraft on this date. Leutnant Wolfgang Hermann was killed, probably during this engagement; another Bf 109 pilot baled out off Cape Scaramia as a result of an engine problem, which may or may not have been combat-related. In turn, Unteroffizier Erich Paczia and Leutnant Hans Märklstetter of 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 each claimed a Spitfire destroyed. There was one RAF loss, when Pilot Officer Peter Nash was shot down and killed north-west of Rabat. Crash sites of two Spitfires have been rediscovered within a few hundred yards of each other in the area of Ta’ Wied Rini, in western Malta. One is almost certainly that of Pilot Officer Nash; the other is that of Sergeant Raymond Saunders of 185 Squadron, who was killed several months later, on 24 October 1942. Before the end of the day there would be one more RAF fatality. A total of twenty Spitfires from five squadrons took to the air at intervals in response to a raid between 17:28 and 18:37 hours. German and Italian fighters were intercepted after the bombers they had been escorting turned back before reaching the island. A Spitfire of 601 Squadron was damaged during an engagement with Re.2001s and crash-landed near Gudja, on the edge of Safi strip. Denis Barnham noted in his diary: ‘Sgt Howard was hit in the glycol tank, and trying to land crashed into a wall – he has a 50 50 chance of pulling through with a split skull.’47 Sergeant Frank Howard died in hospital three days later. Luftwaffe units in Sicily had by now been significantly reduced. In the latter half of May, German fighter strength was further diminished so that just the Stab and II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 remained in Sicily. Some bombers and other aircraft types also stayed. Operations were undertaken largely by Italians, but lacked the tenacity of those carried out by German aircrew. As had occurred in mid-1941, therefore, Malta took the opportunity to reorganise and at the same time improve its position. Earlier in May, Field Marshal Lord Gort, VC, had arrived as the new Governor, allowing General Sir William Dobbie to depart for the UK with his wife and daughter. There had been a Spitfire delivery on 9 May. On the 18th, HMS Eagle ferried to the island seventeen more Spitfires. Malta’s offensive capabilities would also be improved with the arrival of Wellingtons for the RAF’s strike force. Approximately twenty fighters headed for Malta in support of a maritime/land reconnaissance of the island early the next day, 18 May.48 The raid included eight Re.2001s led by Tenente Remo Cazzolli of 152 a Squadriglia C.T.:

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That morning – so nice and bright – a big dogfight began over the Island between the Re2001s and Spitfires. There were many Spitfires and few Re2001s, so when I ordered my pilots to break formation and engage, I found myself surrounded by Spitfires! As I opened fire, I saw before me in planform, like a cross, a Spitfire. I took aim and fired, seeing a long, black trail – possibly a sign that I had hit him. Minutes passed slowly like the years of youth; suddenly there was a terrible noise like thunder and my engine stopped; it was the fire of 20 mm cannon, which overwhelmed my senses. An instant of infinite fear followed the realisation – my Re2001 was shot down! I realised at once the situation, and my face was covered with blood (I still bear the sign of those injuries to this day); by instinct I sought to open the cockpit canopy, but it was stuck, a shell having struck behind the seat armour and crushed the canopy forward against the windscreen. I thought it was the end. I was in an aircraft with no power, a radiator shot away, a shattered aileron fluttering, with the earth of Malta coming up inexorably to meet me! I tried to recover control. I do not know what condition the tail of the aircraft was in, but that aircraft seemed to have a life of its own; it would not kill me! I saw a rock flush in the sea, there was an indescribable crash, and I passed out.49

Four Spitfires of 249 Squadron had been scrambled. Sergeants Paul Brennan and John Gilbert and Flying Officer Ronald West each claimed a Reggiane destroyed. Sergeant Brennan recalled: About 10 miles east of Zonkor [Żonqor] Point I spotted four aircraft silhouetted against the sea. They were three miles east of us, and about 2000 feet below. Having reported them to Ronnie [Flying Officer West], I headed straight for them. We circled above them. I think they must have mistaken us for 109’s, and imagined we were those which had been south of the island come to join up with them. They were flying in two pairs, and were obviously Italians. I put them down as Macchis. I told Ronnie to take the pair on the left, and, followed by my number two, SergeantPilot Johnny Gilbert, an Englishman whose home was in the Argentine, I dived on the right-hand pair. I gave one a short burst from dead astern. I saw some of my shells hit his port wing. He pulled away sharply, cutting right across Johnny’s nose. I saw Johnny give him a squirt, and he went away pouring glycol. Meanwhile I had pulled on to the second one. He promptly went into a vertical dive. I followed him, caught him as he was pulling out of his dive at 2000 feet and, getting dead behind him, gave him a long burst. He hung there for a second, rolled on to his back, and hit the sea. As he crashed I saw another aircraft spin into the sea half a mile away. As I thought it might be one of our boys, I called up the others, and Ronnie told me he had just shot down one of the Eyetyes. As the other two Spits also answered my call, I knew the second aircraft to crash must also have been Italian. I told the section to return to base immediately.50

As far as can be ascertained, Tenente Cazzolli’s was the only aircraft to have been shot down. The Re.2001 crash-landed alongside Fort San Leonardo and somehow

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survived the impact more or less intact. However, the pilot was badly injured and remained in hospital for weeks afterwards. During interrogation, Cazzolli maintained that while flying at 6,000 feet he had been attacked from behind by Spitfires. His aircraft was hit and the engine began to pour black smoke. Cazzolli decided to seek cover in Malta’s smoke screen, but was unable to pull out of his dive in time. Interrogation also revealed details of the prisoner’s apparent background: PILOT’S CAREER 9. This pilot, a 28 year old Tenente Pilota, holder of 3 silver medals for military valour, already had his civil A Certificate in 1934. 10. In 1935, after 34 hours’ solo flying at Mondovi on Breda 15’s and C.R.20’s he obtained his B Certificate; and in August of that year as Aviere Primo he went to Abyssinia with a C.R.20 unit, returning to Italy in October to be demobilised. 11. At the end of 1936 he rejoined the I.A.F. and did his Primo Peridio at Foligno, and in March 1937 went to Spain as Sotto Tenente with the 7th Bandera of the Tercio (Spanish Foreign Legion), flying a C.R.42. 12. He was shot down in the battle of Guardalajara and taken P/W, but escaped from a prison camp at Barcelona and reached Italy. He returned to Spain and remained there until the end of the Civil War, being demobilised in May 1938, with a silver medal “Al Valore Militare” to his credit. 13. After spending some months as a Civil Engineer in Libya, he was again called up in the autumn of 1938 and posted to the 2nd Stormo at Marmarica, then equipped with Breda 65’s. The unit stayed at Tobruk until October 1938, when it moved to Castel Benito. 14. P/W was then given leave to go to Turin to take an Engineer’s Degree, and he rejoined the I.A.F. early in 1939 but was posted to Gorizia, where he trained on C.R.42’s, G.50’s and Macchi 200’s. 15. In April 1939 he joined the 152nd Squadriglia, then belonging to the 6th Stormo and equipped with G.50s, and went to Libya, where he was engaged in escorting German Stukas. He was awarded the E.K.II for 50 escorts. 16. In May 1940 the unit moved to Tripoli and acted as Caccia sull’Alarme until September 1941. The unit then moved to Rome, where they spent two months at the Gruppo Complementare, after which four months were spent converting to Re.2001’s at Ravenna. 17. On May 17th 1942, P/W left for Catania on his first and last operation in a Re.2001.51

As might be imagined, being captured for the second time did not deter so colourful a character as Cazzolli. Later in the summer he was moved from Malta to a PoW camp in Scotland, from where he and two others managed to escape in September, all three remaining on the run until the futility of their attempt compelled the men to give themselves up. Cazzolli, whose medical condition had

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deteriorated, was then transferred to London. When his health failed to improve, he was repatriated, and returned to Italy on 24 April 1943.52 Thirteen civilians who died at Ħamrun on Tuesday 26 May are believed to have been victims of a night raid that began at 01:09 and was over by 02:16. Other people were injured, some seriously. The next alarm was at 06:43, when enemy fighters commenced the first of several daylight incursions (a number of Jabos also attacked the Luqa area at dusk). The air raid sirens sounded for the seventh time between 15:19 and 15:59 hours. About eighteen enemy fighters crossed the coast at 27,000 feet. Spitfires of 603, 185 and 249 Squadrons were scrambled. Heavy anti-aircraft gunners assisted with target location by firing pointer rounds. Pilot Officer Leslie Barlow and Flying Officer Richard Mitchell, both of 603 Squadron, were each credited with shooting down a Reggiane Re.2001. Flight Lieutenant Lester Sanders of the same unit claimed to have damaged another. (An R/T monitor also noted at 15:34 that Flight Lieutenant McNair claimed a Bf 109, followed one minute later by another. However, according to his log book, ‘Buck’ McNair did not take to the air on this date.) In the event, one Re.2001 definitely failed to return. It crashed with the loss of Capitane Annibale Sterzi, commander of 358 a Squadriglia C.T. The RAF reported that the aircraft came down on Safi airstrip, near Gudja, while the pilot fell midway between Bir id-Deheb and Il-Marnisi; according to the Malta Police, the Italian fighter ‘crashed in a field in the limits of Ghaxaq’.53 The likely location is the southern outskirts of the village. Flight Lieutenant Barnham was a distant spectator, witnessing the crash from his mess at Naxxar: I did see an aircraft trailing smoke in a steepening dive disappear almost vertically behind the church in the distance. It may have been one of those that crashed on Luqa, a 109 and a Macchi 202 [sic], the pilot baled out of the second but it was travelling too fast and when he pulled the rip-cord the parachute burst. The machine carried on, so I am told, vertically into the ground and disappeared in a bubble of flame; several seconds afterwards there was a rising shriek and reaching its crescendo a dull report.54

* Six Wellingtons of 104 Squadron were dispatched to bomb Catania aerodrome during the night of 29–30 May. Five reached the target and dropped a total of 17,630 pounds of high explosive, fragmentation and incendiary bombs. One aircraft attempted to return after one of its two engines failed. In an effort to remain airborne, all armaments and some bombs were jettisoned. But three bombs remained, their weight drastically affecting the performance of the aircraft. On reaching Malta, the other engine stopped. According to the War Diary of 11th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers, ‘Wellington [was] returning from operations,

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during which it was badly damaged by A.A., crashed at pt. 427248 – on L’IMRIHEL Feature – Three of crew thought to have been dead when plane crashed.’55 Personnel of the Royal Malta Artillery rescued the pilot, Sergeant Raymond Hills, and second pilot, Sergeant Eric Martin. Flight Sergeants George Davis and Kenneth Ross and Sergeants Andrew McColl and Elwyn Roberts all died. Sergeant Martin succumbed to his injuries eight days later. Another Wellington crashed on its return to Luqa aerodrome, but without resulting in any casualties.

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CHAPTER 8

JUNE–SEPTEMBER 1942 Thirteen Spitfires from 601 and 185 Squadrons took to the air between 09:00 and 09:20 on 2 June in response to a raid comprising three Italian bombers and a large number of escorting fighters. Seven Spitfires of 249 Squadron followed when the raid was underway. Reggiane Re.2001 pilots, Maresciallo Luigi Jellici and Sergente Giovanni Dringoli of 2o Gruppo Autonomo C.T., and Tenente Carlo Miani of 360 a Squadriglia C.T., flying an MC.202, all apparently claimed a Spitfire destroyed.1 There were also claims by several Spitfire pilots. Dringoli’s machine may have belly-landed in Sicily as a result of battle damage. The only definite loss on either side, however, was Pilot Officer John Halford of 185 Squadron. He was shot down and ditched his Spitfire VC in the north of Marsaxlokk Bay, from where he was picked up by Seaplane Tender 338. An attempt to tow the Spitfire into shallow water was unsuccessful and it was left in some 24 feet of water, not far from the Ju 87 that had ditched there in April. With sufficient Spitfires now at Malta, towards the end of May, 229 Squadron had departed with their Hurricanes for the Middle East. Three were lost en route; two pilots became prisoners of war, the other evaded capture. On 3 June, thirty-one Spitfires took off from HMS Eagle; all but four reached Malta. Just six days later, the carrier delivered another thirty-two Spitfires, nearly all of which landed without mishap. One of the newly arrived pilots was Sergeant George Beurling, a Canadian who was subsequently assigned to 249 Squadron. ‘Laddie’ Lucas was to be his commanding officer. George Beurling was untidy, with a shock of fair, tousled hair above penetrating blue eyes. He smiled a lot and the smile came straight out of those striking eyes … He was highly strung, brash and outspoken.2

He was also, ‘a positive master of air combat and possessed phenomenal skills in deflection gunnery’, according to American Pilot Officer Leo Nomis, who recalled that of all the fighter pilots in Malta: ‘The only person I ever met who liked it there was Beurling.’3 On 12 June, ‘Screwball’ Beurling, as he became known, was involved in his first action over Malta when he claimed to have shot the tail off a Bf 109. Though credited with only a ‘damaged’, he then went on to run up a string of victories including twentysix aircraft destroyed (in addition to two Focke Wolfe 190s claimed over Europe the month before) until he was shot down and wounded in October 1942. Meanwhile, Convoys ‘Vigorous’ and ‘Harpoon’ made a simultaneous attempt to reach Malta, the former from the Middle East and the latter via Gibraltar. After

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suffering heavy losses, ‘Vigorous’ was aborted. With Malta-based aircraft providing air cover, the survivors of Operation ‘Harpoon’ continued to battle through. Two merchantmen reached the island, as did HMS Welshman on another unescorted run. There was a nuisance raid in the early hours of 17 June by a single Italian bomber of 277 a Squadriglia B.T. A Beaufighter was scrambled but without intercepting the intruder, which went on to drop bombs harmlessly in the area of Mellieħa. Soon afterwards, the enemy aircraft was targeted by heavy AA and shot down in flames close to Bishop Caruana Street, Żebbuġ. John Galea recalled: The BR 20 came down just off the cemetery with a big roar … It was carrying incendiaries and had not yet released them. Hence it burned for a long time illuminating the cemetery chapel. … All five [of the crew] perished – bits and pieces were scattered around and patches of blood remained on the nearby building for some time. I still have a few pieces of metal from the airframe in my possession.4

* A Fleet Air Arm Albacore crashed on Friday morning 19 June, soon after taking off from Ħal Far for a test flight. Privates Sutton and Downs, and Lance Corporals Williams and Winsor of 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment hurried to the scene and extricated the wounded pilot, Sub Lieutenant P. A. Jordan. The observer, Sub Lieutenant Richard Todd, did not survive. Battalion personnel also extinguished several small fires in the surrounding area that resulted from the explosion of a torpedo carried by the aircraft. Between the hours of 23:28 and 00:13 during the night of 24–25 June there was a raid involving two Ju 87s of 239 a Squadriglia Tuffatori, when bombs fell at Mellieħa and in the sea. Flying Officer R. C. ‘Moose’ Fumerton and his observer, probably Pilot Officer L. P. S. (Pat) Bing, were airborne in an 89 Squadron Detachment Beaufighter. They were credited with the destruction of one Ju 87; anti-aircraft gunners appear to have also claimed the same aircraft. The Picchiatello crashed at Qasam San Ġorġ, near Kerċem, in Gozo. The body of Aviere Scelto Pietro Gianini was found close by. The pilot, Sottotenente Fulvio Papalia, survived and was taken into police custody before being handed over to military authorities. During interrogation, Papalia maintained that after flying south past Malta, a radiator defect had caused his aircraft to catch fire. He had therefore turned towards Gozo and ordered Gianini to bale out before he, too, abandoned the aircraft. It had, he said, been his first night flight. Papalia clearly made an impression on his interrogator, who recorded: P/W’s Roman blood together with his Southern upbringing have produced a very decent, intelligent and security minded man. He refused to answer any question, even when disguised in a harmless conversation, that might have the slightest bearing

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on military matters. His morale is very high and his faith in Italy and “the cause” exemplary. This interrogation has, consequently been a failure, but as it is obvious that the P/W is a man of knowledge and experience, I venture to recommend that he be sent to M.E. [Middle East] by quickest route and placed in the hands of the “K” people there.5

* On 21 June, Tobruk in Libya changed hands yet again, this time falling to the Deutsches Afrikakorps. At the end of the month, 601 Squadron departed Malta to join the hard-pressed RAF in North Africa. Meanwhile, II. Fliegerkorps was being reinforced with Ju 88s and Bf 109s transferred from other sectors, while the Regia Aeronautica also increased its forces in Sicily. July began with a renewed Axis offensive against Malta that would continue for the next two weeks. There were eleven air raid warning in the twenty-four hours to midnight on 2 July. On two occasions, no aircraft appeared over the island and two initially unidentified aircraft turned out to be friendly; there were seven bombing raids or fighter incursions. At 19:46, two Italian bombers, identified as Z.1007s, approached with up to fifteen escorting fighters and proceeded to drop bombs on Luqa and Ħal Far. Spitfires of 249 and 185 Squadrons engaged the Italian fighters. Canadian Flight Sergeant C. S. G. (Gerry) de Nancrede of 249 Squadron was shot up in a head-on attack, and crash-landed his damaged fighter at Ta’ Qali. In turn, Spitfire pilots claimed two MC.202s destroyed and three Bf 109s damaged, although it is uncertain whether any Luftwaffe machines were actually involved. In the event, two Macchis of 151a Squadriglia C.T. were lost, both falling to 185 Squadron. Flight Sergeant Haydn Haggas accounted for one Macchi that fell into the sea off Sliema. The pilot baled out and was taken prisoner. Flying Officer J. Stoop shot down another. This crashed in a field in the area of Qasam Barrani, west of Mellieħa. The remains of the pilot, Sergente Maggiore Alberto Porcarelli, were found in the wreckage.6 Several enemy fighters crossed the coast at high altitude between 08:44 and 09:42 the next day, 3 July. Twelve Spitfires of 126 Squadron were airborne. Although neither side made any claims, two Spitfires were lost. Due to a defective constant speed unit, one came down off the coast. Pilot Officer F. D. Thomas baled out and was picked up safely soon afterwards. The other Spitfire dived headlong into a field near Siġġiewi, apparently as a result of engine failure. Such was the impact that both 20mm Hispano cannon were firmly lodged in bedrock. (Efforts to remove them were unsuccessful and one cannon – less working parts – and the barrel of the other were left in situ, an unintentional yet impressive monument to the air battle of Malta.) American Pilot Officer Richard McHan baled out and landed close to his crashed Spitfire. He was taken to an army medical aid post and there treated for concussion, a broken ankle and lacerations.

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McHan would have double cause to celebrate that day. Not only had he survived being shot down, but he was also promoted to Flying Officer. There is an entry in the War Diary of 2nd Battalion The King’s Own Malta Regiment at 22:18 hours on 16 July: ‘J.U. 88 crashes at KAURA TOWER. Four crew were killed. R.A.F. and “C” Coy provide guard.’7 No Ju 88s were lost over Malta on that particular night. Only one Ju 88 ever crashed on land at Qawra and this occurred during a night raid between 00:15 and 01:24 hours on 4 July. Three Beaufighters of 89 Squadron were serviceable and all seem to have been airborne. Of fourteen enemy aircraft plotted, ten crossed the coast. Flight Lieutenant H. G. ‘Nick’ Edwards (pilot) and Sergeant James Trebell (observer) in Beaufighter callsign Stallion 41 attacked two Ju 88s. M7+GK of 2./Kampfgruppe 806 and 3Z+BM of 4./Kampfgeschwader 77 were lost. There were no survivors from either aircraft. One crashed offshore; the other was brought down in conjunction with heavy anti-aircraft guns and crashed in flames near Fra Ben Tower at Qawra. The next alert did not occur until 08:48 hours. Luqa aerodrome appeared to be the target, although the nearby villages of Luqa and Żurrieq also suffered. At least one civilian was killed and two were injured. Ten Spitfires of 249 Squadron were scrambled to intercept three S.84s that arrived with a large number of fighters. All three Savoias, misidentified by the RAF as Z.1007s, were claimed destroyed, as recounted by Squadron Leader ‘Laddie’ Lucas: We were close to 27,000 feet, flying north, with the sun behind us, and nicely placed at about five o’clock from Grand Harbour, when Woody’s sonorous bass voice gave the news we wanted. ‘Tiger leader, eighty plus approaching St Paul’s Bay now, angels seventeen to twenty thousand. You should see them very soon at twelve o’clock six or seven thousand feet below you. Come in now and come in fast. There are some little jobs [enemy fighters] in your vicinity, but below you; so watch your tails.’ I was glad I had had the time to add another 2000 or 3000 feet to our altitude. With such numerical odds stacked against us, it generated confidence in the Squadron to know the enemy was below. The two section leaders and I spotted our prey almost simultaneously, dead ahead and some 6000 or 7000 feet below. Down-sun the gaggle was silhouetted against the hazy blue of the Mediterranean. ‘OK, Woody,’ I said, ‘we see them. Thanks. Out.’ Three Italian Cant Z 1007 bombers, with a strong escort of Me 109s, flying beautifully in their usual wide-open formation of fours in line abreast, were in quite a tight VIC, a hallmark of the Regia Aeronautica. Well astern of them was a token force of Macchi 202s and Reggiane 2001s also flying a tighter formation than their Luftwaffe counterparts. The raid looked to be heading for the airfield at Halfar, with a saver for Luqa. To an old island hand, the three Cants were an obvious decoy to tempt the defending Spitfires into battle while the superior forces of the Axis turned their guns on them. 249

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weren’t to be fooled with that kind of ruse. Surprise, born of height, sun and position, and a super-fast closing speed was the only plausible antidote for such a trap. With our extra height and the sun now blazing behind us, we clearly hadn’t been spotted. My instructions to the Squadron, with Raoul Daddo-Langlois leading Blue section to my left and Jack Rae and his No. 2, making Yellow section to my right, were necessarily concise. With such an experienced lot, they could have followed the tactics blindfold. ‘OK, fellers,’ I said, ‘turning hard to port and going down now. My Red section will take the bomber to the port of the VIC. Raoul, you and Blue section take the starboard bomber. And Jack, you and your number two, cover Red and Blue sections as we go in. If you’re not engaged, and have the chance, take a good poke at the leading big job. After the attack, all Tiger aircraft are to break downwards fast and go straight down to the deck. There are far too many 109s about to stay and mix it. ‘OK, Raoul?’ ‘Roger.’ ‘And Jack, OK?’ ‘Roger.’ ‘Right, fellers, going in now. Let’s get in close to the bombers’. The plan worked. With all the advantage of being unseen, and with height, sun and speed compounding the opportunity, we cut straight through the opposing fighters and closed quickly with three bombers, seconds before the escort spotted us. It was a diamond-sharp bounce, a chance in a thousand. My emotions, as we tore through a covey of unsuspecting ‘dirty black crosses’, and on to the three bombers, are vivid still. I had no feeling of apprehension or fear – only a buoyed-up excitement and determination to close right in with the port bomber and take a shot which might never recur. Every atom of concentration I possessed was riveted on the port Cant as Red section swung naturally in behind me and we turned a beam into a nicely curved quarter attack. It was all over in seconds as these interceptions always were. But it had produced, for me, exactly the sense of exhilaration which I had become accustomed to on the Rugby football field … A quick look in the rear mirror confirmed that only Red 2, 3 and 4, each immaculately positioned, were behind. Then, disregarding the Italian rear gunners’ rather desultory fire, I pressed the attack on the port Cant until, at what seemed like point-blank range, I let the shells from the four cannons in my Spitfire VC rip into the port side of the aircraft’s fuselage and engine. The bomber seemed almost to be disintegrating as I flew through a mass of debris severed from airframe and port motor. As I broke away fast downwards, telling the rest of my section to follow, I could see the 109 escort spreadeagling all over the sky as the leaders suddenly became alive to the enormity of the affront to which 249 and Woodhall had subjected them. A schwärm of four Messerschmitts gave a face-saving chase after my section, but they were too late. As our speed built up in the dive for the deck, and we turned now and then towards them, they never had a hope of getting inside us with a worthwhile deflection shot.

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Meanwhile, an upward glance or two told me that the three Cants, in various stages of disrepair, were falling out of the sky. The port aircraft, which I had attacked, was ablaze and smoking, shortly to plunge into the sea 5 miles or so from Delimara Point. I was glad to see two parachutes open from it. The starboard aircraft, which Daddo-Langlois and his aggressive Canadian No.  2, Bob Middlemiss, had sent smoking earthwards, looked as if it must crash within gunshot of Halfar. Finally, the leading bomber, which had been Jack Rae’s responsibility with his No. 2, was streaming black smoke as it went into a terminal dive southwards before hitting the sea a few miles from Kalafrana. More parachutes were floating down from it. Jack’s attack on it, precisely timed to synchronize with those of Red and Blue sections on the two flanking bombers, was a professionally executed assault.8

It would seem that one damaged S.84 returned to Sicily and that two bombers were actually brought down. A 15a Squadriglia B.T. machine crashed in the Medi­ terranean.9 The other, of 14 a Squadriglia B.T., fell at Ta’ Ġarda, between Għaxaq and Birżebbuġa. The only survivor was the wireless operator, Aviere Scelto Arduino Pelleschi. It had been his first operation over Malta. Pelleschi was severely wounded when his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire shortly after releasing its bombs and prior to being attacked by 249 Squadron. He baled out into the sea and was rescued and brought ashore. Afterwards, several pilots involved in the destruction of the S.84s visited the Italian in hospital. He had lost one hand. The event left a lasting impression on Lucas, who assumed that Pelleschi’s injuries were the result of having been hit by a Spitfire’s 20mm cannon. Thereafter, the squadron leader discouraged his pilots from visiting badly wounded prisoners so that others might be spared a repetition of his own upsetting experience. There were two alerts in the early hours of 6 July. The first occurred just after midnight, but no enemy aircraft appeared and the all clear sounded minutes later. The second commenced at 03:36 and lasted just over an hour, as a dozen aircraft crossed the coast individually, before dropping bombs in various locations. Two Beaufighters had been scrambled at 03:05 and 03:10. Pilot Officer Neville Reeves with his observer, Sergeant A. A. ‘Mike’ O’Leary, accounted for one Ju 88. It crashed in a field close to Żammitello Palace, on the outskirts of Mġarr. At least two bodies were found amongst the wreckage.10 For years, an aileron from this aircraft was used as part of the roof on a farm outbuilding at the crash site. It was eventually put on display at a wartime air raid shelter in Mġarr that was reopened as a tourist attraction. Six Spitfires of 185 Squadron and eleven of 249 were scrambled shortly before 07:30 on 7 July to intercept several Ju 88s, escorted by Bf 109s and MC.202s. At Luqa, one Beaufort was destroyed and two others were damaged; an airman also sustained slight injuries. In the air, three Bf 109s and one MC.202 were claimed destroyed, and

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at least one Bf 109 and a Ju 88 were damaged. Axis losses cannot be verified. The RAF, however, lost three Spitfires, two of which were shot down by enemy fighters. Newly promoted Pilot Officer David ‘Nick’ Ferraby of 185 Squadron abandoned AB500 and parachuted to safety near Żebbuġ, while 249’s Flight Sergeant Bob Middlemiss baled out of BR251, coming down in the sea several miles off Kalafrana, from where he was picked up by HSL 128. Another 249 Squadron Spitfire, BR165, was hit by anti-aircraft fire, losing its tail. The pilot, Flight Sergeant Thurne ‘Tommy’ Parks, baled out and also landed at Żebbuġ. All three pilots were injured. Describing his involvement in this action, Ferraby wrote: First 2 Spits to take off left a dust cloud right down the take off track. This was a track kept clear of shrapnel after raids … I took off by myself as close to the dust cloud as I could, hoping I wouldn’t puncture. My No 2 failed to take off due to dust. I hoped I would be able to join up with some other Spits, but as is often the case, I didn’t see a plane in the sky & climbed to 10,000 ft by myself. I can’t have kept a good enough look out, because soon there was a loud bang & flames belted into the right side of cockpit. Hood was open (we mostly flew with them open for better visibility), I pulled harness release handle & shot half out cockpit. I have very long thighs & my knees jammed on rim of windscreen. Still got the scars. So I had to pull myself back in & straighten my legs. Parachute had caught on head pad, which sticks out a few inches behind one’s head. ’Plane was going down at about 45° with engine still on. Forgot to shut throttle & there was no control from stick. Anyway I got out in the end & pulled rip cord. I much enjoyed floating down & saw a Spit circling me. Turned out it was [Flight Sergeant William] Dodd, Canadian & a good pal – Just missed a 10’ wall in a village. ’Chute went in over the wall & I landed in a lane. I suppose all the women who gathered round didn’t know if I was English or Jerry, but they kept touching my bleeding knees for some reason. Burns were just down my right leg from knee down, (I’d been flying in shorts & gym shoes).11

When queried as to where his aeroplane came down, Ferraby commented: As far as I can tell, my Spitfire, after I’d baled out, showed a plume of smoke for a while & flew itself, gradually losing height, till it more or less landed in the sea somewhere. I should think on the S. East side of the island.12

Local resident John Galea expressed a different opinion: I am positive that both David Ferraby and his Spitfire fell in the same area, David against a wall in a narrow street … and his plane in a field not far from his fall. I spoke to a woman who was a [young] girl then who told me that she remembers seeing the plane going round in circles at speed until it crashed in a low-lying field beside a chapel. … I saw David sitting in a RAF jeep with those who came to pick him up just off the church.13

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In September 1998, Spitfire fragments were discovered in a field overlooked by the Chapel of Our Lady of the Abandoned, on the outskirts of Żebbuġ, exactly where Galea had indicated. But the likelihood is that they are part of the Spitfire from which Flight Lieutenant Hugh Johnston had baled out on 6 May 1942. Where, then, did the Spitfires piloted by Ferraby and Parks come down? According to the Malta Police, on 7 July 1942, one Spitfire crashed in a field near Attard Road, in the limits of Qormi.14 If Attard Road is the present-day Triq Ħ’Attard, this would refer to the thoroughfare connecting Attard and Żebbuġ (west of Qormi). The Air Raid Police noted that two Spitfires came down on land: one in the limits of Żebbuġ at 07:55 and another three minutes later at Cannon Road (presumably present-day Triq il-Kanun), Ħamrun.15 The RAF also recorded that two Spitfires fell on land and were burnt out, one at map reference 428246, in the area of Ta’ San Ġwakkin, near Qormi (and some 1,500 yards west of Triq il-Kanun). This appears to be supported by a compass bearing apparently taken from XHB 10 heavy anti-aircraft gun position. Local aviation enthusiast Robert Farrugia has ascertained that an aircraft did indeed crash in the vicinity. A second map reference, 42237, is missing one crucial digit.16 Even so, it cannot be linked to the crash site near the Chapel of Our Lady of the Abandoned, the wartime map reference of which is 409226. Neither can it indicate Triq il-Kanun. However, if the incomplete map reference were to read 412237, it would refer to a rural area just north of Żebbuġ and east of Triq Ħ’Attard, a location that is supported by a second compass bearing taken when the Spitfires crashed. Based on available evidence, therefore, one of the two Spitfires seems to have crashed near Triq Ħ’Attard, while the other fell a short distance west of Ta’ San Ġwakkin at Wied is-Sewda. During the next raid, two Spitfires were shot down (both apparently crashed into the Mediterranean). Once again HSL 128 put out, rescuing both pilots, one of whom sustained leg and eye injuries. Two more Spitfires were damaged and a pilot was wounded. The third and last daylight raid was even more costly. Late in the afternoon, fighters escorted five high-flying Z.1007s which crossed the coast at Marfa before dropping bombs over south-east Malta. But it was not only bombs that caused casualties. Whenever anti-aircraft shells exploded overhead, there followed a potentially deadly hail of steel fragments. On this occasion, AA splinters wounded a 6-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl and resulted in the death of Lance Bombardier Francis Vella-Haber of 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Malta Artillery. Spitfires of 126 and 185 Squadrons had scrambled in good time for the raid, during which the latter unit lost two machines, together with Flight Sergeants Haydn Haggas and Peter Terry, one of whom probably fell to Reggiane pilot Maresciallo Olindo Simionato of 150 a Squadriglia C.T.17 Flight Sergeant Jack Yarra of 185 Squadron escaped injury when his aircraft was damaged in combat and he had to crash-land, though not before he had claimed two Re.2001s destroyed. Pilot Officer W. L. Miller

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of 126 Squadron and Flight Sergeant J. E. MacNamara of 185 were credited with damaging one and two Cants respectively. A Z.1007bis of 60 a Squadriglia B.T., piloted by Tenente Francesco Antonelli, was hit by AA and blew up over Siġġiewi. Some of the wreckage came down on a farmhouse; other parts fell nearby at Ta’ l-Għasfur. George Boffa, then a young boy, witnessed the event: I remember seeing the five planes in perfect formation, quite high, and being fired upon by the A.A. The second plane was hit, started to billow smoke and coming down gradually. It was hit again and the tail section together with part of the fuselage broke off and I can still remember seeing it tumbling down. Two dots – i.e. two of the crew – could be identified leaving the tail section and in a few seconds their parachutes billowed out. Perfect! But not for long because suddenly two A.A. puffs appeared right in the middle between the two parachutes which were not too far apart.18

Of the five-man crew, four were reported to have baled out. None survived. The Italians also lost an MC.202 of 353a Squadriglia C.T., together with the pilot, Tenente Fabrizio Cherubini, but it is not clear whether this occurred in the morning raid or during the afternoon. Malta’s first raid the next day, 8 July, began shortly after 07:30 and involved seven Ju  88s and escorting fighters. Bombs were dropped at and in the vicinity of Luqa aerodrome, where a Beaufighter was slightly damaged. Eight Spitfires of 603 Squadron and several of 126 were already airborne. At 07:29, eight Spitfires of 249 Squadron were also scrambled. In all, ten pilots would be credited with a total of three Bf 109s destroyed, one probable, and a number of fighters and bombers damaged. However, Luftwaffe records indicate that all their fighters returned to base. The RAF reported the loss of two Spitfires. On being scrambled soon after 06:30, Flight Lieutenant Lester ‘Sandy’ Sanders had led 603 Squadron’s B Flight to intercept the raid. He and Pilot Officer Neville King attacked a Messerschmitt and left it emitting black smoke. The pair then turned their attention to some departing Ju 88s. Sanders attacked one, but was hit by retaliatory fire in the middle of his armoured windscreen. The Spitfires disengaged, but they were perilously low. According to Squadron Leader Douglas-Hamilton, as King was turning, a wing dipped into the sea, causing the aircraft to spin out of control and crash into the Mediterranean.19 A quite different account is attributed to Unteroffizier Horst ‘King’ Schlick of 1./Jagdgeschwader 77, flying as No. 2 to Leutnant Heinz-Edgar ‘Mac’ Berres. Schlick claimed that he shot down the Spitfire in flames off the north coast of Comino following a head-on attack.20 Leutnant Berres then pursued Sanders at low level around the island of Gozo. Before long, with the Spitfire engine hit in the glycol coolant system and in imminent danger of seizing, Sanders was forced to ditch, coming down in Gozo’s Marsalforn Bay. Overhead, Berres and Schlick circled the

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scene as Sanders struggled to escape his sinking Spitfire. The German pilots made no attempt to intervene, allowing a small boat to put out to rescue Sanders, whose only injuries were cuts and a bruised eye as a result of hitting his face on the gun-sight during the crash. Spitfire VC BR108 remained submerged in only 10 metres (33 feet) until the sum­ mer of 1973, when the engine, cockpit section and port wing were recovered. Today, the battle-damaged Rolls Royce Merlin may be seen at Malta’s National War Museum. Shortly before 09:00 on 9 July, six Ju 88s, escorted by an estimated twenty fighters, raided Ta’ Qali, where an airman was wounded and a bus destroyed. 126, 603 and 249 Squadrons each scrambled eight Spitfires. There were claims for two Ju 88s damaged. Anti-aircraft gunners were more successful and achieved a direct hit on one of the bombers. One of the crew baled out, only for his parachute to catch on the tail of the doomed aircraft, which crashed in flames on buildings in Callus Street, Mosta. There were no survivors from the 9./Kampfgeschwader 77 machine. There were five air raid warnings during daylight hours on 11 July. Three of these developed into bombing raids. The first was a high-level attack that commenced at about 09:26 and involved up to seven Ju 88s escorted by fighters. At Ta’ Qali, a petrol bowser was destroyed and a diesel roller slightly damaged. Bombs fell in residential areas. Several civilians were killed and of those injured, more than twenty were deemed to be in a serious condition. AA guns engaged and thirteen Spitfires took to the air (two were recalled after only a few minutes due to unsuitable weather conditions). There were at least two claims by 249 Squadron – a Bf 109 destroyed by Flight Lieutenant Raoul DaddoLanglois and a bomber damaged by Squadron Leader ‘Laddie’ Lucas.21 Pilot Officer J. A. (Jerry) Smith of 126 Squadron, who was watching events from his mess at St Julian’s Bay, witnessed the terminal dive of the Messerschmitt: Stood on porch watching raid and we saw a long spiral at about 2000 ft – a 109 had been shot up. Pilot bailed out. The aircraft came streaking down and crashed straight into a rock about 300 yards from us. We could see the markings clearly. Got tail wheel as souvenir.22

Leutnant Franz Schiess and Leutnant Heinz Riedel of Stab/Jagdgeschwader 53 had been covering a straggling Ju 88 when the latter’s aircraft was struck by AA fire. Riedel informed Schiess that he was returning to base. After breaking away and scanning the sky behind and above, he saw several Spitfires about to attack. Moments later, his aircraft was hit again and this time severely damaged. Riedel baled out and landed at Mqabba, where he was taken prisoner by men of D Company, 2nd Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment. According to wartime records, Riedel’s Messerschmitt fell in the area of Ta’ Ġiorni Battery. Jerry Smith’s diary entry indicates that the crash occurred nearer to St Julian’s.

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Notwithstanding an extensive search, the precise location has eluded researchers, but it is likely that the spot is now within a built-up area. On 14 July, Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park took over as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) from Air Vice-Marshal Lloyd. Soon after his appointment, the new AOC issued an order for raids to be intercepted en route to Malta in an attempt to force the bombers to jettison their loads before they could cross the coast. The tactic duly became standard procedure. Sunday 19 July was relatively quiet but not without event. During the day, Sergeant D. J. (Danny) Hartney, a Canadian in 185 Squadron, was injured in a landing accident. In the morning there was a reconnaissance by Bf 109s. At 14:43 hours, the sirens sounded for a second time. Four Spitfires of 126 Squadron took off at 14:44; four more took to the air three minutes later. About a dozen enemy fighters approached Malta, nine of which crossed the coast. At 15:01, the enemy came into view and a number of aerial engagements took place. One Spitfire crashed near Luqa. The pilot was another Canadian, Sergeant Joseph Otis, who baled out too low for his parachute to deploy, falling to his death 300 yards from the wreckage of his Spitfire. The likely victor was Leutnant Hans-Joachim Glass (3./Jagdgeschwader 77), who was credited with having shot down a Spitfire at about the same time. An unconfirmed claim was apparently also made by Stabsfeldwebel Helmut Goedert (1./Jagdgeschwader 77). There were two raids during the night of 20–21 July, the second occurring between 22:52 and 00:25 hours. Eight aircraft crossed the coast and proceeded individually towards their objectives, their bombs falling in the areas of Żejtun, Luqa (where a Baltimore was damaged), Safi and Ħal Far and in the sea. The crew of a Beaufighter, airborne from the previous raid, reported seeing one aircraft flying 1,000 feet above and in the opposite direction to themselves, but were unable to intercept. However, AA gunners claimed three Ju 88s, as related by Stan Fraser: Last night we witnessed a fine example of the co-operation which has developed between the forces on this island. The moon is nearing the half now and so the enemy’s night activity is increasing. At about 10-30 p.m. – I was writing by the light of a candle at the time – the siren sounded, heralding the approach of the enemy raiders and after a short interval I heard the drone of their engines overhead. Upon going out into the moonlight I could see the target, already illuminated at the apex of a concentration of searchlight beams. The moon was almost full &, with the searchlights, caused a beautiful pool of light to be reflected in the waters of the bay below. I ran for my camera, & placed it in a good position to take a time exposure by the aid of this light and also by the lights of the guns which intermittently flashed, as the enemy planes were greeted by the gunners. Within a minute of the plane being caught

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in the beams, it crashed near the centre of the island and burst into flame. I took a photo just as it crashed.23

The 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 machine came down on the northern edge of Kirkop, demolishing a farm building in the process. All four crewmen were killed and their remains later ‘buried at sea’ at Wied iż-Żurrieq.24 Fraser’s account continues: This was a hectic half hour! No sooner had this plane crashed than another was caught in the beams as it crossed the coast near the O.P. I thought I could see a trace of a smoke trail as it passed overhead, maybe it was the exhaust fumes, but as the A.A. shells burst around him he took strong avoiding action, let his bombs drop – they glistened in the beams as they fell – and then he dived straight down one beam & on into the sea, where he burst into flame on the water. Two victims within about ten minutes! Still another came in by the same way as the others &, as before, was caught & held in the beams, but not before several flares had been dropped over the bay, followed by several bombs, one of which, unfortunately, wiped out a Bofor gun detachment on the edge of the water. Their deaths were avenged however, when this third plane was brought down into the sea just off Delimara Point, causing another large spread of flame over the water. A.A. were responsible for definitely two of these victims, if not the third, which may have been lamed by a night fighter out at sea. However, the fact remains that it was a very creditable feat & a spectacle worth remembering.25

Among the casualties that night were Lance Sergeant Fidele Zarb and Gunners Saviour Sillato, Francis Baldacchino, Albert Zammit, Joseph Ellul and Francis Agius of 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Malta Artillery, who were all killed when their gun post (XLA 31) received a direct hit. Gunner Gauci, duty telephonist at B Troop Headquarters, was seriously wounded. Corporal William Hearl of 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment was also killed while visiting a beach patrol in the area. Two of the Ju 88s destroyed were credited to HAA and the third jointly to HAA and LAA. XHB 8, a gun position of 4th HAA Regiment located at Il-Mara (Bengħisa), claimed two of the bombers. Searchlights were also instrumental in the night’s work, the operators being highly praised in a letter to Brigadier C. J. Woolley from Major General C. T. Beckett, MC, Commander Royal Artillery: Will you please convey my congratulations to the 4th. S.L. Regt, RA & RMA for the excellent work they did on the night 20–21 July. They were not only very quick in initial pick-up, but once picked up, the drill for holding the targets which took great evasive action was excellent. As you know, three aircraft were destroyed that night, I am sure that not one of these would have been destroyed had it not been for Searchlight work. It was a great show of team work & drill co-operation. I am very pleased.26

*

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RAF losses during the first two weeks of July had been alleviated when HMS Eagle delivered thirty-one Spitfires on the 15th followed, on the 21st, by twenty-eight more. This enabled 1435 Flight, previously rendered ineffective as a Hurricane unit, to be reconstituted and equipped with Spitfires. Soon afterwards the unit was retitled 1435 Squadron. Not all losses were due to enemy action. Pilot Officer F. J. (Johnny) Sherlock, who had recently taken over the diary of 185 Squadron, recorded for 23 July: In the morning, P/O Dave Kent, while practising in a Hurricane for bombing Sicily, had the engine pack up on him on a take-off & crashed into the wrecked hangar & was unfortunately killed. Dave was a very keen type & we cannot afford to lose men like him.27

* Twenty-four Spitfires, equally divided between 1435 Flight, 185 and 126 Squadrons, were scrambled between 10:12 and 10:26 hours on Friday 24 July to intercept five Ju 88s escorted by approximately twenty fighters. (At least two more Spitfires were ordered to patrol offshore.) There were no losses among Malta’s fighter pilots, who were credited with a Bf 109 and three bombers destroyed, with further claims for aircraft probably destroyed and damaged. Luftwaffe records confirm the loss of just one Ju 88. This appears to have fallen to Pilot Officer R. I. A. (Rod) Smith, a Canadian in 126 Squadron, who was credited with shooting down his first enemy aircraft: We were vectored onto five Ju 88s coming south at 18,000 ft. We met them at their height virtually over the centre of the island. Their fighter escort was lagging badly behind them. They were several hundred yards to our left. I was on the front left corner of our formation of eight, and therefore nearest to them. I began my 180 degree turn to port, to get in behind them, slightly ahead of the rest of our pilots. I came in behind and made a port quarter attack on the one on the extreme left of their formation, which was the nearest one of course. My Spitfire was a tropical VB, its two cannons having 60 round drums, good for only six seconds of fire. Its four Brownings had been ripped out immediately on its arrival in Malta, being almost ridiculous because they were .303 and not .50 (therefore being less than one quarter the weight of the latter) and couldn’t penetrate the armour which was installed in all military aircraft in 1940. Ripping them out eliminated 200 lbs of weight, but the considerable installation drag of their many little bumps and holes remained. I chose the port engine of the 88 to start with (a bigger target from behind than a 109 in fact) and fired a six second burst, from 250 yards closing to 150, emptying both drums of course. The port engine immediately streamed black and white smoke and caught fire, and I shifted my aim to the wing root and then the fuselage, both of which became enveloped in flames. (Glycol gave off white smoke, fuel black; the white

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didn’t last long as there were only a few gallons of glycol for each engine.) The whiteness of fuel-fed flames surprised me, as I had thought they would be orange. Many pieces came off the aircraft. When I finished firing I broke violently down into a diving aileron turn to the left, and kept in it until my ailerons hardened up, my speed being well over 400 mph by then. When I came out of the dive I was all alone and saw the 88 coming down streaming fire and smoke in a great downward arc to the south. I then noticed a parachute high up over the centre of the island, and I could see the figure of the man in it. I hadn’t noticed anyone bale out but some of the pieces coming off the aircraft were quite large, and it was hard to distinguish between them and a man while concentrating on firing. I was back on the ground in a mere two or three minutes, my entire sortie being logged as 20 minutes.28

Pilot Officer Jerry Smith (who served in 126 Squadron together with his younger brother, Rod) noted: Got off late on a scramble. Joined the others just as they attacked the Bombers. Started to aim at Port J.U. 88, when Rod opened fire; it went down in flames. Moved over to next one and opened fire, putting port engine aflame. Was hit in glycol and force landed on Luqa (third time this month). A Sergeant saw my J.U. 88 go into the sea.29

Rod’s own account continues: 126 Squadron’s dispersal was along the west-southwest quadrant of Luqa. We could see almost the whole of Malta from there. The arc of black smoke the 88 had trailed behind it remained in the air for quite a long time. The wreckage burned for a very long time, giving off a pillar of black smoke all the while. The ground crew brought me a burnt piece of aluminium sheeting they said had fluttered down to the aerodrome from the 88. The parachute seemed to take ages to come down, and it drifted slowly to the north. As it got close to the ground it disappeared behind a low ridge to the northwest.30

It would appear that after Rod Smith’s action, Spitfires of 185 Squadron became involved in attacking the same formation. Sergeants Claude Weaver and A. Drew were credited with the joint destruction of one Ju 88. Sergeant Leonard Reid, who attacked another, reported: Intercepted four Ju88s together with large fighter escort. Dived straight down on one at a 45° angle, opening up with cannon at 500 yards closing in to 100 yards, giving one long burst. Hit top of cockpit and starboard engine which immediately gave off black smoke and [it] went into a spin. One Ju88 destroyed.31

The police later filed a report that an enemy bomber had crashed in flames in fields in the limits of Qrendi; one of the crew had baled out injured, and the remains of

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two airmen were found in the wreckage of their aircraft.32 The body of the pilot was discovered in a field at Tal-Ħandaq. He had been decapitated, apparently by shrapnel from an AA burst, according to former Lance Bombardier Richard McDonald of 7th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment: About two months later our Medical Orderly, Bdr. Griffin, brought me to his bunk and said “Have a look at this, Mac” He opened his soldiers box and there he had an Iron Cross and inscribed on it was Herman [sic] Zepp and his rank – Poland 1939. Also, [Lieutenant] Teddy Rose had his diary. We went through it together. Teddy could speak a bit of German. It was this bloke’s third time over Malta. It also contained the addresses of some women in Vienna where he had been stationed.33

The Ju 88 crashed about a mile from Qrendi, between the ancient ruins of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim, a fairly barren area on the south coast. Howard Bell thought there must have been no survivors from the aircraft, which was brought down close to his gun position (XHB 10): I went to the site of the crash not being on manning duty that day with others, and a Maltese boy. We picked up remnants of bodies in sandbags, the crash and explosion was so bad … no one could have survived.34

The airman who had baled out and was seen drifting to earth by Rod Smith was 20-year-old Leutnant Heinz Heuser. He was the only survivor and merited a special mention in the RAF interrogation report: The crew contained 2 Lieutenants one a pilot, the other Heuser the W/T Operator. This unusual feature results from the fact that until recently (probably 29/6/42) Heuser was a ground staff Officer (W/T). From June to December 1941, he was on the Russian Front and in November 1941 had his last leave at home in Germany. In the beginning of 1942 he was sent to Pantellaria where he worked for 2 months on the W/T Staff. He first started operational flying from Sicily from where he had made 11 flights over Malta, some by day and some by night.35

According to the same document: The P/W’s Junker was at 15,000 feet in formation when it was attacked from the port side and below by a Spitfire with the result that an engine was hit, the machine caught fire and only the P/W, the W/T.Operator, was able to bale out.36

In 1990, Rod Smith was amazed to receive a telephone call from Heuser, who had sought to contact the man responsible for shooting him down forty-eight years previously:

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Heinz’s first words to me were, “You saved my life!”. I’m sure he was right, but I didn’t tell him that was not my intention. I’m very glad it happened though. I was always glad to see enemy aircrew bale out; I was always keen to destroy enemy aircraft but not their crews.37

* There were ten air raid warnings during the twenty-four hours to midnight on Monday 27 July. The third sounded at 09:12, as German and Italian fighters escorted nine Ju 88s to their targets. Eight Spitfires of 126 Squadron were already airborne from the previous alert. About six 249 Squadron Spitfires and eight of 185 Squadron were scrambled as the raid approached. Shortly afterwards, two 603 Squadron aircraft took off to provide cover for a Catalina flyingboat. Both 126 and 249 Squadrons sighted the Ju 88s, but were unable to reach them in time to prevent Ta’ Qali from being bombed. A number of Spitfires were damaged on the ground and an unnamed officer was mortally wounded when a delayed action (DA) bomb exploded. The aerodrome was also rendered temporarily unserviceable (consequently 249 Squadron had to land at Luqa and 603 Squadron at Ħal Far). 126 Squadron caught up with the bombers but only after they had carried out their task. One Ju 88 was claimed probably destroyed and two damaged. 185 Squadron headed north from Kalafrana, but also failed to intercept the Ju 88s. The Spitfires then turned back, claiming a Bf 109 destroyed south of Gozo. Meanwhile, 249 Squadron had flown south-west of the island, where the enemy fighter escort was encountered turning north-west. Two MC.202s and three Bf 109s were claimed shot down, and a Bf 109 was claimed as damaged. At least two Macchis were destroyed, both by Sergeant George ‘Screwball’ Beurling of 249 Squadron: I spotted four Macchis running in line astern and took Number Four. They saw me coming and pulled into a climbing turn to the right. As they did I came up on my man’s starboard quarter and let him have a burst. It was a straight deflection shot which went into his engine and radiator. He flicked into a spin, but managed to pull out and crashlanded on Gozo, able to walk away from the mess. A second or so later I got Number Three exactly the same way. The poor devil simply blew to pieces in the air.38

Sergente Maggiore Faliero Gelli of 378 a Squadriglia C.T. crash-landed in a field at Ta’ Kuljat, in Gozo. The injured pilot was taken prisoner. Beurling’s second victim, Capitano Furio Niclot Doglio, commander of 151a Squadriglia C.T., was killed. The rudder of Gelli’s machine was dismantled and the ‘Cat and Mice’ emblem of 51o Stormo C.T. cut from the fuselage. Later, Beurling posed with the trophies for a rare photograph of Malta’s top-scoring fighter ace. There were three daylight raids on 28 July. The first took place between 08:35 and 09:20 hours and involved a high-level sweep off St Paul’s Bay by twenty-seven or so

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Bf 109s. Fifteen Spitfires were airborne, some of which were attacked before they could gain sufficient height. One Spitfire was shot down at 08:54 by Oberfeldwebel Herbert Rollwage of 5./Jagdgeschwader 53. At exactly the same time, Flight Sergeant R. H. Brown of 1435 Squadron was reported to have crashed into the sea off Dragunara Point. The pilot baled out and was picked up by a fishing boat and transferred soon afterwards to HSL 107. He was back on dry land within an hour. Another Spitfire of the same unit was lost during an attempted forced landing at Luqa; the pilot, Sergeant Donald Hubbard, did not survive. In addition to Rollwage’s success, German sources credit Oberfeldwebel Walter Brandt, Unteroffizier Karl-Heinz Witschke and Oberleutnant Siegfried Freytag, all of I./Jagdgeschwader 77, with having each shot down a Spitfire on this date. The second raid began at 11:30 and lasted just over half an hour. Two Ju 88s targeted Ħal Far, which was rendered temporarily unserviceable by craters and DA bombs. In the air, there were no losses on either side. The third attack began at 17:14 and was over by 17:47, but this time the Luftwaffe paid dearly. Three Ju 88s and about a dozen fighters were intercepted as they reached Malta. Spitfires of 185, 126 and 1435 Squadrons engaged, shooting down all the bombers and claiming a Bf 109 destroyed. Two of the Ju 88s crashed into the sea and the other came down on land. According to the RAF Daily Intelligence Summary, Squadron Leader Anthony Lovell of 1435 Squadron, Pilot Officer John Mejor of the same unit, and Wing Commander George Stainforth of 89 Squadron flying, on this occasion, with 1435, all shared in the destruction of one bomber, along with 126 Squadron’s Pilot Officer Rod Smith. Another was shared between Pilot Officers J. W. P. (Paul) Baril and James Guthrie of 185 Squadron, and Sergeants A. Tiddy and Nigel Park of 126, and a third between Pilot Officers Bill Thompson, Jerry Smith and F. D. Thomas, Flight Sergeant Gordon Farquharson and Flying Officer Ripley Jones, all of 126 Squadron. Pilot Officer Jerry Smith’s combat report reads: Turned port into bombers. Fired from 200 yards closing at port 88 a two or three second burst and aircraft immediately burst into flames around port engine and front of fuselage. It turned to port and down. I turned into the middle Ju 88 and fired a short burst and saw a trail of white smoke but cannot remember from which engine it came. Observed the starboard 88 going down almost vertically in flames. Also saw four Spits chasing an 88 at deck level 5 miles S.E. of Kalafrana, which trailed white smoke, turned to port and crashed into the sea.39

In his log book Jerry Smith noted in exasperation, ‘Only my machine guns fired – Bloody hell!’40 Years later, his brother, Rod, recalled his own involvement in the battle: This 88 was my second enemy aircraft destroyed. In the late afternoon the squadron, while being vectored northeast at 18,000 ft, intercepted three escorted Ju 88s heading west over Kalafrana Bay at the same height. We turned left into them and this time I was

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on the side farthest away and therefore last into them. One of the 109 escort came right down among us blazing away but we ignored him. As was common, most of our pilots attacked the nearest 88, the one on the left side of their formation, and a couple of them attacked the one in the centre. Both of them caught fire and started down in seconds. I flew across and opened fire at the port engine of the one on the far side, which no one else had attacked. I was flying a Mark VC, all of which originally arrived in Malta with four cannon but had had two ripped out on arrival because a single Merlin couldn’t possibly throw four cannons around with any panache. Each cannon was belt-fed with 120 rounds, good for 12 seconds of fire. The port engine of my 88 caught fire immediately, and I carried my aim into the port wing root and then the fuselage, and then the starboard engine, all of which caught fire also. The aircraft headed downwards but I kept firing for the full 12 seconds. Finally the engines came out, the wings came off, and all the burning pieces fell like a shower of golden rain. They fell into Kalafrana Bay, I would say midway between the towns [sic] of Kalafrana and Birzebbuga, but a quarter to half a mile from the shore. … I think that firing all my ammunition in one 12 second burst was an emotional reaction from being fired upon so often before, with rarely a chance to fire myself. (The 109F, which was the one the Huns used at that time, went much faster and went higher and got up there faster than we could.) A 12 second burst was unnecessary and very dangerous because every second spent looking through a gunsight when there were enemy fighters around was a second you were not watching your tail. I resolved never to fire longer than necessary in the future and I kept that resolution.41

Meanwhile, 185 Squadron had entered the fray. Pilot Officer Guthrie reported: I was flying Green two in a section of three. We climbed to 22,000 feet South of Zonker [Żonqor], and sighted three Ju.88’s. coming in at about 18,000 feet. All Green section dived towards these aircraft over Hal Far, but by the time we got near them, two had already been shot down. I delivered a short head-on attack on the remaining Ju.88 closing to 50 yds., and then pulled left on a climbing turn. When I completed the turn, the Ju.88 was going down in pieces. The Ju.88 was already damaged when I attacked it.42

Guthrie appears to have singled out the same Ju 88 seen by Jerry Smith with four Spitfires in pursuit. In his combat report, Wing Commander Stainforth stated that Squadron Leader Lovell ‘dived on a Ju.88 which was then untouched flying East, followed by the rest of the section’. Two crew members were seen to bale out before Stainforth commenced the first of two attacks, following which the aircraft, ‘went into a spiral dive in flames’.43 At 17:27 hours, Fighter Control Ops ‘B’ noted that three bombers were on fire. Three minutes later, it was logged that four bombers had been accounted for.44 Jerry Smith also noted that of the three Ju 88s intercepted by 126 Squadron: ‘All were in

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flames within fifteen seconds and a fourth 88 was shot down.’45 Yet, according to Luftwaffe records, three Ju 88s failed to return. On the basis of available information, it does seem that on this occasion the RAF Daily Intelligence Summary might be mistaken in its claims assessment. The likely sequence of events is that Sergeants Tiddy and Park, Pilot Officers Thompson, Jerry Smith and Thomas, Flight Sergeant Farquharson and Flying Officer Jones were all involved in attacking two of three Ju 88s. Pilot Officer Rod Smith was alone in attacking the third. The two bombers on the outside of the formation were thus disposed of. When Squadron Leader Lovell, Pilot Officer Mejor and Wing Commander Stainforth arrived, they pursued the damaged third aircraft. The same machine was attacked by Pilot Officer Guthrie and, probably, Pilot Officer Baril. At Kalafrana, Leading Aircraftman Phil Chandler, recorded in his diary: While having tea, three bombers came in and Spitfires and ack-ack engaged. Heard a cheer as one kite came down and, a few seconds later, another; but was too busy trying to pinch a bit of bread in the cook’s absence to go out. Then came a third cheer! I went to the door of the dining hall and saw an 88 diving and on fire, right above. One of the crew baled out, but his parachute only half opened and he would be lucky to get away with his life. The machine hit some buildings on the other side of the bay and became a huge mass of flames. Finished my tea and was just in time to see one of two more parachutists hit the sea not far out. Watched them brought in. One was said to be about sixteen, and had a hole through his arm.46

The 6./Kampfgeschwader 77 machine crashed at Wolseley Camp, just over a mile north of Delimara, in the south-east of the island. Wireless operator Unteroffizier Karl Bauer and gunner, Unteroffizier Gustav Frick, both baled out into the sea, from where they were picked up by Seaplane Tender 338 from Kalafrana. The pilot, Unteroffizier Albert Führer, and observer, Gefreiter Peter Bolten, did not survive. One of them, apparently the unfortunate airman whose parachute failed to deploy, fell near Fort Tas-Silġ. The corpse was kept overnight at an army post where, much to the disgust of the occupants, it quickly began to decompose in the scorching summer heat. The body was buried at sea off Il-Qali the next morning. Many on Malta were killed or maimed when they disturbed or tampered with bombs and munitions. During a lull between raids on 28 July, an off-duty policeman, Joseph Buhagiar, and his 10-year-old son, Carmel, died when a device was accidentally detonated at Wied iż-Żurrieq. Five children who were nearby were injured, one of them seriously. During the morning of 29 July, some sixteen Bf 109s and MC.202s approached Malta at a height of 28,000 feet. Six Ju 88s with a similar number of escorting fighters followed at 20,000 feet. Bombs were dropped harmlessly off the coast. Spitfires were

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airborne from 249, 185, 603 and 1435 Squadrons (the latter unit providing two Spitfires as air cover for minesweepers off Kalafrana). Two Bf 109s were claimed destroyed by 249 Squadron. Sergeant Ernie Budd believed he had shot off the fin and rudder of a Messerschmitt. Possibly, his victim was a Macchi that crashed in the sea. The pilot was picked up by a Royal Navy minesweeper. (The RAF subsequently recorded that the Macchi had suffered engine failure.) In turn, Sergeant Budd’s Spitfire was attacked and damaged. Sergeant George Beurling had a lucky escape when the hood was shot off his Spitfire. As the attacking Messerschmitt overtook him, Beurling seized the initiative: As Tiger Blue I [sic], attacked fifteen Me.109’s. over Grand Harbour, Dogfighting ensued for 15–20 minutes. Made an attack on one enemy aircraft from port quarter below; gave a 3 second burst cannon and machine gun fire; large pieces of enemy aircraft came off, then enemy aircraft’s gas tank exploded and the aircraft burned. Enemy aircraft struck the sea 1 mile North of Grand harbour.47

Beurling’s victim was Unteroffizier Karl-Heinz Witschke of 3./Jagdgeschwader 77, who was killed. On returning to Ta’ Qali, it appears that both Budd and Beurling crash-landed; one aircraft was written off. There were two claims by Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Oberfeldwebel Herbert Rollwage (5./Jagdgeschwader 53) claimed a Spitfire shot down at 10:11, followed, nine minutes later, by Oberleutnant Fritz Geisshardt (3./Jagdgeschwader 77). There was an alert for a Z.506B in the afternoon of Wednesday 29 July. Although intercepted by Spitfires, the floatplane was fortunate not to have been shot down, for when it alighted just offshore it was found to have on board a Beaufort crew of 217 Squadron. The four Malta-based airmen had been taken prisoner the day before, when their machine had been forced to ditch off southern Greece. While being flown to Italy, captives had overcome captors and seized control of the floatplane. It was subsequently put to use with Malta’s air sea rescue service before eventually being flown to the Middle East. On 30 July there were four daylight alerts, two of which resulted in aerial engage­ ments. Between 08:10 and 08:43 hours, an estimated twenty-six German and Italian fighters approached the island. Spitfires were airborne and interceptions took place over the sea, with claims on both sides. One Spitfire failed to return: Sergeant Colin Wood, a New Zealander, was killed. At 11:14, the alarm sounded again, as approximately twenty-seven Bf 109s neared Malta on a high-level sweep. Spitfires were already airborne from 603, 249 and 126 Squadrons. Sergeant David Ritchie, a Canadian in 126 Squadron, was forced to bale out from about 600 feet. Ritchie landed in the area of D Company, 11th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers, while his Spitfire crashed in the area of Tal-Ħandaq.

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According to German sources, three pilots were each credited with shooting down a Spitfire on this date. Oberleutnant Gerhard Michalski of 4./Jagdgeschwader 53 almost certainly shot down Sergeant Wood. Ritchie may have fallen to Oberleutnant Siegfried Freytag or Feldwebel Ottkar Pohl, both of 1./Jagdgeschwader 77. There was a half-hour alert at 14:12 on 2 August, when a number of fighters and up to four high-level bombers were reported to be approaching Malta. However, when 15 miles from Gozo, the bombers turned north, leaving only the fighters to continue. About twenty-five Spitfires intercepted the raid and a number of dogfights took place over Gozo and Comino. 185 Squadron lost two Spitfires together with the pilots. Sergeant Matthew McLeod, from New Zealand, was reported missing in Spitfire VC BR321. Pilot Officer James Guthrie in BR362 crashed in a field between Żebbieħ and Dwejra Lines. Both are likely to have been shot down by fighter pilots of II./Jagdgeschwader 53 and/or I./Jagdgeschwader 77. Pilot Officer Rod Smith, who was on readiness at the time, witnessed the demise of Guthrie: Amid bursts of cannon fire high-up we began to hear the unmistakeable whine of an aircraft in distress. The constant speed unit of an aircraft which had been hit hard in its engine usually failed to keep control of the engine rpm. This was because the oil pressure which adjusted the angle of the propeller blades (or the electrical power which adjusted the angle in the case of German propellers and some American ones) failed. A single engined aircraft so stricken usually went into a dive, and the increasing air stream past the propeller blades began to make them rotate so fast that the tips of the blades went faster than sound. This produced a whining roar which got louder and more high pitched as the speed of the dive increased. The whine we heard was coming from the southwest, and we soon spotted a Spitfire high up in that direction, coming down absolutely vertically, streaming a plume of flame and black smoke far behind it. The astonishing thing to me, besides the verticality of its dive, was that the aircraft did not rotate around its longitudinal axis in the slightest degree. The length of the plume, the speed of the dive and the whining roar became greater than any I ever experienced. No parachute was seen. When the aircraft hit the hard Malta ground a plume of flame and smoke shot up so fast and so high that it seemed as if it had been an entirely separate entity speeding upwards from the bowels of the earth to the point of impact at exactly the same speed as the aircraft coming down. The whining roar carried on for a considerable number of seconds after the impact, about five seconds for every mile it was away of course. The wreckage burnt for quite a while.48

* On 3 August, 229 Squadron, having been disbanded after leaving Malta at the end of May, was also re-formed as a Spitfire squadron, the nucleus of which was provided by pilots of 603 Squadron, which now ceased to operate as a Malta unit. *

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In the afternoon of Tuesday 4 August, Spitfires from three squadrons took off to intercept a high-level sweep by enemy fighters. 126 Squadron engaged half a dozen Bf 109s. Sergeant R. H. Richardson was the only casualty, the pilot baling out unhurt at Ġebel Għawżara, between St Paul’s Bay and Mosta. His Spitfire crashed in flames nearby in the area of Il-Qolla. Fellow Australian, Flight Sergeant Colin Parkinson (229 Squadron), witnessed the spectacle: ‘I saw a Spit shot down today. It came down like a bat out of hell, pouring Glycol on fire. The pilot bailed out, it was the Baron Richardson, a friend of mine.’49 Thirty-plus Italian and German fighters were reported to have approached at intervals during the morning of 8 August. Between 09:31 and 09:41, seven Spitfires of 249 Squadron took to the air. Due to a mechanical problem, one returned to land minutes later, leaving Blue Section with three aircraft. Before long, Blue Section, comprising Pilot Officer Frank Jones, Sergeant Ernie Budd and newly promoted Pilot Officer George Beurling, sighted six Bf 109s overhead and turned towards them. At the same time, two Messerschmitts swept in to attack the Spitfires from behind. Eight more Messerschmitts then joined the fight. The Spitfires spiralled down, turning into the enemy fighters. During the mêlée, Sergeant Budd (Blue Two) was attacked and broke in front of Pilot Officer Jones, closely followed by his assailant. Jones opened fired on the pursuing Bf 109, whereupon he, in turn, was attacked. At about the same time, Pilot Officer Beurling (Blue Three) fired at a Bf 109, which together with Jones’s victim was observed to dive towards the sea streaming glycol. Beurling described what happened next: I hadn’t any more than begun to dive when I got mine – a couple of bullets right in the engine. The throttle wouldn’t grab hold and after a minute or so the engine decided it would like to call it a day and seize up. There was I, spang in the middle of a skyful of Jerries, and my motive power gone lame! A couple of Huns were perched above me, slightly off to one side, but didn’t see me, thank God, or I’d have been cold turkey for them. I didn’t dare call Jonesey on the R./T. and tell him my plight, or he’d have quit the dogfight of which he was the centre of attraction and come hurrying over to help me – bringing all his friends with him, no doubt. Over to the north I could see Georgia [sic] split-assing all over heaven, entertaining four or five Jerries. No use calling him, either. So I decided to quietly get the hell out of there – if I could. The old Merlin wouldn’t give me any more than 160 miles an hour and was heating up fast. The Spit was sinking slowly. It began to look like a baling job. Thank God, the Huns didn’t seem to have registered my departure! By the time I reached the Maltese coast I was down to 2,000 feet and doubting strongly my ability to get home. I prepared to bale. That’s what orders tell you to do, if in trouble below 3,000 feet and not over an airdrome. Then I made the discovery that my parachute straps were pretty loose and said to myself: “If you ever try jumping into that rig, you’re going to rupture yourself when the umbrella opens, my friend!” Before that I’d undone my Sutton harness, to free

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myself from the cockpit, and by the time I’d snapped it on again, so as not to fall forward in a crash landing, I’d lost another big piece of height and was skipping cross-country about 200 feet above the ground. By this time the engine was finished and the prop dead. Right ahead I could see a nice ploughed field, about an acre in size, surrounded by low stone walls. If I could sneak into that I’d be okay. I skithered along, cutting the glide fine, but not too fine. It’s damned easy to flick these Spits and spin in when you try keeping that nose high. As I came close in over the near wall I put the left wing down to take up the bump and bellied down on to the ground. The wing absorbed the wallop and stopped me cold, which was okay by me. The far wall was too near for comfort. I climbed out, unhurt except for a superficial cut in one arm, and looked the ship over. She had taken little damage, apart from those bullets in the engine.50

In fact, Beurling’s Spitfire VB EN973 was a complete write-off. Sergeant Budd also attacked a Bf 109, claiming it as damaged, before he was shot up. Although wounded in the shoulder, he was able to land safely. 1435 Squadron, scrambled after 10:00, saw at least seven more Spitfires taking to the air. One failed to return: Sergeant Clarence Kelly, a New Zealander, was posted missing. (Kelly was credited with shooting down one Bf 109.) There were claims by pilots of 5./Jagdgeschwader 53 and 1./Jagdgeschwader 77, all of whom returned to base. There was one air raid on 10 August – the first daylight attack by bombers since 28 July. The sirens sounded at 11:45, as two or three Ju 88s approached with their fighter escort. Spitfires were scrambled from 185, 1435 and 229 Squadrons. Two aircraft of 126 Squadron also provided cover for minesweepers off the north coast. Interceptions took place before the enemy aircraft had reached Malta and also subsequently, over the island. According to the War Diary of 11th Heavy AntiAircraft Regiment, ‘a few JUs.88 bombed Tal-Qali (rather reluctantly, it appeared to the onlooker) from a great height.’51 In the event, it was a precision attack. Leading Aircraftman George Holt was killed and a sergeant was seriously wounded; five Beaufighters and two Spitfires were damaged, an ambulance was destroyed and the aerodrome perimeter and dispersal areas were left cratered. Oberfeldwebel Walter Brandt, Leutnant Belling and Feldwebel Häcker, all of I./Jagdgeschwader 77, were each credited with a Spitfire destroyed (at least three more pilots submitted unconfirmed claims). Another claim for a Spitfire shot down was made by Oberleutnant Gerhard Michalski of 4./Jagdgeschwader 53. Actual losses amounted to a Spitfire of 185 Squadron that was damaged in combat and crash-landed at Luqa, where it was written off; the pilot, Sergeant Eric Mahar from Australia, was uninjured. One of the Spitfires on shipping patrol was reported missing, together with Pilot Officer Jerry Smith, who was last seen in pursuit of departing Ju 88s. Among those who carried out a fruitless search for the pilot was his brother, Rod. Three pilots of 1435 Squadron each reported a Bf 109 shot down. But it seems only Flight Lieutenant Henry McLeod, from Canada, accounted for his victim, the Messerschmitt crashing into the sea north of Ras l-Irqieqa:

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I was green 1, patrolling at 20,000 feet between Ta Kali and Luqa. We observed the raid off St. Pauls Bay and travelling East, cut in behind the bombers. My section singled out several Me 109’s behind and attacked. I closed on the left hand one, firing a four second burst from 150 yards. Aircraft broke up and pilot baled out. I hereby claim a 109F confirmed.52

Unteroffizier Walter Schmidt (6./Jagdgeschwader 53) abandoned his stricken machine off the Pembroke area. Seaplane Tender 338 picked up the badly wounded pilot from just offshore, following which he was admitted to Mtarfa military hospital.53 Pivotal to the defence of Malta was the Spitfire, together with those who flew and, not least, serviced the machine. But the overall situation remained critical. In order to survive, Malta needed a constant resupply of aviation fuel and ammunition, replacement fighters and other essential provisions. On 3 August, Operation ‘Pedestal’ left Scotland on the first stage of its journey to the Mediterranean. ‘Pedestal’ would result in the delivery of around 32,000 tons of supplies, as well as thirty-seven Spitfires, which were flown off HMS Furious. Of fourteen merchant vessels, Rochester Castle, Melbourne Star, Port Chalmers, Brisbane Star and Ohio reached Malta. Deucalion, Empire Hope, Clan Ferguson, Waimarama, Almeria Lykes, Wairangi, Glenorchy, Santa Elisa and Dorset were lost, together with the carrier HMS Eagle, the cruisers Cairo and Manchester, and the destroyer Foresight. Of the five surviving merchantmen, the Texaco oil tanker Ohio has come to epitomise the Malta convoys. After being disabled during torpedo and bombing attacks, in which one bomber crashed onto her deck, the battered ship was guided into Grand Harbour lashed between two destroyers, and with another secured to the stern as an emergency rudder. The date was 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption, known locally as the Feast of Saint Mary. Ever since, the Maltese have referred to Operation ‘Pedestal’ as Il-Konvoy ta’ Santa Marija. It cost the lives of up to 387 seamen, twenty-eight Fleet Air Arm personnel and twenty-five personnel of the Maritime Regiment Royal Artillery. The Royal Air Force also suffered casualties, as did the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica, both of which had been reinforced for operations against ‘Pedestal’.54 As ‘Pedestal’ headed eastwards through the Mediterranean, enemy forces were diverted in an effort to prevent the convoy from reaching its destination, thus providing Malta a brief respite. Between 00:07 and 00:40 hours on Wednesday 12 August, there was a night raid in which bombs fell on the neighbouring island of Gozo. During the day, Spitfires were airborne to intercept plots that either failed to develop into raids, or proved to be friendly aircraft. However, while operating some 60 miles east of Malta, Spitfires of 185 Squadron encountered a He 111. This was attacked and claimed shot down as the squadron’s hundredth victory. In the evening, night operations were conducted by recently arrived Beaufighters. At 19:14 hours, four aircraft of 248 Squadron took off from Ta’ Qali with three aircraft

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of 252 for a dusk attack of Pantellaria. Minutes later, the lead aircraft force-landed with engine failure in a field midway between Mdina and the east coast. The 248 Squadron Beaufighter was a write-off, but neither Flight Lieutenant I. U. M. Gallaway (pilot) nor Flight Sergeant Keech was seriously hurt. In the early hours of 13 August a Wellington was lost after having already flown one night sortie against Comiso aerodrome. During the second operation it was probably damaged by Flak. On returning to Luqa, the bomber overshot, failed to regain height and crashed on the dining hall of an aerodrome defence post (LQ14) and was burnt out. The rear gunner, Sergeant Harry Fox, from Australia, was killed; the remainder of the crew was injured.55 At 18:23 hours on 14 August, the air raid sirens announced the approach of at least a dozen enemy fighters. Spitfires were already airborne as air cover for the battered oil tanker Ohio, which, together with escorting vessels, was still en route to Malta. At 18:18, the first of twelve Spitfires of 249 Squadron were scrambled. Six Bf 109s were sighted at 22,000 feet above Ta’ Qali, too high for the still-climbing Spitfires to intercept. About fifteen minutes later, three Bf 109s orbiting between Luqa and Ħal Far dived to attack. One Spitfire was shot down by Oberleutnant Gerhard Michalski of II./Jagdgeschwader 53. Canadian Flight Sergeant George Hogarth baled out into the sea 3 miles east of Kalfrana, where he was rescued by HSL 128. His Spitfire VB crashed west of Qrendi and 850 yards north of gun position XHB 10 (close to the southern side of the present-day Ta’ San Niklaw reservoir). Flight Sergeant Hogarth would be dead less than two months later – after crashlanding a battle-damaged fighter in the same area. On 17 August thirty-two Spitfires were launched from HMS Furious. Twenty-nine reached Malta. In late July, several bomb-carrying Hurricanes had carried out a raid on Sicily, albeit with limited success. During the latter part of August these offensive sorties were resumed, with Hurri-bombers flown by pilots of the Royal Navy Air Service, and fighter sweeps carried out by Spitfires. Operations continued until they were curtailed in September due to fuel shortages. During the morning of Friday 21 August, Beaufort DW805 took off from Malta for delivery to the Middle East under Pilot Officer Ernest Moody. Soon, the aircraft developed engine trouble, following which an attempt was made to return to base. When the port engine failed, however, Moody was unable to maintain height and successfully ditched the Beaufort off the north-east coast. Moody and his crew immediately took to their dinghy and were rescued by HSL 128 shortly afterwards. In 1977, information provided by a local resident enabled a visiting seaman to locate the Beaufort with echo-sounding equipment. Members of the island’s RAF Sub-Aqua Club, accompanied by representatives of the National War Museum, soon confirmed the aircraft type. But it would take many more dives and another fifteen

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years before the identity of the Bristol Beaufort Mk I was established, following the recovery of a shoebrush stamped with Ernest Moody’s pre-war airman’s number. Moody, then a retired squadron leader, was traced to his home in Cornwall and in October 1993 invited to RAF St Mawgan to be presented with the shoebrush and other personal items he had last seen more than fifty-one years before. Following a foolhardy attempt to move DW805 to a more accessible location in order to turn it into a tourist attraction, the already-fragile wreck was further damaged, and eventually destroyed by rough seas. Air raid sirens sounded soon after midnight on 27 August, as about a dozen Ju 88s neared Malta. Bombs fell mostly in eastern localities; seven people were reported injured at Qormi. There was one successful interception by a patrolling 89 Squadron Beaufighter, crewed by Squadron Leader Paul Evans and his observer (probably Flight Sergeant J. K. ‘Jock’ Houston). Evans reported: I was scrambled at 2340 hours and climbed to Angels 15. Went over to FASHION and received numerous vectors, eventually resulting in a contact. I closed in and identified as a Ju 88. I gave a short burst of cannon and machine gun at 150 yards and his starboard engine caught fire. He started to dive – I followed and saw only exhaust flames from port engine I gave another short burst but missed, owing to violent evasive action. I closed in for a third time to 50 yards and gave a long burst. There were strikes all over and the port motor streamed glycol. About 1 minute later I saw an aircraft crash on Gozo.56

The 8./Kampgeschwader 77 machine came down at Ta’ Tinġi, just south of Xewkija. The pilot, Feldwebel Ernst Klaus, and radio operator, Unteroffizier Kurt Klawitter, were taken prisoner. The observer, Unteroffizier Franz Rohringer, and gunner, Unteroffizier Franz Riedl, did not survive. In the afternoon, two young brothers, Emanuel and Joseph Zammit, and 11-yearold Michael Cachia tampered with an unexploded bomb that had probably fallen during the night. It exploded, killing all three. There was a short alert between 16:25 and 16:58 hours on 28 August for a high-level incursion by enemy fighters. Spitfires were scrambled from 249 and 229 Squadrons (two aircraft returning early, one after colliding with another Spitfire on take-off and failing to catch up with the remainder). Flight Lieutenant Ernest Magruder and Sergeant E. Francis of 229 Squadron spotted what were identified as four MC.202s above them, with four more below. Francis carried out attacks on two of the fighters, claiming one destroyed before having to break contact owing to hydromatic airscrew trouble. He reported the problem to Flight Lieutenant Ernest Magruder, who acknowledged and apparently followed Francis as he began to descend. When the Merlin engine ceased, Francis crash-landed on or very near the Mosta–Naxxar road, the aircraft striking a house in the process. Francis was injured. It is not known what happened to Magruder, who

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failed to return. Did he crash as a result of a technical problem, or did he perhaps fall victim to Leutnant Iring Englisch (3./Jagdgeschwader 77), who is credited with an undisclosed aircraft type on this date? Another clue may be had from a wireless intercept at 17:59 when a bale-out was reported by a Luftwaffe fighter pilot. No enemy aircraft appeared over Malta on Sunday 13 September. Five Spitfires of 185 Squadron were scrambled at 07:57 for a raid that failed to materialise. They patrolled over Ħal Far at 14,000 feet and were then instructed to carry out a five-minute practice before returning to base. In the course of a mock dogfight with South African Captain Keith Kuhlmann, Sergeant Lawrence Swain got into a left-hand spin at 3,000 feet. He was seen to pull out at approximately 500 feet before going into a right-hand spin and crashing in a field at the Luqa end of Safi airstrip; 20-year-old Swain was killed. Malta might have been experiencing an unusually quiet period, but casualties continued. During the afternoon of 26 September, Sebastian Zammit, a civilian, found a bomb, which he picked up and then threw away. The bomb exploded, seriously injuring the man. That night there was one alert. Between 20:05 and 20:36 hours, two enemy bombers approached, one of which dropped its bombs into the sea just north of Madliena. Two Beaufighters of 89 Squadron were airborne. One was obliged to return early. George Nottage was then a flight lieutenant in 89 Squadron: F/L John Waddingham … had been my Flt. Cdr. in 141 Sqn., where he was awarded the DFC. The manner of his death was a tragedy. He was scrambled at night and once he was clear of the Island, the AA was put to ‘Guns Free’ ie. they could fire at any aircraft. ‘Waddie’ had an engine failure, … but he was at height and was a highly competent pilot, so there was no problem. The AA was put to ‘Guns Tight’ ie. fire only at aircraft identified as enemy. This was a well-established procedure and the message reached every gun site on the Island except, incredibly, a site on the approach to Luqa! As ‘Waddie’ came in at a few hundred feet with wheels and flaps down, this site opened up at him. They did not hit him but he decided it was safer to try and go round again, so he raised the wheels and flaps and opened up the good engine. There was insufficient height however, and he had to crash-land, which he did quite successfully, although the aircraft caught fire.57

The Beaufighter crashed in a field south-east of Għargħur and near gun position XHE 33 of 10th HAA Regiment. Nottage continues: The next day, I saw his navigator, Alf Cumbers, in hospital and he described how he tried to get out but his top hatch was jammed. As the flames came back he drew his pistol to shoot himself as he had no intention of burning to death. Then two soldiers came along, and seeing him in the light of the flames, they started to kick the side of the fuselage. By astonishing good fortune, they picked the only spot that was free of ‘clobber’ and they were able to reach in and help Alf out, quite badly burned though he recovered okay.58

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Pilot Officer Cumbers undoubtedly owed his life to Royal Artillery Lieutenant C. J. Arnold and his men who carried out the rescue regardless of signal lights and ammunition exploding around them. Nottage recalled: As he lay on the grass, Waddie, who had got out through his top hatch with only minor burns, came along and asked how Alf was, and seemed to be in good spirits. That night, however, he died of shock.59

Rod Smith, by this time a Flying Officer, had recently been admitted with sinus trouble to 45 General Hospital at St Patrick’s Barracks: I was with a dozen or so other officers in a large fine ward on the upper floor which faced north or northwest and gave an uninterrupted view of the bay. The night of September 26/27 was beautiful and clear, with a full moon or close to it. Although the moon was behind us, it lit up everything to the north of us, and the reflected light lit up the ward surprisingly well. Sometime before midnight, when we were lying in our beds but still awake, we heard an aircraft approaching from the north at a very low altitude. Its engine sound was unfamiliar and it seemed to be flying quite slowly. A few of us rose and went to the windows. We saw a Beaufighter which, though headed right in our direction, was obviously going to pass about 50 feet over the hospital. It was flying on one engine only, which accounted for the unfamiliar sound. … I had heard that a Beaufighter had marginal performance on one engine and I also knew there was a rocky ridge close behind the hospital which rose quite far above its roof. I realized the aircraft was doomed. In a very few seconds a brilliant flash lit up the whole area and in another second or two the engine sound stopped abruptly. … In a surprisingly short time the pilot and the radar operator (the latter was called an ‘AI’ operator then) were brought into the ward on wheeled stretchers and placed on beds at the far end of the ward. Doctors and nurses came in with them and stayed a long time. They were badly burned. Their faces were a brownish grey and had loose skin on them. For some reason the lights in the ward were not turned on nor were the curtains drawn. Several semicircular metal frames were placed over each bed however, inside of which small inwardly reflecting lights were attached and over which ran curtains that could be raised and lowered in sections as desired. The rest of us kept silent and listened, sensing unusual concern. The pilot talked quite a lot about what had happened. The radar operator spoke very little and I felt he would die. I eventually sent to sleep and when I woke up I found I was wrong. The pilot died before dawn and the AI operator survived. I never got to speak to him because he was much subdued and I left a day or two later.60

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CHAPTER 9

OCTOBER 1942 Twenty-plus enemy fighters approached on a sweep during Sunday morning, 4 October 1942. Sixteen Spitfires drawn equally from 249 and 185 Squadrons were on patrol at 20,000 feet. 185 Squadron did not encounter any aircraft. However, Red Section of 249 Squadron reported seeing four Bf 109s heading east over Grand Harbour. Two minutes later, a far superior force dived out of the sun and onto Red Section. Most of the Spitfire pilots took evasive action, but Sergeant Murray Gass, who was straggling behind, continued straight and level and at 08:47 was shot down and killed, his Spitfire diving vertically into the sea near Filfla. Blue Section was also attacked north-east of Gozo. One Spitfire was damaged in combat and crash-landed south of Qrendi. Colin Parkinson noted in his diary: ‘Hogarth a Canadian was badly shot up. Crashed into a house, had his head bashed in and also shot in the head. Not expected to live.’1 Flight Sergeant George Hogarth was recovered from the upsidedown wreck of his Spitfire and evacuated to hospital. He died without regaining consciousness soon after midday. The destruction of one Spitfire was credited to Leutnant Hans-Joachim Glass of 3./Jagdgeschwader 77; there was also an unconfirmed claim for a Spitfire shot down by Oberleutnant Siegfried Freytag of the unit’s 1.Staffel. There had been a noticeable decline in enemy air activity, but the Axis Command was still very much concerned about the ongoing disruption of Rommel’s Mediterranean supply routes and by October the Luftwaffe had gathered in Sicily a formidable force. On 11 October, the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica launched the first in a series of attacks in a concerted effort to crush Malta. This, the final Axis offensive, would continue for one week. Towards the end of Malta’s RAF Daily Intelligence Summary No. 479 there is a short paragraph: During 12/10 one hundred and fortyseven Spitfire sorties have been made against two hundred and seventy nine enemy sorties and twentysix enemy aircraft have been destroyed thirteen probably destroyed and twentyeight damaged for loss of three Spitfire pilots and five Spitfires destroyed. A Malta record.2

Enemy casualties may sometimes have been unintentionally exaggerated, but the Daily Intelligence Summary is nonetheless invaluable in providing a contemporary overview of events in the air. There was considerable activity in the hours before dawn on 12 October 1942. There followed six daylight alerts. One was for a raid that failed to materialise; on three occasions enemy aircraft were intercepted before they

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neared Malta, and on two occasions bombers succeeded in reaching the island. The second air raid warning sounded at 09:07 hours. About 18 enemy bombers crossed the coast in two waves, each wave accompanied by about 25 fighters. Bombs were dropped at Luqa, where some aircraft were damaged on the ground, and at Ta Kali where no damage was done. Eight Spitfires of 229 Squadron, nine of 249, six of 126, eight of 1435 and eight of 185 Squadron were airborne. At 0905 hours 229 Squadron intercepted 12 escorted bombers at 21,000 30 miles North of Gozo and destroyed one Ju 88, probably destroyed one Mc 202 and damaged two Ju 88’s and another bomber. 249 Squadron attacked the fighter escort, which was stepped up from 21,000 to 30,000 feet and destroyed one Me 109, probably destroyed one Me 109 and one Ju 88 and damaged three Me 109’s. At 0910 hours four Spitfires of 126 Squadron attacked 6 Ju 88’s escorted by fighters 15 miles North of Zonkor and destroyed one Ju 88 and damaged two Ju 88’s. Later two Spitfires of 126 Squadron attacked the same force North West of Filfla, after they had dropped their bombs, destroying one Ju 88 and one Mc 202 and probably destroying another Macchi 202. 1435 Squadron sighted the second wave of bombers and fighters about 15 miles North of Grand Harbour and attacked them at 20,000 feet just after they had crossed the coast, destroying one Me 109. 185 Squadron attacked the same wave at 16,000 feet as they were diving to bomb over Ta Kali damaging one Me 109 and one Ju 88 and causing the remainder to drop their bombs wide of the aerodrome. A.A. fired. The Fighter Sector Controller on duty was G/Cpt.Miller.3

Individual claims include three Ju 88s, two Bf 109s and a Macchi destroyed.4 Actual German and Italian losses are difficult to ascertain, but during the course of an eventful day a substantial number of aircraft failed to make it back to Sicily. Successful engagements were also reported by fighter pilots of I./Jagdgeschwader 27, 2./Jagdgeschwader 77 and Jagdgeschwader 53. Two Spitfires were lost during the 09:07–10:21 hours raid. Sergeant John Vinall of 185 Squadron was shot down and killed (his body was later washed ashore), and Sergeant Thomas Kebbell of 1435 Squadron baled out and landed in Valletta. A Spitfire of 249 Squadron was also damaged. On the ground one person was reported wounded. Watching the battle from atop their mess at 184 Main Street, in St Julian’s, were Flying Officers Ripley Jones (who would be killed just five days later) and Rod Smith. Smith recalled the moments after Kebbell was attacked. We saw a parachute high up to the southeast, and we became aware of the roar of an aircraft in a very fast dive. It was not whining the way Guthrie’s had been, so its constant speed unit was obviously still controlling the propeller revolutions within the limits, but the roar was increasing so relentlessly it indicated distress. We suddenly spotted a diving Spitfire seven or eight thousand feet up to the southeast, streaming flame and smoke. Like Guthrie’s aircraft it kept a perfectly straight course and an unchanging attitude,

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but two things were different about it besides the absence of whine though: its dive was about 30 degrees off the vertical and it appeared to be coming absolutely straight at us. For a second or two I considered rushing down below but I realized I wouldn’t get far enough to make any difference. Rip and I just stood staring upwards, mesmerized by the sight of the oncoming aircraft and its ever-increasing roar. After a few more seconds we noticed that we could see slightly more of its underside than its top. It began to look as if it were going to pass over us, and it did, roaring incredibly by then. It hit almost dead in the centre of the bay [St Julian’s] with an enormous splash. It left a yellowy-green patch on the surface which lasted a surprisingly long time. I turned to Rip and said, “You’ll never see another sight like that as long as you live!”, or something like that. This so amused him he kept repeating it to others the rest of the day. I remember our being told that the pilot had baled out and that the parachute we had seen was his.5

* At the height of the October Blitz, at 13:10 hours on 13 October, the sirens signalled the start of yet another raid, as some fifty aircraft, including at least six Ju 88s, approached Malta. Bombs fell near Luqa, resulting in injuries to two soldiers. Twenty-four Spitfires were airborne, drawn equally from 185, 229 and 126 Squadrons. Pilots of 185 Squadron first sighted the enemy 25 miles north of Żonqor and climbed to engage the top cover at 26,000 feet. Just before reaching the southeast coast and at about 20,000 feet the Ju 88s, together with escorting fighters, were attacked by 229 Squadron. After completing their bombing run, the Ju 88s were engaged by two aircraft of 185 Squadron south of Kalafrana at 12,000 feet. 126 Squadron also attacked the departing bombers and their escort after they had gained height 8 miles north of Żonqor. During the encounter, 185 Squadron lost Sergeant Alex MacLeod, from Canada, who was posted missing.6 Other Spitfires were damaged although none of the pilots was injured. Pilots from all three squadrons submitted a total of eight claims for enemy aircraft destroyed, probably destroyed and damaged. At least one Italian fighter was shot down, Maresciallo Maurizio Iannucci of 352 a Squadriglia C.T. falling to Flying Officer Rod Smith, who recalled: Prosser Hanks [Wing Commander, Luqa] was leading 126 Squadron and we got into position a couple of thousand feet above the 88s over Luqa heading the opposite way. Prosser tried to half-roll down to come in behind them but he wasn’t high enough above them for that. He came down through them and wound up under them, too low to shoot. His aircraft was badly riddled by return fire. I was sure we weren’t high enough above the 88s to half-roll down to them without coming out below them, so I did a half-spiral down to the left and though I found myself level with them I was behind them, now heading northwest as they were, but considerably out of range. I was faced with the prospect of trying to overhaul them from a position

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directly underneath their escort, not a safe tactic. I suddenly saw a Macchi 202 not far below me on my right, heading east for some reason, and I decided to attack it. I made a half spiral down to the right and attacked it from the starboard quarter, firing a 3 second burst with slight deflection from about 250 yards. Strikes appeared on its engine and fuselage, a big flash of flame came from around its engine, and it began to stream smoke. I fired another 3 second burst and got more strikes on it. It went into a very tight and almost vertical spiral dive towards the mouth of Sliema Bay. As it neared the water I could tell that one or more of its guns were firing because, before it made its own great splash, a pattern of little splashes had appeared on the surface which exactly matched its tight spiralling. It was the fifth enemy aircraft I destroyed, and I realized, with some satisfaction I must admit, that I had become an ‘ace’.7

Smith explained that at the time: I was uncertain whether it was a Macchi or a 109, as they were quite hard to tell apart in the air and one was often claimed as the other. I had never been close to any Italian fighter before. I had noticed that this aircraft had a white band about two feet wide around its fuselage between its cockpit and its tail, which I knew was a key Italian marking. … When I got back to our mess in St. Julian’s Bay, Wally McLeod [Flight Lieutenant Henry McLeod] and another 1435 Sqdrn pilot, both of whom happened to be walking by Sliema Bay when the Macchi went in, told me that they thought it was a 109 and explained that German aircraft in the Med also had the white band. I therefore changed my claim to a 109 the next day.8

* On Thursday, 15 October, there were five alerts, four of which resulted in bombing attacks. The second of these commenced at 10:05 hours and involved about twentyfive fighters and fifteen fighter-bombers. Spitfires were ordered off in good time and interceptions took place north of Malta. As a result, bombs were jettisoned in the sea, but some also fell on land on the island of Gozo, and on Malta at Marfa and Mellieħa. At the latter location, 6-year-old Arthur Calleja was killed by bomb blast. Two people were injured. Eight 249 Squadron Spitfires had been scrambled. One crash-landed moments later (the pilot was unhurt). Another was shot down: Flight Sergeant Brydon baled out into the sea, from where he was rescued by HSL 128 with a leg fracture. Another Spitfire crash-landed on returning to Ta’ Qali. Only Sergeant ‘Georgia’ Wynn successfully engaged the enemy; he was credited with a Bf 109 damaged. 1435 Squadron, having also scrambled eight aircraft, encountered six Bf 109s flying south at 23,000 feet, 20 miles north of Comino. In the ensuing combat, one Spitfire, flown by Pilot Officer Charles Lattimer, was damaged. Eight more Spitfires of 185 Squadron, patrolling south of Malta, returned to base without incident.

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Four 126 Squadron machines had taken to the air at about 09:38. Flying Officer Rod Smith was flying as No. 2 to Wing Commander P. P. (Prosser) Hanks. They had managed to remain together after becoming separated from the formation following a series of attacks by Bf 109s. When Smith spotted two Messerschmitts far below and heading towards Sicily, he informed Prosser Hanks and was told to take the lead. The pair dived towards the German fighters. By the time the Spitfires reached sea level, the Bf 109s were several hundred yards ahead and slowly pulling away. Smith pursued the left-hand machine and Hanks concentrated on the other. In an attempt to make his intended victim turn, and thus allow him to close the distance, Smith fired several rounds over the top of the enemy fighter, seeing the fall of shot in the sea well ahead. Quite unexpectedly, it was the other German who reacted, by suddenly turning right. Smith recalled: I fired a few more rounds over the 109 in front of me and then happened to notice, with some surprise, that Prosser was still on my right. He had not noticed the right hand 109 turning away. For some reason I glanced down at my left wing and happened to see a small bullet hole in it.9

Thinking that he must have been hit while battling the Bf 109s previously, Smith continued the chase. He fired another burst and then noticed a second bullet hole close to the first. Suddenly realising there was a Bf 109 on his tail, Smith broke violently left and upwards: In an instant things began to happen. Exploding balls of fire making sharp cracking bangs appeared on the left side of my engine. The aircraft shook … The cockpit filled with the smell of high explosive. The engine oil pressure dropped to nothing. The oil temperature shot upwards. But the engine kept going without missing a beat. Over my left shoulder I saw the yellow nose of a 109 about 100 yards behind me and closing in. Puffs of smoke were billowing from its guns and being blown back over it. It came so close it almost touched me as it passed behind.10

The Messerschmitt pilot did not persevere with his attack. This was fortunate for Smith, allowing him to change course towards Malta. He nursed the damaged Spitfire to 2,000 feet while continuing to send a ‘Mayday’ call to the controller in Malta. At 3,800 feet, with acrid smoke entering the cockpit, and with the Merlin pushed to its limit, Smith baled out just short of the coast. The Spitfire continued to climb inverted before falling into the sea near Tigné, not far from where Smith had shot down Maresciallo Maurizio Iannucci just three days before. Seaplane Tender 253 put out and very soon afterwards Rod Smith stepped ashore at Sliema, none the worse for his experience.11 After a running fight northwards for 15 miles, Wing Commander Hanks returned to announce that he had accounted for Rod Smith’s victor. This appears to have been Feldwebel Gerhard Stockmann of 3./Jagdgeschwader 53, who was rescued by his own

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side after he was shot down off the coast of Sicily. (A Bf 109 was also claimed damaged by 126 Squadron’s Flight Sergeant Arthur Varey.) On 18 October, the Luftwaffe changed its strategy. Daylight bomber sorties were replaced by fighter sweeps and fighter-bomber attacks. In the afternoon, more than seventy-five raiders approached at great height and in small groups. At Luqa, a Wellington was slightly damaged. During the course of the raid, thirty-six Spitfires were airborne with 249, 1435, 126 and 185 Squadrons each providing eight aircraft and 229 scrambling four. One Bf 109 was claimed damaged by Sergeant J. S. Hamilton of 1435 Squadron. None of the other squadrons was able to get close enough to engage the enemy. Even so, one Spitfire was lost when it crashed in a field near Għargħur Cemetery. The body of Canadian Pilot Officer James Stevenson of 126 Squadron was found nearby. The reason for the crash was never ascertained. About thirty-five fighters and fighter-bombers approached Malta between 06:37 and 07:36 hours on 23 October. A number of aircraft aborted their mission while still 20 miles north of the island. But there were at least two swift raids, with bombs dropped in the areas of St Paul’s Bay, Mosta and Mtarfa. 185 Squadron, followed by 1435 Squadron, each scrambled eight Spitfires. (Towards the end of the raid Spitfires of 249 Squadron also took to the air.) B Flight of 185 Squadron intercepted Bf 109s as they were diving on Dingli. Sergeant Raymond Saunders (who would be killed the following day) was credited with the destruction of one Messerschmitt, and Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Charney with damaging another. Ground defences claimed two more Messerschmitts, one of which seems to have been credited to a Sapper Stott manning a light machine gun at XSF 47 (searchlight position). According to Luftwaffe records, one Bf 109 was lost after having been seen in combat with six Spitfires. The Messerschmitt appears to have been heading west when it slammed into a field at Żebbieħ and exploded. Burning wreckage hurtled along a narrow lane, partly demolishing a farm building in the process. The body of Unteroffizier Heribert Wagner of 5./Jagdgeschwader 53 was found nearby. Flying Officer A. I. (Ian) Lindsay of 185 Squadron was also killed. His Spitfire crashed on the outskirts of Dingli. Flight Lieutenant Charney, OC B Flight, made the final entry in Lindsay’s log book: ‘Today F/O Ian Lindsay was killed in action during a combat over Malta – his aircraft crashed on land. Killed instantly.’12 It is unclear how Lindsay was lost. One possibility is that Wagner accounted for Lindsay just before his own demise, although it would seem that there were no claims by the Luftwaffe on this occasion. There were four daylight incursions on 24 October, all by fighters and fighterbombers. At 13:00, air raid sirens signalled the approach of the third raid. This continued for less than an hour, during which time fifteen enemy fighters and Jabos were reported over Malta. Three aircraft carried out a dive-bombing attack at Ta’

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October 1942

149

Qali, dropping six HE bombs, but causing little damage. Spitfires of 185 Squadron had been scrambled to intercept, but when over Dingli on the south coast, Black Section was jumped by two Bf 109s. Sergeant Raymond Saunders was shot down and killed, his Spitfire crashing west of Għemieri, in the area of Ta’ Wied Rini. After a quiet night, enemy hit-and-run raids continued for much of Sunday 25  October. The main objectives were the aerodromes, with the Luftwaffe taking advantage of low cloud to carry out dive-bombing attacks. There was an alert at about 08:10, during which bombs fell at Ta’ Qali and Luqa, albeit without causing serious damage. Spitfires were airborne from 229 and 249 Squadrons and engagements took place, but without loss to either side. However, ground defences accounted for a Messerschmitt that crashed in flames on the edge of Ta’ Qali. The pilot, Oberleutnant Richard Eckhardt (1./Schlachtgeschwader 2), was killed. On 29 October, HMS Furious transported another batch of Spitfires to a departure point west of Malta. All twenty-nine aircraft reached their destination.

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CHAPTER 10

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 1942 At about 12:10 hours on 1 November, four Spitfires of 1435 Squadron were scrambled for a raid that failed to materialise. Moments after taking off, one of the aircraft crashed and Pilot Officer Russell Wright, a Rhodesian, was killed. Rod Smith, now an acting flight lieutenant, was among those who witnessed the event: I was on readiness when poor Wright was killed. I have no personal recollection of him whatever, although he must have been in the mess at St. Julian’s Bay because he was in 1435 Squadron. … I remember hearing his name at the time though and have never forgotten it, I think because I felt so sorry for his bad luck. 126 Squadron’s dispersal was at the west end of the east–west runway at Luqa, and 1435’s was at the other end of it. Once in a while the two squadrons would be scrambled at the same time, and the aircraft of each would have to pass those of the other while taking off in opposite directions in clouds of dust! [Wright] … had just got airborne, heading west, and was barely past the west end of the east–west runway when his engine gave a cough and quit cold. He was in a hopeless position because there was a rocky steep-sided terraced ravine off the west end of the runway, and the plots in it were tiny and surrounded by low stone fences. He had no choice but to glide straight ahead into the ravine. He went out of sight from where I was standing. There was a sickening crunch and a column of thick black smoke appeared above the edge of the ravine.1

Presumably the incident caused a degree of apprehension among Malta’s fighter pilots as it warranted a special mention in the RAF Daily Intelligence Summary three days later. The crash … was due to engine failure, 20 minutes [sic] after take-off. The failure was immediately investigated and found to be due to a number of valve spring failures in both cylinder blocks. The consistent nature of the failures suggests that the springs were from a batch of faulty material. Both cylinder blocks were received in the Island with seven others as serviceable spares. The remaining seven blocks have been located and will not fly until they have been tested and suspect springs changed. This case may be regarded as a very isolated instance of unwarranted technical failure and should not be held as a reflection on the general reliability of the Merlin engine.2

* After a quiet night, there were two afternoon incursions by Bf 109s on 2 November. The first of these commenced at 13:40 hours and involved about twenty-four

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November–December 1942

151

fighters, including Jabos. Four Spitfires of 249 Squadron were scrambled without anything being sighted. Fifteen Spitfires of 229 and 185 Squadrons were already up on a training flight. Four were jumped by Bf 109s from 28,000 feet, albeit without result. There was also an ineffectual dive-bombing attack in the Luqa area. Machinegun fire by RAF Regiment ground defences at Luqa struck one Jabo, which crashed near Kirkop, resulting in the death of the pilot, Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Slany (3./Schlachtgeschwader 2). This was undoubtedly the same event recalled by Rod Smith: I was on readiness at Luqa that day. It was fine and sunny but there was some cumulus cloud, the bottom of which was a couple of thousand [feet] above the aerodrome. A few aircraft had been scrambled from another aerodrome to intercept but apparently they failed to do so. The Island’s air raid sirens had gone off and the Luqa ‘camp warning’ (a hooter) had been sounded. We began to hear engines of diving aircraft that were not Spitfires. We couldn’t see them until after we heard their bombs whistling down, so they must have released them in holes in the cloud. The leading one only appeared below the cloud for a second or two and then pulled back up into it, but the second one, which had a bright yellow nose, appeared over the northwest corner of the aerodrome while in the last part of its dive. Both were heading southeast and their bombs did no damage that I remember. We had heard no AA fire from the aerodrome at all, no doubt because the gunners hadn’t been able to see the 109s for the cloud. When the second 109 reached the bottom of its dive however, about 800 feet over the centre of the aerodrome, we heard three rounds being fired from a machine gun on the ground, and no more (obviously a Lewis gun because its rate of fire was so slow). To our astonishment a long tongue of flame came out from the starboard wing root of the 109, and it did a half roll to the right and dived inverted into the rock quarry on the southeast corner of the aerodrome. A column of black smoke rose out of the quarry. We could scarcely believe that only three rifle caliber bullets had been fired. They must have been de Wilde explosive-incendiary rounds.3

* On 7 November, Spitfires patrolled over and around the island. 69 Squadron was also busy, mainly with photographic reconnaissance sorties. That night, Beaufighters operated over Sicily and six Wellingtons of 104 Squadron left to bomb Decimomannu and Elmas aerodromes in Sardinia. Wellington ‘D’, the last to take off, ran into difficulties almost as soon as it cleared the runway. Charlie Savage of The King’s Own Royal Regiment was in A Company stores at Ġebel Ċantar: We heard a R.A.F. Wellington outside, circling to gain height. Unfortunately its undercarriage was still down, so we were told, and touched a wall, and crashed near by, all crew killed [and] the bodies being brought into our dining room, and screened off.4

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Air Battle of Malta

The Wellington’s six delayed action bombs were later blown up by a RAF bomb disposal team. Axis efforts to subjugate Malta were greatly diminished by November 1942. Sunday 8 November was raid-free. Even so, one Spitfire of 185 Squadron was lost in a landing accident. Very few details are available. A Sergeant Harwood, who had been on Malta for just over two weeks, was either part of a patrol of four aircraft or on a practice flight, when he crash-landed close to the School of Artillery, near or on the main Birżebbuġa–Ħal Far road. His Spitfire was written off. Harwood was injured and admitted to hospital. Following a successful Allied offensive at El Alamein in Egypt, Anglo-American forces landed in French North Africa on 8 November. For Malta the main problem continued to be one of provisions, although the situation was alleviated by supply runs undertaken by individual ships and submarines. It was not until 20 November 1942 that the siege was finally lifted with the arrival during Operation ‘Stoneage’ of all four merchantmen: Bantam (Dutch), Denbighshire (British), Mormacmoon (American) and Robin Locksley (American). There was no enemy air activity over Malta on Saturday 21 November. Taking advantage of the situation, Malta-based aircraft, among them Spitfires, Beaufighters, Wellingtons and Beauforts, flew numerous sorties. During the day, Spitfires patrolled over and around the island. Four aircraft of 229 Squadron were airborne on interception when, shortly after midday, one Spitfire crashed in unknown circumstances near Naxxar, in the area of 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers. The pilot, Sergeant Martin Lundy, was killed. In late 1942, aircrew casualties continued, mainly as a result of offensive operations and flying accidents. The night of 17–18 December 1942 saw the year’s last heavy raid by the Luftwaffe when, between 23:07 and 00:15 hours, Luqa aerodrome appeared to be the main target for an estimated forty Ju 88s, although bombs also fell in surrounding districts. Earlier, thirteen Wellingtons of 40 and 104 Squadrons had taken off to bomb targets at Tunis and La Goulette. All aircraft returned to base just in time to be caught on the ground.5 Nine Wellingtons were destroyed and a Baltimore and four Spitfires were damaged. According to initial reports, six civilians were killed and four servicemen and a civilian injured. One of the raiders was brought down by a Beaufighter of 89 Squadron crewed by Flying Officer J. N. W. (Nigel) Young and Pilot Officer A. L. Webber.6 A few hours later, at 03:07 on the 18th, a Halifax left Malta for Gibraltar. At about 04:05, ‘a four engined bomber flew low over ZEITUN with engines failing and crashed East of ZEITUN.’7 This would appear to have been the same Halifax, a 138 Squadron machine with passengers en route from the Middle East to the United Kingdom. It

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November–December 1942

153

crashed in a field between Il-Bajjada and Ta’ San Girgor and all seventeen air force and army personnel on board were killed. The cause of the crash is open to conjecture. However, the Halifax had approached Malta at night and in the wake of the first major raid for weeks. Those defending the island would certainly have been wary of any aircraft, and at least one post-war account claims that AA mistakenly shot down the Halifax.8 If so, no mention of this could be found in official records, some of which omit altogether any reference to the incident, while the ORB of 40 Squadron merely states that the aircraft ‘crashed on landing after being recalled’.9 In the morning of Christmas Day 1942 three Beaufighters of 227 Squadron left Malta to strike at enemy shipping in the Gulf of Hammamet, Tunisia. One Beaufighter took off late and, with two Spitfires of 126 Squadron, patrolled as far as Kerkennah without observing any targets. The other two Beaufighters, also escorted by Spitfires of 126 Squadron, had been airborne for an hour and twenty minutes when, at 08:30, a schooner and two loaded barges were observed 10 miles from Kuriat. Five minutes later, six ‘F’ boats were spotted. Both Beaufighters carried out low-level machine-gun and cannon attacks on the barges, one of which was left sinking. However, accurate light Flak from the ‘F’ boats hit one machine. The Canadian pilot, Flight Lieutenant Dallas Schmidt, struggled to keep the damaged aircraft flying. When some 55 miles from Malta he instructed the observer, Flight Sergeant Andrew Campbell, to bale out. Schmidt remained at the controls and managed to nurse the damaged aircraft back to Malta, before abandoning the machine and parachuting to safety. Campbell was lucky in that he was soon located during an air sea rescue operation. A dinghy was dropped nearby and a Swordfish and a Beaufighter then orbited the scene until the arrival of HSL 100. There was further cause for celebration before the year was out, when it was announced that Acting Flight Lieutenant Schmidt had been awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross he had received in October 1942. Flight Sergeant Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. Both would survive the war. After the siege was lifted, Malta’s aerodromes remained operational and, for a while, a temporary airstrip on Gozo was put to good use. The end of the Axis offensive against Malta did not bring an end to air raids. Attacks continued, albeit only occasionally and on a much reduced scale. Many more aircraft crashed in and around the Maltese islands during the latter years of the war. Nearly all were Allied machines. Two German fighters crashed at Malta in 1943 and another was captured intact. On 5 May, the highly decorated Oberleutnant Günther Hannak (7./Jagdgeschwader 27) made a forced landing in his Bf 109 G6 at Luqa aerodrome, apparently as a result of mechanical failure. Just over two weeks later, on 21 May, AA shot down a Focke Wulf Fw 190 at Ħal Far. The pilot (thought to have been Oberfeldwebel Otto Sorg of 5./Schlachtgeschwader 2) did not survive. On 29 June 1943, an engine problem and/ or AA fire prompted Unteroffizier Hermann Harnisch (8./Jagdgeschwader 53) to bale

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Air Battle of Malta

out of his Bf 109 G6. The pilot was taken prisoner at Żebbuġ. His aircraft fell nearby, resulting in the death of a civilian, 17-year-old Catherine Vella. In July 1943, two months after the Afrikakorps had surrendered in Tunisia, Malta played a prominent role as Allied Headquarters and as a forward air base during Operation ‘Husky’ – the Allied invasion of Sicily. Italy capitulated soon afterwards, on 8 September 1943. Two days later, the Italian Naval Fleet began to arrive under escort at Malta, the triumphant occasion prompting a delighted Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham to signal the Admiralty: Be pleased to inform their Lordships that the Italian Battle Fleet now lies at anchor under the guns of the Fortress of Malta.

It was a fitting conclusion to the Battle of Malta.

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Appendix I

AVIATION LOSSES 1940–42: MALTA AND GOZO In the following table, numbers in the first column correspond to numbers denoting aeroplane crash sites in maps 3–5. When referring to the maps, a ‘precise location’ is a site that has been pinpointed, typically by the existence in situ of aircraft fragments. An ‘approximate location’ indicates the immediate vicinity. A ‘general area’ covers a wider expanse and is used when the location could not be determined with sufficient accuracy.

N

Mediterranean Sea

Żebbuġ Għarb

149

Marsalforn

Gozo

156

Xgħajra 141

Kerċem

53

Victoria 26

98

Xewkija 169

Għajnsielem

Nadur Mġarr

Comino 0

3 miles

0

5 kms

Precise location Approximate location General area

Map 3. Aircraft Crash Sites: Gozo and Comino

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N

118

47 107

Mellieħa

142

Qawra

27

144

Buġibba

33

Manikata

St Paul’s Bay

109

30 71 108

29

31

162

Mġarr

8 146 6

178

We st Ma lt a

125 126

51

Żebbieħ

73

161 87

Mosta

170

115

Naxxar

24 133 180 ? ?

Mdina

165

133 180 25

139 60

70 127

Sea

Żebbuġ

103

28

Mediterranean

Attard

Rabat

49

50

116

179

Dingli

113

13 148

105

66 63

143

Siġġiewi

64 85

Precise location Approximate location General area

Lija

Ta’ Qali

? 65 78

81

121

41

130

117 181

94

186

150

184 80 173 96

0

3 miles

0

5 kms

120

43

167 86 68 155

128

Map 4. Aircraft Crash Sites: West Malta

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Precise location Approximate location General area 164

Mediterranean

79

Sea

36

Għargħur 177

18

St Julian’s

172

174

151

159 176

Sliema

62

Gżira

Valletta

Msida Birkirkara 137 57

11

Qormi

182

129

119

21

183

100

Qrendi 39

67

168

93

Paola 19

37

106

Żurrieq

Għaxaq

152 82

44

Kirkop 171

Gudja 134

99 72 74 140

48

Birżebbuġa 89

Ħal Far

23

97 88

42

14 154 112 58 83

77

187

Marsaxlokk

131 59

12

69 188

54

38

114

3

17

Żejtun

136 ? 34 ? 145

2

1

Marsaskala

9 163

45

135 102

Żabbar

Tarxien

91

95 5

56 157 153

Cospicua

16

132

Luqa

Luqa

101

Mqabba

Kalkara Vittoriosa 92

Senglea

55

20

111

123

22

10

40

122 124

110

160

166

46

35

Ħamrun

147

76

Ea st M a lt a

175

Balzan 84

N

138 104

Marsaxlokk Bay

61 185

4?

158

52

90 7 15

32

Kalafrana

75

0

3 miles

0

5 kms

Map 5. Aircraft Crash Sites: East Malta

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17-9-40/10:40– 11:09 25-9-40/Approx 12:05 4-10-40/Approx 10:15 2-11-40/Early afternoon

6

9

8

7

2-8-40/Approx 08:30

5

Macchi C.200

Macchi C.200

Macchi C.200

Fiat CR.42

Hawker Hurricane (N2700)

31-7-40/09:43– Gloster Gladiator 10:02 (N5519)

4

Fiat CR.42 (MM4368)

16-7-40/09:16

3

Sergente Maggiore Abramo Lanzarini †

Tenente Mario Nasoni †

Maresciallo Lino Lagi †

Sottotenente Francesco Cavalli

Sergeant Frederick Robertson

Flying Officer Peter Hartley

Tenente Mario Benedetti †

No. Date/time Aircraft Pilot/crew 1 10-7-40/Approx Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sottotenente Felice Filippi (Pilot) † 08:00 Sergente Maggiore Enzo Muratori † Aviere Scelto Cesare Ottavini † Primo Aviere Antonio Serafini † 2 16-7-40/09:16 Hawker Hurricane Flight Lieutenant Peter Keeble †

Unit Place 195a Squadriglia, 90o Gruppo, It-Torri ta’ Triq 30o Stormo Bombardamento il-Wiesgħa, (between Terrestre Xgħajra and Żonqor Point) Fighter Flight Wied il-Għajn, environs of Marsaskala a o 74 Squadriglia, 23 Gruppo Wied il-Għajn, Autonomo Caccia Terrestre environs of Marsaskala Fighter Flight Probably in sea, off Ras il-Fenek, environs of Marsaxlokk 418 Flight Between Ta’ Daniel and Ta’ Bir Miftuħ, environs of Luqa 70a Squadriglia, 23o Gruppo L’ Iskorvit, environs of Autonomo Caccia Terrestre Mġarr a o It-Tumbrell 79 Squadriglia, 6 Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre (Delimara) In sea, Fomm ir-Riħ 79a Squadriglia, 6o Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre Bay 72a Squadriglia, 17o Gruppo, Buleben il-Kbir, 1o Stormo Caccia Terrestre environs of Żejtun

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Hawker Hurricane (N2622)

13 11-1-41/08:37

15 18-1-41/15:20

Fairey Fulmar

14 18-1-41/14:12– Junkers Ju 87 15:41 (5530/A5+JK)

Macchi C.200

12 12-11-40/ Morning

11 4-11-40/Approx Vickers Wellington 00:05 (R1094)

No. Date/time Aircraft 10 3-11-40/Approx Vickers Wellington 23:25 (T2743)

Unteroffizier Richard Zehetmair (Pilot) † Gefreiter Heinrich Müller † Lieutenant Robert Henley Naval Airman A. S. Rush

Sergeant William Timms †

Pilot/crew Sergeant Raymond Lewin (Pilot) Pilot Officer David Allen (Second Pilot) † Sergeant Archibald Hunter Leading Aircraftman John Hollingworth Sergeant Thomas Reay Sergeant Philip Forrester (Pilot) † Sergeant David Rawlings (Second Pilot?) † Sergeant Thomas Woor (Observer) † Sergeant Douglas Palmer Sergeant Arthur Smith (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Tenente Giuseppe Volpe †

806 Squadron

2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1

In sea, west of Delimara

In sea, approximately 300 yards from beach post SA1 (Żonqor Point) West end of Wied Qirda, environs of Żebbuġ Ħal Far

88a Squadriglia. 6o Gruppo, 1o Stormo Caccia Terrestre 261 Squadron

Dun Mario Street, Qormi

Place Tal-Ħandaq, environs of Qormi/Żebbuġ

Wellington Flight

Unit Wellington Flight

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Fiat CR.42

19 16-2-41/Approx Hawker Hurricane 09:45 20 26-2-41/Approx Junkers Ju 87 12:45–13:45 (5718/6G+PR)

18 1-2-41/Approx 11:45

Feldwebel Johannes Braun (Pilot) † Feldwebel Justin Kästle †

Flight Lieutenant James MacLachlan

Hauptmann Wilhelm Dürbeck (Pilot) † Leutnant Ernst Küther (Observer) † Stabsfeldwebel Eduard Kemeth (Wireless Operator) † Feldwebel Franz Heinle (Air Gunner) † Sergente Andrea Baudoni †

Oberfeldwebel Hans Schneider (Pilot) † Stabsfeldwebel Fritz Nakosky (Observer) † Obergefreiter Max Griehsl (Wireless operator) † Gefreiter Gustav Heitland (Air Gunner) †

17 19-1-41/13:08– Junkers Ju 88 13:14 (8156/L1+AS)

or (3285/L1+ES)

Pilot/crew Oberfeldwebel Kurt Zube (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Franz Buczek †

No. Date/time Aircraft 16 19-1-41/Approx Junkers Ju 87 13:12 (5431/A5+BK)

Ta’ Ġokondu (southwest perimeter of St Andrew’s Barracks) Paola Ħal Farruġ, environs of Luqa

379a Squadriglia, 156o Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre 261 Squadron 4./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1

8./(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1

Place South of Corradino and west of Għajn Dwieli, environs of Paola 8./(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1 In sea, Marsaskala Bay

Unit 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1

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29 28-3-41/17:26

Hawker Hurricane (V7430)

Junkers Ju 87 (5297/J9+CH) Messerschmitt Bf 110 (KB+NC/3723)

Hawker Hurricane

Pilot/crew Unteroffizier Heinz Langreder (Pilot) † Gefreiter Erwin Suckow † Sergeant Charles MacDougal †

Sergeant Reg Goode

Unteroffizier Wilhelm Singer (Pilot) † Obergefreiter Paul Stapf † 24 5-3-41/17:10– Oberleutnant Günther Rudloff 18:05 (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Hans Dittmayer † 25 7-3-41/Approx Martin Maryland Flying Officer John Boys-Stones 12:10 (AR706) (Pilot) † Sergeant J. M. Alexander (Observer) Sergeant Jack Levy (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner?) † 26 9-3-41/07:27– Messerschmitt Bf 110 Oberleutnant Horst von Weegmann 07:42 (2057/L1+BH) (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Wilhelm Banser † 27 10-3-41/Approx Short Sunderland 12:55 (L2164) 28 23-3-41/15:40– Hawker Hurricane Sergeant Frederick Robertson 16:21 (V7495?)

22 5-3-41/Approx 17:30–17:32 23 5-3-41/17:38

No. Date/time Aircraft 21 26-2-41/Approx Junkers Ju 87 12:45–13:45 (5152/6G+ER)

West of Nadur (Gozo) In sea, St Paul’s/ Mistra Bays Approximately 150 yards south-west of Rabat reservoir (south of Rabat) Pwales Valley

1./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 228 Squadron

274 Squadron attached to 261 Squadron

261 Squadron

Wied il-Busbies, environs of Rabat

Vicinity of Żabbar Gate In sea, off Żonqor Point Tas-Sriedak, environs of Mosta

Place North perimeter of Luqa aerodrome

69 Squadron

Stabsstaffel/Sturzkampf­ geschwader 1

7./Sturzkampfgeschwader1

261 Squadron

Unit 4./Sturzkampfgeschwader1

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34 1-5-41/Approx 17:14–17:20 35 6-5-41/20:20– 23:30

Hawker Hurricane (Z3061?) Junkers Ju 88 (3199/4D+FS)

33 29-4-41/18:30– Junkers Ju 88 19:25 (2279/LI+BT)

Unteroffizier Werner Gerhardt 8./Kampfgeschwader 30 (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Heinrich Demmer (Bomb Aimer) † Obergefreiter Heinz Franke (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Alfred Starke (Air Gunner) †

Pilot Officer L. G. M. Rees (Captain) 228 Squadron Flying Officer F. M. Goyen Pilot Officer N. M. Maynard Leading Aircraftman D. A .J. Taylor III.(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1 Feldwebel Rudolf Lenzner (Pilot) Feldwebel Wilhelm Heller (Bomb Aimer) Feldwebel Helmut Hartlich (Wireless Operator) Unteroffizier Paul Kietzmann (Air Gunner) Sergeant B. C. Walmsley C Flight, 261 Squadron

9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1

Unit 261 Squadron

32 27-4-41/Approx Short Sunderland 10:07 (L5807)

Pilot/crew Sergeant Peter Waghorn † Leutnant Werner Zühlke (Pilot) † Obergefreiter Hans Feldeisen †

Aircraft Hawker Hurricane

31 11-4-41/Approx Junkers Ju 87 22:34 (5724/J9+BL)

No. Date/time 30 11-4-41/11:54

Ospizio (between Gwardamanġa and Floriana)

Għaxaq

Between Naval Rifle Range and Ix-Xħagħra l-Ħamra, environs of Manikata

Place Erba’ Mwieżeb, environs of St Paul’s Bay Near Chapel of St Mary, Magħtab, environs of Għargħur In sea, off Kalafrana

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260 Squadron

Hawker Hurricane (Z4317?)

Tenente Sergio Reggiani (Pilot) Maresciallo Guglielmo Mazzolenis (Second Pilot) Primo Aviere Francesco Minuto (Wireless Operator) † Primo Aviere Michele Turco (Mechanic) † Primo Aviere Ugo Bonanno (Air Gunner) † Sergeant Robert MacPherson †

43 4-7-41

Hawker Hurricane (Z3055)

90a Squadriglia, 10o Gruppo, 4o Stormo Caccia Terrestre

Sergente Alfredo Sclavo †

126 Squadron

249 Squadron

Sergeant Alexander Livingston †

Sergeant Thomas Hackston †

Place Wied id-Dis, environs of Għargħur Marsa Sports Club

Near dam just west of Ħal Farruġ, environs of Luqa Ħal Mann, environs of Lija Between Ta’ Ġarda and Għar Dalam, environs of Għaxaq In sea, at Ħamrija Bank (south coast)

Between Kirkop and Safi a o 243 Squadriglia, 99 Gruppo, Guarena, south of 43o Stormo Bombardamento Qrendi Terrestre

261 Squadron 185 Squadron 185 Squadron

Pilot Officer Brian Cavan or Pilot Officer Claud Hamilton † Sergeant Ernest Wynne †

Hawker Hurricane (Z4087? or Z2901?) Hawker Hurricane (Z3035) Fiat BR.20M

Unit 261 Squadron

Pilot/crew Sergeant Henry Jennings †

Aircraft Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane (Z4048) 42 27-6-41/11:35– Macchi C.200 12:20

41 18-6-41/16:50

40 14-6-41

No. Date/time 36 7-5-41/Approx 15:55 37 14-5-41/16:28– 17:00 38 15-5-41/12:12– 12:42 39 8-6-41/Approx 03:30

Air Battle of Malta.indd 164

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Aircraft Bristol Blenheim (Z9575)

48 5-11-41/21:31– Junkers Ju 87 22:17 (MM7072 or MM7074) 49 8-11-41/Approx Macchi C.202 12:10 (MM7736 or MM7746) 50 8-11-41/Approx Hawker Hurricane 12:10

46 25-7-41/11:05– Macchi C.200 11:30 47 4-9-41/02:40 Fairey Fulmar

45 12-7-41/22:10– Vickers Wellington 22:30 (Z8775)

No. Date/time 44 5-7-41

Sergeant Allan Haley

Lieutenant D. E. C. Eyres (Pilot) Sub Lieutenant Bernard Furlong Sottotenente Vittorio Bragadin (Pilot) † Maresciallo Angelo Gatti † Capitano Mario Pluda †

Pilot/crew Sergeant Walter Rand (Pilot) Sergeant Alfred Murcutt (Observer) † Sergeant Jack Oaten (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Corporal Wilfred Gape Sergeant Ralph Askin † Sergeant Lionel Clay † Sergeant William Ramsay † Sergeant Desmond Thomas † Sergeant Eugene Townsend † Sergeant Arthur Worsfield † Second Lieutenant Peter Dale (passenger) † Sottotenente Francesco Liberti † Gudja

Place

126 Squadron

238a Squadriglia, 101o Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento a Tuffo 73a Squadriglia, 9o Gruppo, 4o Stormo Caccia Terrestre

400 yards west-southwest of XHC 14 HAA gun position, Ħalq Dieri, environs of Żebbuġ

Il-Fiddien (between Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa) Wied Qasrun, environs of Dingli

1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment Near Church of St 98a Squadriglia, 7o Gruppo, 54o Stormo Caccia Terrestre Francis, Valletta 800X Squadron In sea, Mellieħa Bay

15 Operational Training Unit Safi landing strip, St Nicola area

Unit 82 Squadron

Air Battle of Malta.indd 165

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Aircraft Hawker Hurricane (Z3495?) Bristol Blenheim (Z7858)

Hawker Hurricane

58 28-12-41/19:39– Junkers Ju 88 20:30 (0636/R4+CL)

57 26-12-41/16:55

55 22-12-41/14:36– Hawker Hurricane 14:50 56 23-12-41/ Martin Maryland Approx 16:26 (BS766?)

54 21-12-41/11:35– Hawker Hurricane 12:10 (DG615)

53 19-12-41/10:58– Junkers Ju 88 11:48 (0564/R4+HH)

52 13-12-41/15:10

No. Date/time 51 9-11-41/23:06

Leutnant Wilfried Babinek (Pilot) † Obergefreiter Heinrich Schwarz (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Wilhelm Gutt (Air Gunner) †

69 Squadron

Sergeant Peter Wells (Pilot) † Sergeant Peter Dive (Observer) † Sergeant Henry Metcalfe (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Sergeant W. E. Copp

3./Nachtgeschwader 2

126 Squadron

249 Squadron

249 Squadron

Near Cisk brewery chimney, Santa Venera West perimeter of Ħal Far aerodrome

Bur Magħtab/ Il-Marnisi/ Għar Dalam area, south-east Malta Ħal Saflieni, environs of Paola Near Luqa aerodrome

Bin Ġemma (Gozo)

1./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2

18 Squadron

Place Between Ħal Dragu and Żebbieħ In sea, approximately 650 yards south-east of Xrobb il-Għaġin

Unit Malta Night Fighter Unit

Pilot Officer Robert Matthews †

Sergeant Frank Jury (Pilot) Sergeant Thomas Black (Observer) Sergeant Dennis Mortimer (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Leutnant Wilhelm Brauns (Pilot) Gefreiter Johannes Mattuschka (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Erwin Heese (Air Gunner) Flying Officer Percival Leggett

Pilot/crew Flight Lieutenant Donald Stones

Air Battle of Malta.indd 166

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Junkers Ju 88 (1346/M7+AK)

64 18-1-42/Approx Junkers Ju 88 06:48 (0149/R4+MM)

63 18-1-42/Approx Lockheed Hudson 06:16 (V9126)

Unit 4./Jagdgeschwader 53

69 Squadron Wing Commander John Dowland, GC (Pilot) † Pilot Officer Arnold Potter (Observer) Pilot Officer Robert Gridley † 59 Squadron Sergeant Alan Story (Pilot) † Sergeant Noel Wouldes (Observer) † Sergeant Percy Hankins (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Sergeant Colville Leutnant Dieter Schleif (Pilot) † 4./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 Obergefreiter Rolf Wiegand (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Karl-Heinz Bülow (Air Gunner) †

2./Kampfgruppe 806 Oberleutnant Viktor Schnez (Pilot) Oberfeldwebel Ulrich Arnold (Bomb Aimer) Obergefreiter Gerhard Hoppe (Wireless Operator) Feldwebel Heinrich Freese (Air Gunner) Sergeant J. A. Westcott 185 Squadron

Aircraft Pilot/crew Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Werner Mirschinka † (7091/White 12)

61 3-1-42/Approx Hawker Hurricane 09:15–09:30 62 13-1-42/12:41– Martin Maryland 12:46 (AR721)

60 3-1-42/Approx 09:15–09:30

No. Date/time 59 3-1-42/Approx 09:15–09:30

Għar Mundu, environs of Rabat/ Siġġiewi/Dingli

Għajn il-Kbira, environs of Rabat/ Siġġiewi/Dingli

In sea, off Tigné

Kalafrana

Place Thought to be 150 yards south-southwest of Chapel of Santa Agata, environs of Safi/Bubaqra Ta’ l-Infetti, environs of Żebbuġ

Air Battle of Malta.indd 167

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Pilot Officer Albert Anderson or Pilot Officer C. A. Blackburn or Pilot Officer C. F. Sluggett Pilot Officer Albert Anderson or Pilot Officer C. A. Blackburn or Pilot Officer C. F. Sluggett Pilot Officer Albert Anderson or Pilot Officer C. A. Blackburn or Pilot Officer C. F. Sluggett Pilot Officer Alexander Mackie †

67 25-1-42/10:29– Hawker Hurricane 11:16

71 6-2-42/Approx 13:11

Junkers Ju 88 (3556?/B3+CK)

70 27-1-42/17:35– Hawker Hurricane 17:54 (Z3571?)

69 25-1-42/10:29– Hawker Hurricane 11:16

Feldwebel Claus Ahrens (Pilot) Obergefreiter Gernot Hartmann (Observer) † Gefreiter Franz-Wilhelm Peter (Wireless Operator) Obergefreiter Karl Schäfer (Air Gunner)

Flight Lieutenant Peter Thompson

66 25-1-42/10:29– Hawker Hurricane 11:16

68 25-1-42/10:29– Hawker Hurricane 11:16

Pilot/crew Sergeant Donald Neale †

No. Date/time Aircraft 65 22-1-42/11:28– Hawker Hurricane 12:06 (BE346?)

2./Kampfgeschwader 54

1435 Flight

126 or 242 Squadron

126 or 242 Squadron

126 or 242 Squadron

185 Squadron

Unit 242 Squadron

Southern outskirts of Santa Katerina, between Rabat and Dingli Għallis (east of Salina)

Ta’ Marianu, environs of Żejtun

Southern perimeter of Qrendi airfield

Place Probably Ħemsija area, environs of Mdina Probably Ħal Tartarni, environs of Dingli Il-Ħotba, environs of Qrendi

Air Battle of Malta.indd 168

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Unit 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 249 Squadron

Pilot/crew Oberfeldwebel Otto Göthe † Pilot Officer James Stuart †

6./Kampfgeschwader 77 Leutnant Waldemar Stadermann (Pilot) † Oberfeldwebel Walter Hesse (Observer) Oberfeldwebel Albert Stahl (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Martin Knobloch (Air Gunner) † 69 Squadron 75 15-2-42/18:05– Martin Maryland Squadron Leader W. E. M. Lowrey 18:35 (AR714) (Pilot) Flying Officer J. E. Bosley (Observer) Sergeant N. E. Rasmussen (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner?) Sergeant Durant (Wireless Operator/ Air Gunner?) 76 22-2-42/13:51 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Walter Schwarz † 9./Jagdgeschwader 53 (7541/+Yellow 10) 77 1-3-42/13:07– Hawker Hurricane Pilot Officer James Tew † 242 Squadron 13:38 78 3-3-42/22:17 Hawker Hurricane Flying Officer Denis Winton 1435 Flight (Z3562) 79 4-3-42/Approx Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Benedikt Wegmann 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 12:52 (8649/Black 3)

Aircraft Messerschmitt Bf 109 (7463/Yellow 4) 73 9-2-42/Approx Hawker Hurricane 10:35 (Z5326) 74 15-2-42/Approx Junkers Ju 88 09:07 (8581/3Z+FP)

No. Date/time 72 7-2-42/11:22

Pembroke Ranges

Near Rabat

Il-Ħotob, environs of Birkirkara/Qormi Marsaskala

In sea, off Bengħisa

Tal-Qortin, environs of Bubaqra

Place 100 yards north-east of Post HF5, Ħal Far Bidnija Hill

Air Battle of Malta.indd 169

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Junkers Ju 88 (8680/3Z+JP or 3Z+LP)

Place Ġebel Ċantar, environs of Siġġiewi

126 Squadron 249 Squadron 249 Squadron

Pilot Officer Kenric Murray † Pilot Officer Douglas Leggo †

6./Kampfgeschwader 77

126 Squadron

Mrieħel, environs of Birkirkara/Qormi Ta’ Żuta, environs of Rabat/Siġġiewi/Dingli Midway between Ta’ San Niklaw reservoir and Guarena Tower, environs of Qrendi

Between Safi airstrip and Gudja Ħal Far

10./(Jabo)/Jagdgeschwader 53 Busugrilla (Rabat)

Unit 2./Küstenfliegergruppe 606

Oberleutnant Gerhard Becker (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Arnulf Thiemann (War reporter) † Unteroffizier Walter Kunzi (Wireless Operator) Unteroffizier Anton Schweiger (Air Gunner) † Sergeant John Mayall †

Pilot/crew Unteroffizier Albert Degenhardt (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Friedrich Engelbert (Observer) † Unteroffizier Hermann Gessele (Wireless Operator) † Gefreiter Werner Rehschütz (Air Gunner) † Messerschmitt Bf 109 Oberleutnant Hermann Raab (7475/Yellow 4) Hawker Hurricane Pilot Officer Howard Coffin

Aircraft Junkers Ju 88 (1392/7T+JK)

Hawker Hurricane (Z5140?) 85 10-3-42/17:03 Supermarine Spitfire (AB343?) 86 20-3-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire 08:29 (AB337?)

84 10-3-42/11:02

82 9-3-42/14:52– 15:29 83 9-3-42/17:40

81 6-3-42/17:23

No. Date/time 80 5-3-42/02:11– 02:20

Air Battle of Malta.indd 170

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Hawker Hurricane (Z5302?)

88 31-3-42/10:06

93 8-4-42/Approx 20:49

91 1-4-42/17:10– 18:58 92 4-4-42/11:35– 11:45

Pilot Officer Philip Kelley (Pilot) Sergeant Pike

Pilot/crew Oberleutnant Rudolf Krieg (Pilot) † Feldwebel Walter Fuchs (Observer) Oberfeldwebel Werner Eisenhuth (Wireless Operator) Oberfeldwebel Emil Fenrich (Air Gunner) Sergeant Archibald Steele †

Junkers Ju 88 (8605/R4+CL)

Il-Qali, environs of Marsaxlokk Off Luqa Road, environs of Paola Probably partly in Margherita Square, Cospicua North-west of Kirkop

8./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3

69 Squadron

Approx 125 yards north-west of Tas-Silġ Battery, environs of Marsaxlokk Ħal Far aerodrome

Place Ta’ Żokrija, environs of Mosta

185 Squadron

Unit 2./Küstenfliegergruppe 606

Oberfeldwebel Alfred Vogel (Pilot) † 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 Obergefreiter Helmut Aumann (Bomb Aimer) † Unteroffizier Ernst Schilling (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Kurt Böhme (Air Gunner) †

Unteroffizier Winfried Günther (Pilot) † Gefreiter Wilhelm Neubauer † Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Hans Pilz (8668/Black 11) Junkers Ju 87 Feldwebel Hans Frank (Pilot) † (2237/T6+CM) Unteroffizier Georg Groner

89 31-3-42/Approx De Havilland 10:28 Mosquito (W4063) 90 1-4-42/Approx Junkers Ju 87 18:19 (2147/T6+FN)

Aircraft Junkers Ju 88 (140 152/7T+FK)

No. Date/time 87 21-3-42/15:57

Air Battle of Malta.indd 171

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Fiat BR.20M (24106)

99 14-4-42/Approx Messerchmitt Bf 109 11:00–11:30 (8784/Black Chevron-Triangle) 100 20-4-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire 18:14

98 12-4-42/03:35– 03:46

96 10-4-42/18:02– Hawker Hurricane 18:35 97 11-4-42/17:45 Junkers Ju88 (5520/3Z+HS)

300 yards north-east of Post HF5, Ħal Far

Stab II./Jagdgeschwader 3 126 Squadron

Pilot Officer Hiram Putnam †

Ta’ Kandja valley, environs of Siġġiewi/ Mqabba

It-Tiġrija, north-west outskirts of Nadur (Gozo)

276a Squadriglia, 116o Gruppo, 37o Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre

8./Kampfgeschwader 77

Place Is-Simblija, environs of Naxxar Ta’ Bir Miftuħ, environs of Luqa/ Gudja Ħaġra s-Sewda (Għar Lapsi) Tal-Munxar (east coast)

Unteroffizier Harry Müller (Pilot) † Obergefreiter Peter Dressen (Observer) † Unteroffizier Fritz Haas (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Karl Geilenkirchen (Air Gunner) † Tenente Alberto Zampini (Pilot) † Sergente Gianfranco Viola (Second Pilot) Sergente Fausto De Sanctis (Wireless Operator) † Aviere Scelto Ettore Pizzi (Flight Mechanic) † Aviere Scelto Andrea De Vito (Armourer) † Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Krahl †

185 Squadron

7./Jagdgeschwader 53

Unit 185 Squadron

Pilot Officer Philip Wigley

Messerschmitt Bf 109 Leutnant Hermann Neuhoff (7375/Yellow 1)

95 10-4-42/18:12

Pilot/crew Sergeant Charles Broad

Aircraft Hawker Hurricane

No. Date/time 94 10-4-42/18:02

Air Battle of Malta.indd 172

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Supermarine Spitfire (BP969) Junkers Ju 87 (2180/S7+CM) 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3

Unteroffizier Jürgen Schwengers (Pilot) † Gefreiter Franz Nettelnbreeker † Flight Lieutenant Percy Lucas

110 26-4-42/14:28– Supermarine Spitfire 15:37

107 25-4-42/12:45– Hawker Hurricane 13:50 108 25-4-42/12:45– Supermarine Spitfire 13:50 109 25-4-42/17:41– Hawker Hurricane 18:28

229 Squadron

Flight Sergeant Lucien Brooks †

601 Squadron

601 Squadron

Pilot Officer Kenneth Pawson †

Pilot Officer Walter Cripps †

229 Squadron

Warrant Officer Douglas Corfe †

5./Jagdgeshwader 53

249 Squadron

126 Squadron

229 Squadron

Sergeant John Fullalove † Pilot Officer Frank Jemmett †

Unit 126 Squadron

Pilot/crew Flight Lieutenant Hugh Johnston

105 24-4-42/17:55– Supermarine Spitfire 19:08 106 25-4-42/06:37– Messerschmitt Bf 109 Feldwebel Alexander Kehlbuth 08:00 (7373/Black 8)

103 22-4-42/Approx 18:02 104 23-4-42/11:12– 11:15

No. Date/time Aircraft 101 20-4-42/17:15– Supermarine Spitfire 18:49 102 21-4-42/08:32– Hawker Hurricane 10:20

Ta’ Brija, west of Siġġiewi Probably Tal-Milħa farm, environs of Mqabba Marfa ridge (northwest coast) Il-Qadi, environs of Bur Marrad Bajda ridge (just west of Victory Chapel), environs of St Paul’s Bay 441 High Street, Qormi

Place Għar Ħanżir (Wied il-Kbir) San Leonardo, environs of Żabbar/ Marsaskala Tal-Virtu, environs of Rabat In sea, Marsaxlokk Bay

Air Battle of Malta.indd 173

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

119 8-5-42/08:35– 10:11 120 9-5-42/10:55– 12:13

Supermarine Spitfire (BR116 or AB340) Junkers Ju 87 (2151/S7+HN)

117 6-5-42/Approx 10:20 118 8-5-42/09:26– 09:31

Flight Sergeant Allan Otto

9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3

Gefreiter Karl Haf (Pilot) † Gefreiter Fritz Weber Flight Lieutenant Norman MacQueen † Flight Lieutenant Hugh Johnston

Marsa Sports Club Wied Magħlaq (south coast)

249 Squadron

Il-Menqa (near the Chapel of Our Lady of the Abandoned), Żebbuġ 300 yards west of Ta’ Qali west dispersal In sea, east of Aħrax Point

Kalafrana–Ħal Far road Approx 200 yards east of Dingli reservoir Żonqor, environs of Marsaskala San Pawl Tat-Tarġa

Place Santu Rokku, environs of Kalkara

8./Jagdgeschwader 53

8./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3

603 Squadron

126 Squadron

249 Squadron

185 Squadron

Pilot Officer John Fletcher †

Pilot/crew Unit Leutnant Hans-Georg Witt (Pilot) † 4./Lehrgeschwader 1 Sonderführer Dr Eduard Petertil (Air Gunner/War Reporter) † Unteroffizier Josef Mirlenbrink (Wireless Operator) † Oberfeldwebel Ernst-Wolfgang Steuß (Bomb Aimer) † Pilot Officer Thomas Foley † 229 Squadron

Feldwebel Walter Obermeiländer (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Albert Westphalen † Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Heinrich Becker (7513/Black 3) Supermarine Spitfire Pilot Officer Harold Milburn †

Supermarine Spitfire (BR116 or AB340)

Hawker Hurricane (BE555) Hawker Hurricane (Z2698) Junkers Ju 87 (Probably 2075/S7+JP) Supermarine Spitfire

112 28-4-42/Approx 07:25 113 28-4-42/Approx 08:24 114 3-5-42/Approx 18:15 115 4-5-42/Approx 18:11 116 6-5-42/Approx 10:15

No. Date/time Aircraft 111 27-4-42/Approx Junkers Ju 88 11:32 (5717/L1+CM)

Air Battle of Malta.indd 174

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Aircraft Supermarine Spitfire (BR248) Junkers Ju 87 (2057/S7+FM)

Pilot/crew Sergeant Gordon Tweedale †

Unteroffizier Christian Appmann (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Heinrich Schäfer † 123 10-5-42/18:20 Cant. Z.1007bis Primo Aviere Antonio Braschi † Sottontenente Salvatore De Maria † Aviere Scelto Celestino Giovannini † Aviere Scelto Vittorio Rey † Tenente Domenico Robilotta † Aviere Scelto Giovanni Zancan † 124 10-5-42/18:10– Junkers Ju 87 Unteroffizier Walter Rastinnes (Pilot) 19:47 (2051/S7+EM) Unteroffizier Walter Rauer † 125/ 11-5-42/17:59 Supermarine Spitfire Pilot Officer Riversdale Barnfather 126 (BP964 or BP991?) and/or Flight Lieutenant William Douglas 127 12-5-42/17:45 Savoia-Marchetti S.84 Tenente Vinicio Vego Scocco † Aviere Scelto Francesco Carabellese † Primo Aviere Lino Conte † Aviere Scelto Sergio Orsingher † Primo Aviere Gustavo Petrai † Sergente Eugenio Rivolta † 128 14-5-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire Sergeant Colin Finlay † 09:53 129 14-5-42/12:48 Supermarine Spitfire Sergeant John Boyd †

No. Date/time 121 9-5-42/Approx 17:00 122 10-5-42/10:40– 11:36 In sea, Dockyard Creek

8./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3

Probably south of Bidnija Tal-Pitkal, environs of Dingli

In sea, off Wied iż-Żurrieq Near west end of east–west Luqa runway

603 Squadron 14a Squadriglia, 4o Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre

185 Squadron 185 Squadron

Senglea

7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3

211a Squadriglia, 50o Gruppo Kalkara area Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre

Place Saviour Street, Lija

Unit 185 Squadron

Air Battle of Malta.indd 175

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

or 140181/M7+FH)

Aircraft Junkers Ju 88 (140166/M7+CH

Pilot/crew Unit Feldwebel Günther Schwerdt (Pilot) † 1./Kampfgruppe 806 Obergefreiter Rudolf Hertzler (Observer) † Feldwebel Paul Stahl (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Johannes Meinel (Air Gunner) †

134 17-5-42/18:22– Supermarine Spitfire 18:28

Sergeant Frank Howard †

601 Squadron

1./Kampfgruppe 806 Hauptmann Emil Braun (Pilot) † Obergefreiter Karl-Heinz Stadtmann (Observer) † Unteroffizier Otto Richter (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Rolf Hüppop (Air Gunner) † 131 14-5-42/Approx Junkers Ju 88 Unteroffizier Hans Prokesch (Pilot) † 1./Kampfgruppe 806 18:20 (140156/M7+BL) Obergefreiter Herbert Burger (Observer) Obergefreiter Hermann Köster (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Ferdinand Lechner (Air Gunner) † 132 15-5-42/Approx Messerschmitt Bf 109 Leutnant Herbert Soukup 6./Jagdgeschwader 53 16:40 (7295/Yellow 12?) 133 17-5-42/12:20 Supermarine Spitfire Pilot Officer Peter Nash † 249 Squadron

No. Date/time 130 14-5-42/13:31

Ta’ Wied Rini, environs of Rabat Ta’ Luretu, environs of Gudja

South of Marsa Creek

Ta’ Karach ridge, environs of Gudja/ Għaxaq/Birżebbuġa

Place Ta’ San Ġakbu (Ta’ Qali)

Air Battle of Malta.indd 176

03-Feb-17 13:34:44

Vickers Wellington

Supermarine Spitfire (BR285) Fiat BR.20M (MM24133?)

137 29-5-42/23:10

138 2-6-42/09:31

139 17-6-42/01:49

Capitano Annibale Sterzi †

Reggiane Re.2001

136 26-5-42/15:36

358a Squadriglia, 2o Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre 104 Squadron

Unit 152a Squadriglia, 2o Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre

Crew thought to have been: Sottotenente Aldo Ruggeri (Pilot) † Sergente Olinto Lentini (Second Pilot) † Aviere Scelto Giovanni Ruggero (Wireless Operator) † Aviere Scelto Bruno Gandolfi (First Engineer) † Alberto Constantini (Air Gunner) †

277a Squadriglia, 116o Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre

Sergeant Raymond Hills (Pilot) Sergeant Eric Martin (Second Pilot) † Flight Sergeant George Davis (Observer) † Sergeant Andrew McColl (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Sergeant Elwyn Roberts (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Flight Sergeant Kenneth Ross (Air Gunner) † Pilot Officer John Halford 185 Squadron

Pilot/crew Tenente Remo Cazzolli

No. Date/time Aircraft 135 18-5-42/05:45– Reggiane Re.2001 06:51

Just north of Żebbuġ Cemetery

In sea, off Marsaxlokk

Il-Ħotob, environs of Birkirkara/Qormi/ Attard

Place Northern edge of Fort San Leonardo, environs of Żabbar/ Marsaskala Għaxaq

Air Battle of Malta.indd 177

03-Feb-17 13:34:45

Supermarine Spitfire (BR465?)

Junkers Ju 88 (1570/M7+GK

143 3-7-42/08:44– 09:42

144 4-7-42/00:30

or 1348/3Z+BM)

Macchi C.202

142 2-7-42/19:46– 20:21

No. Date/time Aircraft 140 19-6-42/Approx Fairey Albacore 10:23 141 24-6-42/23:37 Junkers Ju 87

Unteroffizier Luitpold Martin (Pilot) † 4./Kampfgeschwader 77 Gefreiter Ludwig Ebner (Observer) † Unteroffizier Willi Böhmer (Wireless Operator) † Obergefreiter Anton Fischer (Air Gunner) †

Unit Probably 828 Squadron

Place Tal-Bakkari (between Bubaqra and Ħal Far) Near Qasam San 239a Squadriglia, 102o Gruppo, 5o Stormo Tuffatori Ġorġ, environs of Kerċem/Victoria (Gozo) Sergente Maggiore Alberto Porcarelli † 151a Squadriglia, 20o Gruppo, 200 yards from 51o Stormo Caccia Terrestre cliff edge, south of Il-Prajjet and west of Qasam Barrani, environs of Mellieħa Pilot Officer Richard McHan 126 Squadron 575 yards southsouth-east of Ta’ Brija crossroads, environs of Siġġiewi 2./Kampfgruppe 806 Qawra Leutnant Oskar Kasimir (Pilot) † Unteroffizier Johann Haubenthal (Observer) † Unteroffizier Rüdiger Telle (Wireless Operator) † Feldwebel Walter Behnisch (Air Gunner) †

Pilot/crew Sub Lieutenant P. A. Jordan (Pilot) Sub Lieutenant Richard Todd † Sottotenente Fulvio Papalia (Pilot) Aviere Scelto Pietro Gianini †

Air Battle of Malta.indd 178

03-Feb-17 13:34:45

Aircraft Savoia Marchetti S.84bis (MM24008?)

Junkers Ju 88 (5729/3Z+FP)

Supermarine Spitfire (BR165 or AB500) Cant. Z.1007bis

No. Date/time 145 4-7-42/Approx 08:59

146 6-7-42/04:07

147 7-7-42/07:53– 08:06 148 7-7-42/17:25

Pilot/crew Sergente Maggiore Romolo Cristiani (Pilot) † Sergente Maggiore Manca Gesuino (Second Pilot) † Aviere Scelto Arduino Pelleschi (Wireless Operator) Primo Aviere Giovanni Genovese (Mechanic) † Primo Aviere Gino Pascalizzi (Armourer) † Aviere Scelto Giovanni Lunati (Photographer) † Haupmann Leo Behlau (Pilot) † Feldwebel Paul Pohley (Observer) † Feldwebel Karl Kraus (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Paul Jaffke (Air Gunner) † Flight Sergeant Thurne Parks or Pilot Officer David Ferraby Tenente Francesco Antonelli (Pilot) † Sottotenente Giovanni Casadio (Second Pilot?) † Aviere Scelto Giuseppe Buratti † Sergente Calogero Dragotta † Primo Aviere Gaetano Pisarra † Ta’ San Ġwakkin, environs of Qormi Ta’ Brija Street, Siġġiewi, and environs of Ta’ l-Ghasfur

150 yards south-west of Zammitello Palace, Mġarr

6./Kampfgeschwader 77

249 Squadron 185 Squadron 60a Squadriglia, 33o Gruppo, 9o Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre

Place Ta’ Ġarda, environs of Għaxaq

Unit 14a Squadriglia, 4o Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre

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Aircraft Supermarine Spitfire (BR108) Junkers Ju 88 (5513/3Z+ET)

Pilot/crew Flight Lieutenant Lester Sanders

Unit 603 Squadron

Unteroffizier Herbert Schlitt (Pilot) † 9./Kampfgeschwader 77 Unteroffizier Josef Forster (Observer) † Obergefreiter Andreas Pollak (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Franz Schmiedl (Air Gunner) † 151 11-7-42/09:26– Messerschmitt Bf 109 Leutnant Heinz Riedel Stab/Jagdgeschwader 53 09:55 (13148) 152 19-7-42/15:10 Supermarine Spitfire Sergeant Joseph Otis † 126 Squadron (BP861) 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 153 20-7-42/23:46 Junkers Ju 88 Feldwebel Karl Bonk (Pilot) † (6579/3Z+FS) Unteroffizier Johann Gerstel (Observer) † Unteroffizier Gerhard Priewisch (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Josef Pohl (Air Gunner) † 154 23-7-42/Approx Hawker Hurricane Pilot Officer David Kent † 185 Squadron 11:49 (Z2825)

No. Date/time 149 8-7-42/07:32– 08:00 150 9-7-42/Approx 09:00

West Ħal Far

Ta’ Ġiorni, environs of Sliema Between Luqa and Gudja Near junction of Salvu Sacco and Nerik Xerri Streets, Kirkop

Place In sea, Marsalforn Bay (Gozo) Callus Street, Mosta

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Supermarine Spitfire (EP189 or BR303) Junkers Ju 88 (14075/3Z+HP)

160 30-7-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire 11:28 161 2-8-42/14:35 Supermarine Spitfire (BR362) 162 4-8-42/15:00 Supermarine Spitfire (BR357)

126 Squadron 185 Squadron 126 Squadron

Sergeant David Ritchie Pilot Officer James Guthrie † Sergeant R. H. Richardson

3./Jagdgeschwader 77

6./Kampfgeschwader 77

Pilot/crew Unit Leutnant Josef Hörmann (Pilot) † 1./Kampfgruppe 806 Obergefreiter Josef Popp (Observer) † Leutnant Heinz Heuser (Wireless Operator) † Unteroffizier Wolfram Quass (Air Gunner) † Sergente Maggiore Faliero Gelli 378a Squadriglia, 155o Gruppo 51o Stormo Caccia Terrestre Sergeant Donald Hubbard † 1435 Flight

Unteroffizier Albert Führer (Pilot) † Gefreiter Peter Bolten (Observer) † Unteroffizier Karl Bauer (Wireless Operator) Unteroffizier Gustav Frick (Air Gunner) 159 29-7-42/09:42– Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Karl-Heinz Witschke † 10:30 (13060/Yellow 2)

157 28-7-42/08:35– 09:20 158 28-7-42/17:27– 17:30

156 27-7-42/Approx Macchi C.202 09:15 (MM7842)

No. Date/time Aircraft 155 24-7-42/Approx Junkers Ju 88 11:05 (140247/M7+KH)

In sea, 700 yards north-north-east of Dragut Point, Sliema Tal-Ħandaq area, environs of Qormi 600 yards south of Żebbieħ Il-Qolla, environs of St Paul’s Bay

Between Dabrani and Ta’ Kuljat, environs of Żebbuġ (Gozo) Tal-Ramlija, environs of Kirkop Wolseley Camp, (near Il-Biez), environs of Marsaxlokk

Place Between Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim (south coast)

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169 27-8-42/Approx Junkers Ju 88 00:35 (140137/3Z+CS)

168 21-8-42/Approx Bristol Beaufort 09:30 (DW805)

167 14-8-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire 18:50 (EP207)

Aircraft Supermarine Spitfire (EN973?) Messerschmitt Bf 109 (7609/Yellow 9) 165 12-8-42/19:15 Bristol Beaufighter (T5143) 166 13-8-42/Approx Vickers Wellington 04:36 (DV542)

No. Date/time 163 8-8-42/09:48– 11:12 164 10-8-42/11:58 6./Jagdgeschwader 53

Unteroffizier Walter Schmidt

Pilot Officer Ernest Moody (Pilot) Overseas Aircraft Delivery Sergeant Griffith Unit Sergeant O. Pritchard Sergeant S. Gill Feldwebel Ernst Klaus (Pilot) 8./Kampfgeschwader 77 Unteroffizier Franz Rohringer (Observer) † Unteroffizier Kurt Klawitter (Wireless Operator) Unteroffizier Franz Riedl (Air Gunner) †

Flight Lieutenant I. Gallaway (Pilot) 248 Squadron Flight Sergeant Keech Unidentified unit Pilot Officer Douglas Shepherd (Pilot) Sergeant John Maslin (Second Pilot) Sergeant Harry Fox (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Sergeant Keith Thompson (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Sergeant Jacob Langley (Air Gunner) Flight Sergeant George Hogarth 249 Squadron

Unit 249 Squadron

Pilot/crew Pilot Officer George Beurling

850 yards north of XHB 10 HAA gun position, environs of Qrendi In sea, 1,450 yards north of Għar id-Duħħan, environs of Marsaskala Ta’ Tinġi, environs of Xewkija (Gozo)

Place Ta’ Salib, environs of Gudja In sea, 1,000 yards north of Ras l-Irqieqa Bieb ir-Ruwa, environs of Rabat Tal-Ibraġ (between Żebbuġ and Luqa)

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177 18-10-42/16:02– 16:05 178 23-10-42/Approx 06:47 179 23-10-42/Approx 06:47 180 24-10-42/13:41

173 4-10-42/Approx 08:54 174 12-10-42/09:34– 10:27 175 13-10-42/Approx 13:26 176 15-10-42/10:31 Pilot Officer James Stevenson †

Flying Officer Roderick Smith

185 Squadron

185 Squadron

352a Squadriglia, 20o Gruppo In sea, off Tigné 51o Stormo Caccia Terrestre 126 Squadron In sea, 700 yards north-north-east of Dragut Point, Sliema 126 Squadron Near Għargħur Cemetery 5./Jagdgeschwader 53 Żebbieħ

Maresciallo Maurizio Iannucci †

Ta’ Netta ta’ Falzon, environs of Dingli Ta’ Wied Rini, environs of Rabat

In sea, St Julian’s Bay

1435 Squadron

Sgt Thomas Kebbell

89 Squadron

Flight Lieutenant John Waddingham (Pilot) † Pilot Officer Alfred Cumbers 249 Squadron

185 Squadron

Sergeant Lawrence Swain †

Place Vicinity of Salina– Naxxar road Boundary of Luqa airfield, Gudja area 350 yards northnorth-east of XHE 33 HAA gun position, environs of Naxxar South of Qrendi

Flight Sergeant George Hogarth †

Unit 229 Squadron

Pilot/crew Sergeant E. H. Francis

Messerschmitt Bf 109 Unteroffizier Heribert Wagner † (10524/Black 12) Supermarine Spitfire Flying Officer Alec Lindsay † (EP685) Supermarine Spitfire Sergeant Raymond Saunders † (EP467)

Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire (BR471)

Supermarine Spitfire (BR379) Supermarine Spitfire (BR368?) Macchi C.202

Aircraft Supermarine Spitfire (BR488) 171 13-9-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire 08:37 (BR374) 172 26-9-42/20:06– Bristol Beaufighter 20:37 (V8268)

No. Date/time 170 28-8-42/17:07

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185 8-11-42/Approx Supermarine Spitfire 16:40 (EP609) 186 21-11-42/12:12 Supermarine Spitfire

184 7-11-42/Approx Vickers Wellington 20:31 (Z8590)

185 Squadron 229 Squadron

Flight Sergeant Martin Lundy †

Jabo-Gruppe O.B.S. Frontfliegersammelgruppe, 3./Schlachtgeschwader 2 104 Squadron

Unit Jabo-Gruppe O.B.S. Frontfliegersammelgruppe, 1./Schlachtgeschwader 2 1435 Squadron

Flight Sergeant Lincoln Craig (Pilot) † Flying Officer Samuel Morrison (Second Pilot) † Flight Sergeant Herbert Earney (Observer) † Flight Sergeant Alastair Paterson (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner?) † Sergeant Keith Donald (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) † Sergeant Oliver Holmes (Air Gunner) † Sergeant Harwood

Supermarine Spitfire Pilot Officer Russell Wright † (EP138) 183 2-11-42/13:40– Messerschmitt Bf 109 Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Slany † 14:09 (10045/Yellow 3)

182 1-11-42/12:14

No. Date/time Aircraft Pilot/crew 181 25-10-42/Approx Messerschmitt Bf 109 Oberleutnant Richard Eckhardt † 08:23 (8349/White 14)

Tal-Papa, environs of Birżebbuġa Is-Sgħajtar, environs of Naxxar

Ġebel Ċantar, environs of Siġġiewi

Near Tal-Ħlas Chapel, environs of Żebbuġ Kirkop area

Place Ta’ Qali (West Dispersal)

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Bristol Beaufighter

188 25-12-42/ Approx 09:32

Unit

1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars ex-21 Personnel Training Centre Leading Aircraftman Richard Clegg † 138 Squadron Porucznik Krzysztof Dobromirski † 138 Squadron ex-462 Squadron Flight Lieutenant Peter Earle † 138 Squadron Corporal Douglas Hounslow † 138 Squadron Porucznik Zbigniew Idzikowski † Aircraftman 1st Class Stanley Kelly † ex-244 Wing 138 Squadron Sierzant Alfred Kleniewski † Indian Army Major Arthur Millar † 138 Squadron Porucznik Stanisław Pankiewicz † 138 Squadron Sergeant Dennis Spibey † Flight Lieutenant Leonard Vaughan ex-40 Squadron DSO, DFC † 138 Squadron Sergeant Alexander Watt † Squadron Leader Jefferson ex-92 Squadron Wedgwood DFC † 138 Squadron Sierzant Roman Wysocki † 138 Squadron Starzy Sierzant Oskar Zieliński † Flight Lieutenant Dallas Schmidt 227 Squadron (Pilot) Flight Sergeant Andrew Campbell

Aircraft Pilot/crew Handley Page Halifax Crew and passengers: (DT542) – 138 Major (The Lord Apsley) Allen Squadron Bathurst DSO, MC, TD, MP † Leading Aircraftman Cyril Browne †

No. Date/time 187 18-12-42/ Approx 0402

Near Għaxaq/Bir id-Deheb

Place Between Il-Bajjada and Ta’ San Girgor, environs of Żejtun

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Unverified

Għajn Riħana, area of Tarġa Battery Unverified. Possibly Sergeant John D. McCracken (Hurricane, 126 Squadron), who was killed on 19 July 1941 to the north-east of Mtarfa Date of loss unknown Probably Cant. Z.1007bis (shot down on 10 May 1942) and/or Junkers Ju 87 Unidentified Unverified

Possibly Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane or Supermarine Spitfire

Junkers Ju 87

Unidentified

Probably Messerschmitt Bf 109

Messerschmitt Bf 109

Ta’ San Pietru (below Victoria Lines)

In sea, just east of Il-Kalanka tal-Gidien (Delimara)

Water Mill Street, Kalkara

Bull Street, Cospicua

Near Luqa Cemetery

Ras il-Qammieħ

Date of loss unknown

Hawker Hurricane

Place Pinto Wharf, Grand Harbour

Comments Pilot Officer Clifford Gray or Sergeant R. Branson, both 185 Squadron and both of whom baled out and survived when shot down during a raid between 11:55–12:43 hours on 6 May 1941

Aircraft Hawker Hurricane

Unidentified and unverified crash sites

Appendix II

ABBREVIATIONS AA, A.A., A/A anti-aircraft A/C, a/c aircraft AI Air Interception AOC Air Officer Commanding ASR Air Sea Rescue IoAv. Primo Aviere Av.Sc. Aviere Scelto BSM Battery Sergeant Major CO, C.O. Commanding Officer DA delayed action DFC Distinguished Flying Cross DLI Durham Light Infantry e/a enemy aircraft E.K.II Eiserne Kreuz II (Iron Cross 2nd Class) EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal FAA Fleet Air Arm F/O, Fg Off Flying Officer Fl. Flieger F/L, F/LT, F/Lt, Flt Lt Flight Lieutenant FS, F/Sgt Flight Sergeant Fw. Feldwebel Gefr. Gefreiter G/Cpt. Group Captain G.P. Gun position HAA heavy anti-aircraft HE high explosive HQ, H.Q. Headquarters HSL High Speed Launch I.A.F. Italian Air Force Jabo Jagdbomber (fighter-bomber) KOMR King’s Own Malta Regiment LAA light anti-aircraft Lt Lieutenant Lt. Leutnant MASRS Malta Air Sea Rescue Service MC Military Cross Me, ME, M.E. Messerschmitt MG, mg, m.g. machine gun

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Abbreviations

187

M.I., MI Medical Inspection NCO, N.C.O. Non-Commissioned Officer Obgfr. Obergefreiter Oblt. Oberleutnant Ofw. Oberfeldwebel OC Officer Commanding O.P. Observation Post O.R. Other Rank ORB Operations Record Book Plt Off, P/O Pilot Officer PO Petty Officer PRU Photographic Reconnaissance Unit P/W prisoner of war RA Royal Artillery RAF, R.A.F. Royal Air Force R.A.M.C. Royal Army Medical Corps R.C.A.F. Royal Canadian Air Force RDF radio direction finding RMA Royal Malta Artillery RT, R/T radio telephone Sdf. Sonderführer S.A. small arms Serg. Sergente Sergt, Sgt Sergeant Serg.Magg. Sergente Maggiore S/L, S.L. searchlight S.Ten. Sottotenente Stfw. Stabsfeldwebel Sqn Squadron Sqn Ldr, S/Ldr, S/LDR Squadron Leader Sub Lt Sub Lieutenant Ten. Tenente Uffz. Unteroffizier W/Comm Wing Commander W/T, W/T. wireless telegraphy

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Appendix III

REGIA AERONAUTICA IN THE AIR BATTLE OF MALTA At the outbreak of hostilities between Italy and Great Britain, responsibility for neutralising Malta fell to 2 a Squadra Aerea (superseded in December 1940 by Comando Aeronautica della Sicilia). A squadra aerea was essentially a command structure responsible for a particular geographic area and was loosely comparable with a Royal Air Force group or German Luftflotte. A squadra could vary in size, both in area and establishment. It comprised two or more air divisions. Each divisione aerea consisted of at least two air brigades. In turn, a brigata aerea included a number of stormi. A stormo (broadly similar to a RAF wing) might typically have two gruppi, and was usually equipped throughout with one specific aircraft type. The gruppo (similar in size to a full-strength RAF squadron) was the basic operating unit, with two squadriglie in the case of multi-engined types, and three squadriglie for single-engined aircraft. (Irrespective of the term, a squadriglia was more the equivalent of a RAF Flight.) Units of the Regia Aeronautica were designated by the formation number, followed by the role, e.g. 195a Squadriglia, 90o Gruppo, 30o Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre. Autonomous gruppi and squadriglie also operated under direct squadra command. The following types of Italian air force unit are mentioned in this book: Aerosiluranti (A.S. or Sil.) Torpedo Bomber Autonomo (Aut.) Autonomous Bombardamento Terrestre (B.T.) Bomber, Land-based Bombardamento a Tuffo (B .a T.) Dive-Bomber Caccia Terrestre (C.T.) Fighter, Land-based

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Appendix IV

LUFTWAFFE IN THE AIR BATTLE OF MALTA In January 1941, X. Fliegerkorps of the Luftwaffe commenced operations against Malta. A Fliegerkorps (Flying Corps) could operate either within or independently of a Luftflotte (Air Fleet), which had a role broadly similar to that of the Italian squadra aerea. Both the Fliegerkorps and Luftflotte varied considerably in strength and comprised all types of flying units. A Geschwader (the nearest Royal Air Force equivalent being a group) was the largest German air force formation with a nominal fixed strength. Normally confined to one role, a Geschwader usually comprised three (but sometimes more) Gruppen. Each Gruppe (roughly comparable to a RAF wing) tended to include a Stab (staff) flight with three or four aircraft and three Staffeln (similar to RAF squadrons), each with about twelve machines. However, as with RAF squadrons, the number of aircraft on strength varied considerably. Luftwaffe units were commonly designated by an abbreviation of the unit type, prefixed by Stab, the Gruppe (in Roman numerals), or the Staffel (in Arabic numerals); e.g. 7./J.G.26, i.e. 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26. The following types of Luftwaffe unit are mentioned in this book: Jagdgeschwader (J.G.) Kampfgeschwader (K.G.) Kampfgruppe (K.Gr.) Küstenfliegergruppe (Kü.Fl.Gr.) Lehrgeschwader (L.G.) Nachtjagdeschwader (N.J.G.) Schlachtgeschwader (Sch.G.) Seenotdienstaffel (Seenotst.) Sturzkampfgeschwader (St.G.) Zerstörergeschwader (Z.G.)

Air Battle of Malta.indd 189

Fighter Group Bomber Group Bomber Wing Coastal Reconnaissance Wing Operational/Tactics Evaluation Group Night Fighter Group Fighter-Bomber Group Air Sea Rescue Squadron Dive-Bomber Group Heavy Fighter Group

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Appendix V

COMPARATIVE RANKS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE, REGIA AERONAUTICA AND LUFTWAFFE The following is a guide to comparative ranks of the Royal Air Force, the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe also used three officer candidate grades: Fahnenjunker, which was prefixed to the ordinary NCO rank, e.g. Fahnenjunker Unteroffizier/Fähnrich/Oberfähnrich. Royal Air Force

Regia Aeronautica

Luftwaffe

—

—

Reichsmarschall

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Maresciallo dell’Aria

Generalfeldmarschall

Air Chief Marshal

Generale di Armata Aerea

Generaloberst

Air Marshal

Generale di Squadra Aerea

General der Flieger

Air Vice-Marshal

Generale di Divisione Aerea

Generalleutnant

Air Commodore

Generale di Brigata Aerea

Generalmajor

Group Captain

Colonnello

Oberst

Wing Commander

Tenente Colonnello

Oberstleutnant

Squadron Leader

Maggiore

Major

Flight Lieutenant

Capitano

Hauptmann

Flying Officer

Tenente

Oberleutnant

Pilot Officer

Sottotenente

Leutnant

—

Aiutante di Battaglia

—

Warrant Officer

Maresciallo (1 , 2 , 3 Classe)

Stabsfeldwebel

Flight Sergeant

Sergente Maggiore

Oberfeldwebel

Sergeant

Sergente

Feldwebel

—

—

Unterfeldwebel

Corporal

Aviere Scelto

Unteroffizier

—

—

Hauptgefreiter

Leading Aircraftman

Primo Aviere

Obergefreiter

Aircraftman 1st Class

Aviere

Gefreiter

Aircraftman 2nd Class

—

Flieger

Air Battle of Malta.indd 190

o

o

o

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NOTES TNA: The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office), Kew, England IWM: Imperial War Museum, London, England

Introduction 1 Quotations from English-language sources appear as they were originally written or related by those concerned. I have resisted the temptation to over-punctuate and, with the possible exception of spelling mistakes and some obvious grammatical errors, nothing has been altered. British variants of Malta place names, such as Ta Kali/Takali (for Ta’ Qali), have also been retained. 2 A rough assessment of the number of aeroplanes destroyed during the battle may be gauged from figures provided in Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia, Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41 (Grub Street, 1999), pp. 362–3; Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia, Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942 (Grub Street, 1991), pp. 645–6; and Brian Cull with Frederick Galea, Spitfires over Malta: The Epic Air Battles of 1942 (Grub Street, 2005), pp. 333–49. Between June 1940 and the end of 1942 this amounted to at least 202 Italian aircraft of all types, together with 324 German machines during 1941–42. In the air the RAF lost in the region of 304 fighters (including Fulmars) from June 1940 to the end of 1942. Many more fighters crash-landed or were strafed or bombed on the ground. Numerous other aircraft types were also written off. According to Richard Mifsud, Flames over Malta (Richard Mifsud, 1989), p. 77, the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe admitted to losing 210 and 357 machines respectively up to November 1942. 3 Due to omissions or discrepancies in available records, some personnel might have held a more senior rank prior to notification of recent promotion. One example is John D. McCracken, whose rank is stated as Sergeant Pilot in the ORB of 126 Squadron, and Flight Sergeant according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 4 Brigadier Alfred Samut-Tagliaferro, CBE, President, National War Museum Association, foreword to National War Museum Souvenir Handbook.

CHAPTER 1: June–August 1940

1 Philip Vella, Malta: Blitzed But Not Beaten (Progress Press, 1985), pp. 2–4. 2 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, p. 2. 3 Ibid., pp. 11–25. 4 Dates in bold indicate when a crash occurred. Army and air force units, as well as the Malta Police Force, all kept records of air raids. Timings and details can

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192

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vary depending on the source, with police reports seeming to be among the most reliable. For Malta’s first year under attack I have relied, where possible, on timings provided by police reports. On 22 June 1941, the RAF in Malta issued the first of many Daily Intelligence Summaries. These include details of air raids (the timings of which closely correspond to police reports) and provide the basis for subsequent entries. 5 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, pp. 31–2. 6 S.Ten. Luigi Illica Magnani, Serg. Dante Becherucci, IoAv. Silla Bussaglia, IoAv. Giovanni Chessa and Serg.Magg. Pietro Gori, who are believed to have been in the same crew, were all reported missing on this date. The mortally wounded crewman from one of the damaged bombers is thought to have been IoAv. Dino Calzolari of 194 a Sqd. 7 ‘Jock’ Hilton-Barber, interviewed by Brian Cull, October 1976. 8 War Diary of 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, WO 169/910. 9 The story behind ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Charity’ is covered in detail in Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41. 10 Ibid., p. 41. 11 Hilton-Barber, interview. 12 War Diaries held at TNA place the crash site of Gladiator N5519 as follows: 1st Battalion The King’s Own Malta Regiment (1 KOMR), WO 169/905: ‘just off beach near FORT LEONARDO’; 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment, WO 169/909: ‘just off beach near FORT LEONARDO’, amended to, ‘just off beach near FORT TA-SILCH’; 2nd Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment, WO 169/912: ‘on the Coast’. The War Diary of 3 KOMR, WO 169/907, records that the pilot baled out, ‘landing in sea off Il HOFRA IL-KEBIRA’. The ORB of RAF Kalafrana, AIR 28/409, states that the ‘Gladiator burst into the sea’. However, the Malta Police, whose records are among the most reliable, reported, ‘Air-Craft fell at Zabbar – Parachutist seen gliding towards Kalafrana – Parachutist observed coming down into the sea in the vicinity of Tas-Silġ Fort.’ (Report Regarding Air Raids). This appears to be corroborated by RAF Air Intelligence Officer, Flight Lieutenant Wyndham Grech in Air Raids on Malta – Official Reports, TNA: AIR 23/5750: ‘One of our Gladiators shot down by enemy fighter crashing on landing [sic]. Pilot escaped by parachute and rescued in sea by R.A.F. speedboat.’ 13 Vella, Malta, pp. 17–18 and 216–20. 14 Hilton-Barber, interview. Sgt Robertson’s first recorded flight after his accident was in Hurricane P3731 on 12 August 1940.

CHAPTER 2: September–December 1940 1 Times of Malta, 19 September 1940.

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Notes

193

2 Malta: enemy prisoners of war interrogation reports (June 1940–May 1941), TNA: AIR 40/1862. 3 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, p. 71. 4 Sgt F. N. Robertson, combat report. 5 Malta: enemy prisoners of war interrogation reports (June 1940–May 1941). 6 Sgt R. J. Hyde, combat report. 7 War Diary of 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment, TNA: WO 169/909. 8 Supplement to The London Gazette, 11 March 1941. 9 Ibid., 28 February 1941.

CHAPTER 3: January–April 1941 1 Attacks by Enemy Aircraft on Naval Ships, TNA: AIR 2/4221. 2 Ibid. 3 Air Ministry Form 1180. 4 Jim Pickering, letter to the author, c. November 1995. 5 John Galea, letter to the author dated 22 May 1995. 6 Ministry of Information, The Air Battle of Malta: The Official Account of the R.A.F. in Malta, June 1940 to November 1942 (HMSO, 1944), pp. 23–4. It seems likely that this did not happen on 16 January but perhaps occurred at a later date. 7 James MacLachlan, diary. In his log book, MacLachlan noted, ‘Shot down one Ju 88 which crashed in sea 100 yds off Zonkor [sic] Point.’ A list of diving sites apparently compiled by RAF sport divers mentions an unidentified aeroplane wreck in shallow water near the former Jerma Palace Hotel and wreckage from this or another aircraft on the sloping seabed off Marsaskala Bay. 8 Sgt F. N. Robertson, combat report. 9 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, p. 225. 10 MacLachlan, diary. 11 Donald Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, Volume One, 1939–1942 (Grub Street, 1996), pp. 103–4. Oblt. Müncheberg is credited with the destruction of one Hurricane off the south-west coast at 10:38 hours (presumably Central European Time) and another at 10:45 east of Ta’ Qali (probably Flt Lt MacLachlan); Uffz. Mondry attacked a Hurricane at 10:42 hours at a height of 16,400 feet about 6 miles south of Valletta. 12 MacLachlan, diary. 13 Ibid. 14 Helmut Mahlke, Stuka, Angriff: Sturzflug (Verlag E. S. Mittler & Sohn, 1993), pp. 107–10 (translated by Sonja Stammwitz). 15 Fw. Braun’s Ju 87 was coded 6G+PR and Uffz. Langreder’s 6G+ER, thus indicating 7. Staffel aircraft. Yet, for whatever reason, Stuka Staffeln regarding Luftwaffe losses over Malta frequently fail to correspond with individual aircraft codes. 16 Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, p. 104.

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17 Charles Whittingham, diary. The extract is taken from a second-generation transcript of Whittingham’s original diary. Extracts were also published under the heading ‘Malta was his Battleground’, Royal Air Force Quarterly, Vol. XIII, No. 3 (June 1942), but appear to have been edited and differ somewhat to the existing copy. 18 Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, pp. 105–6; Uffz. Kestler’s claim was unconfirmed. 19 MacLachlan, diary. The entry is incorrectly dated 3 March 1941. 20 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, pp. 164–5. 21 Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, p. 106. 22 On 22 March 1941, Fg Off James Foxton, Fg Off John Southwell, Plt Off Dennis Knight, Plt Off Thomas Garland and Sgt Richard Spyer failed to return. Four were shot down over the Mediterranean and have no known grave; Fg Off Southwell fell at an unknown location and is buried at Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery. 23 Sgt F. N. Robertson, combat report. Robertson’s log book records that he ‘Climbed to 10,000’ over island and baled-out. Machine crashed about ½ mile south of Rabat.’ 24 Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, pp. 108–9. 25 ‘Luftwaffe Losses’, Imperial War Museum (IWM): GER/MISC/MCR 18, and Namentliche Verlustmeldung (personnel loss report), Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt). 26 Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, p. 110. 27 TNA: WO 169/3284. 28 According to Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, Plt Off Claud Hamilton of 261 Sqn ‘attacked and claimed shot down’ the Ju 87 piloted by Lt. Werner Zühlke. Official records confirm that the Stuka fell at Il-Magħtab; the General Staff Malta Command War Diary, TNA: WO 169/3259, recorded: ‘1 J.U. 87 was shot down on land, 4130, by ground defences, (strong claim by 2 R.Ir.F. to have shot this machine down with S.A. fire). 1 J.U. 87 probably shot down by fighters.’ 29 Malta: enemy prisoners of war interrogation reports (June 1940–May 1941). 30 Interrogation conducted on 6 May 1941, TNA: AIR 40/1862. The report includes a reference to the prisoners’ unit, which is recorded as: ‘5th. Staffel, 2nd. Gruppe of unknown K.G.’ ‘Luftwaffe Losses’ identifies it as 9(K)/LG 1. 31 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, p. 194.

CHAPTER 4: May–December 1941 1 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, pp. 205–6, and Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 13. 2 185 Squadron diaries, TNA: AIR 27/1142. 3 Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, p. 112. 4 185 Squadron diaries. 5 Ibid. 6 TNA: WO 169/3277. 7 TNA: WO 169/3282.

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8 TNA: WO 169/3278. 9 TNA: WO 169/3283. 10 Malta Police Reports compiled by Philip Vella (National War Museum Association, Malta) as ‘Aircraft Losses, Malta, 1940/41’. 11 The crash site was identified in 1998. 12 Wing Commander T. F. Neil, Onward to Malta: Memoirs of a Hurricane Pilot in Malta – 1941 (Airlife, 1992), p. 114. 13 Ibid. 14 According to the War Diary of 1st Battalion The Hampshire Regiment, the bodies of two Italian fighter pilots were found. If so, only the identity of Sergente Alfredo Sclavo has been established. TNA: WO 169/3283. 15 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary, TNA: AIR 22/391. 16 Shores et al, Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, pp. 260–1, explains how the unfamiliar Z.1007bis may have been misidentified due to the angle of approach of attacking fighter pilots. 17 Fg Off Robert Matthews, diary. 18 Diary of Second Lieutenant J. Q. Hughes RA, IWM: 81/24/1. The entry is incorrectly dated 28 July 1941. 19 Comm. Silvio De Giorgi, letter to the author dated 30 March 1999. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22 Italian PoWs: Interrogation Reports 1940–42, TNA: AIR 40/1868. 23 La Decima Flottiglia MAS [The Tenth Flotilla MAS] was a specialist Italian force trained for operations above and underwater. Equipment included the SLC (siluro a lenta corsa – slow-running torpedo) and MTM (motoscafo turismo modificato – modified tourist motorboat). 24 The observer was probably Sub Lt (A) Reginald Drake, who died less than three weeks later when a clandestine operations He 115 ditched in the Mediterranean. PO (A) Arthur Jopling was shot down off Sicily in October 1941 and taken prisoner together with Lt John Manning (observer). 25 Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, pp. 304–5. 26 185 Squadron diaries. 27 Sgt Allan Haley, combat report, TNA: AIR 50/49. 28 Hughes, diary. 29 Vella, Malta: Blitzed But Not Beaten, p. 50. 30 Ibid. 31 Donald Stones, Operation “Bograt” – From France to Burma (Spellmount, 1991), p. 61. 32 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942), TNA: AIR 40/1863. The report dated 12 February 1942 states that Lt. Brauns, ‘recently recovered consciousness’. 33 P. G. (Graham) Leggett, letter to the author dated 28 July 2000. 34 P. G. (Graham) Leggett, letter to the author dated 8 August 2000.

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35 Diaries of BSM F. G. R. Packington, IWM: 86/69/1. 36 Leggett, letter to the author dated 8 August 2000. 37 Diaries of Oliver Ormrod. 38 Jochen Prien, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 1 (Struve-Druck, 1990), p. 446. 39 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary. 40 Ian McKay, diary. 41 TNA: WO 169/3285. 42 Although a night fighter, this Ju 88 is reported by RAF Intelligence to have been carrying eight 50-kilogramme bombs, a not uncommon practice. TNA: AIR 40/1863. 43 Diaries of Stan Fraser. 44 Ormrod, diary. 45 ‘Luftwaffe Losses’ identifies the aircraft as a Ju 88 C4.

CHAPTER 5: January–February 1942 1 Viktor Schnez, correspondence with the author, 2000. 2 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942), TNA: AIR 40/1863 3 Sgt Garth Horricks, log book. Unusually, Horricks kept two near-identical log books. The entries differ only slightly in this instance, with one stating that the Ju 88 attacked by Horricks crashed near Ta’ Qali, and the other entry stating it crashed at Ta’ Qali. The actual crash site is about 1½ miles south-east of the former aerodrome. 4 TNA: AIR 50/49. 5 Ibid. 6 Schnez, correspondence with the author. 7 John Galea, letter to the author dated 22 May 1995. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Schnez, correspondence with the author. 11 Ormrod, diary. 12 Diaries of F. G. R. Packington, IWM: 86/69/1. 13 Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 38. 14 Charlie Savage, letter to the author dated 11 August 1997. 15 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). 16 TNA: WO 169/7382. 17 Savage, letter to the author. 18 Flt Lt Nigel Kemp, combat report, TNA: AIR 50/92. 19 One of the Ju 88s may have been a I./K.G.54 machine reported to have been lost on this date.

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20 Prien, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 1, pp 452–3 (translated by Sonja Stammwitz). 21 Peter Thompson, letter to the author dated 5 July 1995. In all, twenty-two Hurricanes appear to have been scrambled, comprising seven aircraft of 185 Squadron, and four, five and six machines from 249, 126 and 242 Squadrons respectively. Three Hurricanes returned early with mechanical trouble. 22 Peter Thompson, letter to the author dated 23 July 1995. 23 Fraser, diary. 24 Ormrod, diary. 25 Jochen Prien, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 3 (Struve-Druck, 1991), p. 1669. 26 Ormrod, diary. 27 Fraser, diary. Official records state that one Ju 88 was destroyed and another damaged by HAA. A third, credited to LAA, was reported to have crashed in the sea south of Dingli at about 10:00 hours. RAF fighters also claimed two Bf 109s destroyed. At least one Ju 88 was actually brought down. 28 Phil Chandler, letter to the author dated 16 July 1985. 29 P. B. ‘Laddie’ Lucas, letter to the author dated 15 September 1995. 30 The cutting, from the Times of Malta, 23 February 1942, carried the headline, ‘AIR BATTLES OVER MALTA’, and consisted of a Situation Report issued by the Information Office the day before. The actions of Sgts Sutherland and Eastman are recounted thus: “ME” FALLS TO GUNS OF SERGEANT PILOT The “ME 109” was shot down by a Sergeant Pilot [Sutherland]. He flew so close to press home his attack that he had to break off to avoid a collision. Black smoke was then pouring from the “Messerschmitt’s” engine. Another pilot saw the starboard wing fall off, the fighter then spinning into the ground. The Sergeant Pilot then attacked a “JU 88”, damaging it and silencing the rear-gunner. Another Sergeant Pilot [Eastman] attacked in turn two “JU 88’s” and two “ME 109’s”. His tracer bullets ripped the fuselage of one bomber, the underneath side of the other and hit the rear gunner of the second. Bursts of tracer also hit both the fighters. 31 185 Squadron diaries, TNA: AIR 27/1142. 32 By the time they reached Sicily, the Bf 109s were dangerously low on fuel. Three crashed while landing. Two pilots survived, but Fw. Hipper of 9./J.G.53 was killed. Prien, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 1, pp. 472, 475 and 523. 33 John Mizzi, The Battle for Malta (2013 television documentary).

CHAPTER 6: March–April 1942 1 The War Diary of 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment, TNA: WO 169/7426, records that this Bf 109 crashed on F Range; that of 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish

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Fusiliers, TNA: WO 169/7430, gives the location as E Range, and 11th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers, TNA: WO 169/7432, as near C Range stop butts. According to the diary of Mrs A. B. Marjoribanks-Egerton, IWM: 85/47/1, the Messerschmitt came down on C Range. It seems likely that the crash site is under the reverse osmosis plant that has since been constructed at this location. 2 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). 3 Uffz. Engelmann is named in Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). ‘Luftwaffe Losses’ and the Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldung identifies Uffz. Friedrich Engelbert as the observer of Ju 88 1392/7T+JK. 4 Tony Busuttil, from a letter to the author dated 30 June 1995. 5 Phil Wigley, letter to the author dated 12 July 1996. 6 The War Diary of Headquarters Royal Artillery Malta (TNA: WO 169/7382) credits HAA with the destruction of one Ju 88, while the War Diary of 225th Light AntiAircraft Battery Royal Artillery, TNA: WO 169/7419, claims that the Ju 88 brought down at Ħal Far was destroyed by LAA. 7 Prien, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 1, p. 488. 8 Laddie Lucas, Malta – The Thorn in Rommel’s Side, Six Months that Turned the War (Stanley Paul, 1992), pp. 62–3. 9 Fraser, diary. 10 George Lord, letter to the author dated 30 June 1995. 11 Howard Bell, letter to the author dated 9 July 1995. 12 George Lord, letter to the author dated 1 August 1995. 13 Ops “B” Log, TNA: AIR 23/5585. 14 Hermann Neuhoff, letter to Gavin Cooper (nephew of Douglas Leggo) dated 10 February 1999. Neuhoff described for a German wartime publication the circumstances of what is stated to have been his thirty-eighth air victory. However, the account concerns the shooting-down into the sea of a Hurricane and would seem to refer to the demise of Sgt George Mulloy on 18 March 1942. 15 Those who died were Flt Lt Cecil Baker (126 Squadron), Plt Off John Booth (249 Squadron), Plt Off James Guerin, from Australia (249 Squadron), Plt Off William Hallett (126 Squadron), Plt Off Edward Streets, from America (126 Squadron) and Fg Off (Acting Flt Lt) Arthur Waterfield (Intelligence Officer). 16 Letter to the author from Jim Somerville, dated 5 April 1996. Ofw. Emil Fenrich was from Heppenheim, about 16 miles north of Heidelberg. 17 Ernie Broad, log book. 18 185 Squadron diaries. 19 Ibid. 20 Eyewitness account as related to Robert Farrugia. 21 In the ORB of RAF Station Ta Kali, TNA: AIR 28/807, Plt Off Nash, FS Fletcher and Fg Off Buchanan are each credited with destroying a Ju 87. This seems to be corroborated by the ORB of 126 Squadron, TNA: AIR 27/926. The ORB of 249

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Squadron, TNA: AIR 27/1498, confirms the victories of Nash and Buchanan, while the RAF Daily Intelligence Summary, TNA: AIR 22/392, confirms those of Nash and Fletcher, but lists Buchanan’s as probably destroyed. It also records that two Ju 87s and a Bf 109 fell to AA fire. In his log book, Plagis wrote that the Ju 87 he attacked was confirmed as destroyed. 22 Plt Off Paul Brennan DFC, DFM, Plt Off Ray Hesselyn DFM & Bar, and Henry Bateson, Spitfires over Malta (Jarrolds, 1943), p. 35. 23 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). ‘Luftwaffe Losses’ also includes the loss on this date of a second Ju 87 of III./St.G.3 together with Uffz. Helmut Süchlich. 24 TNA: AIR 23/5561. 25 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. Misraħ Santa Margerita (St Margaret Square) is situated in Cospicua. 26 Vella, Malta: Blitzed But Not Beaten, p. 68. 27 Fraser, diary. 28 Wing Commander Tim Johnston DFC, Tattered Battlements, A Malta Diary (William Kimber, 1985), p. 64. 29 Ministry of Information, The Air Battle of Malta, p. 46. 30 185 Squadron diaries. 31 Ibid. 32 Ħal Far is at an altitude of 200 feet. 33 Phil Wigley, letters to the author dated 8–18 June 1995. 34 Horricks, log book. The entries in both log books for this sortie differ only slightly, and without in any way altering the context. 35 Prien, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 1, p. 500 (translated by Sonja Stammwitz). 36 Clifford A. L. Clark, ‘The Healthy Siege (2)’, Echo, September 1996. 37 Hughes, diary. ‘Schirop’ and ‘Munsharr’ are corruptions of the Maltese Xrobb (Xrobb il-Għaġin) and Munxar. In his diary, Hughes erroneously records the event as having occurred on 15 April. 38 Italian PoWs: Interrogation Reports 1940–42, TNA: AIR 40/1868. 39 Ormrod, diary. The other occasion referred to by Ormrod was on 7 February 1942 when Ofw. Otto Göthe was killed. 40 McKay, diary. 41 A.I.1.(k) Report No. 84C/1942, TNA: AIR 40/2410. 42 Message from King George VI dated 15 April 1942. 43 TNA: AIR 40/2410. 44 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. 45 Johnston, Tattered Battlements, pp. 81–2. 46 TNA: AIR 27/1419. 47 Ops ‘B’ Log, TNA: AIR 23/5558. 48 Vella, Malta: Blitzed But Not Beaten, p. 98, and Shores et al., Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41, pp. 130–1.

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49 Vella, Malta: Blitzed But Not Beaten, p. 100. 50 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. The grenade may have been dropped from an enemy aeroplane, not an unheard-of occurrence. 51 Sgt Gordon Tweedale, log book. 52 Phil Wigley, letter to the author dated 8 June 1995. 53 Plt Off Peter Nash, diary. 54 Lucas, Malta – The Thorn in Rommel’s Side, p. 67. 55 Denis Barnham, diary. Diary extracts are reproduced as they were written in 1942, with only minor corrections made for punctuation. The diary formed the basis for Denis Barnham’s book One Man’s Window: An illustrated account of ten weeks of war, Malta, April 13th, to June 21st, 1942 (William Kimber, 1956). 56 Barnham, diary. A similar account in Barnham’s book, One Man’s Window, pp. 96–7, attributes the shooting-down of what is clearly FS Brooks’ Hurricane to AA fire. 57 Colonel A. C. MacDonald, ‘Dive-bombing attacks on 39th General Hospital, 25/4/42’. 58 Barnham, diary. 59 Ibid. 60 According to the Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldung, Sdf. Dr Eduard Petertil was a war reporter with the additional role of air gunner. 61 Corporal R. A. Brooks, letter to OC, 229 Squadron, dated 28 April 1942. 62 Cajus Bekker, The Luftwaffe War Diaries (Macdonald, 1968), p. 239.

CHAPTER 7: May 1942 1 Five Spitfires are recorded to have taken off between 17:23 and 17:34 hours; eight appear to have landed between 18:35 and 18:41. Ops ‘B’ Log, TNA: AIR 23/5558. 2 Diary of Miss G. M. Bates, IWM: 90/30/1. 3 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). According to Luftwaffe sources this Stuka was allocated Werknummer 2063. 4 Barnham, diary. 5 Brennan et al., Spitfires over Malta, pp. 61–2. 6 Lucas, Malta – The Thorn in Rommel’s Side, p. 106. 7 Johnston, Tattered Battlements, pp. 120–1. 8 The only claims for Ju 88s destroyed on 8 May 1942 were for the 08:35–10:11 raid. The only recorded loss was Ju 88 5709/M7+KL of 3./K.Gr.806 with Uffz. Gerhard Andrae (killed), Lt. Heinz Müller and Uffz. Hermann Bräuner (missing) and Obgfr. Erich Kaluza (initially reported missing), whose body was recovered by an Italian fisherman three days later. 9 Heinrich Becker, letter to the author, April 2001. 10 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). 11 On 12 September 1993, a Junkers Jumo 211 engine was recovered from the wreck, identified as a Ju 87 D, and is now displayed at Malta’s National War Museum.

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12 War Diary of Headquarters Royal Artillery Malta. 13 Ministry of Information, The Air Battle of Malta, p. 67. Although he is not named in the Ministry of Information publication, the pilot quoted is believed to be Fg Off Richard Mitchell. 14 HMS “Welshman” – Report on a Combined Services Operation, attached to the War Diary of the General Staff, Malta Command, TNA: WO 169/7381. 15 Fraser, diary. 16 Brennan et al., Spitfires over Malta, pp. 69–70. 17 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary. By 13 May 1942, the tally had risen to 23:20:24 (including eight destroyed by AA). Pilots’ log books also indicate that some claims were later upgraded. 18 Times of Malta, 11 May 1942. 19 War Diary of Headquarters Royal Artillery Malta. 20 Franklin F. Clark, letter to the author dated 20 February 1986. 10 May 1942 was the last day in action for the Royal Marines’ Bofors at St Angelo. For tactical reasons it was decided to re-site LAA guns in the harbour area. The Marines’ two Bofors were dismantled on 18 May and five days later formally handed over to 3rd Light AntiAircraft Regiment Royal Malta Artillery. 21 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids confirms that between 18:10 and 19:49 hours: ‘A Stuka dive-bomber crashed in flames at Senglea. Pilot was killed.’ A.I.1.(k) Report No. 101D/1942, TNA: AIR 40/2410, states that Uffz. Rastinnes and Uffz. Rauer were ‘shot down by A.A. fire’ at 17:00 (presumably GMT). 22 Cull with Galea, Spitfires over Malta, p. 120. One of the pilots, Serg. Mario Marchio, is said to have died of his injuries a month later. 23 185 Squadron diaries. The entry is incorrectly dated 11 May 1942. 24 Barnham, One Man’s Window, pp. 140–1. 25 TNA: WO 169/7428. 26 Italian PoWs: Interrogation Reports 1940–42, TNA: AIR 40/1868. 27 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. 28 TNA: WO 169/7395. 29 Log of High Speed Launch 128, RAF Museum, Hendon. 30 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. 31 Barnham, diary. 32 Ibid. 33 Ibid. 34 Plt Off Mervyn Ingram, log book. 35 Sqn Ldr Lord David Douglas-Hamilton, ‘With a Fighter Squadron in Malta’, Blackwood’s Magazine, No. 1543 (May 1944), p. 373. 36 Barnham, diary. A pair of machine guns was retrieved from the wreckage and added to the trophies in the Officers’ Mess bar of 601 Squadron. Barnham took the guns with him on returning to England the following month. They were later stolen while on show at a post-war display.

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37 The story about one of the Ju 88 crew being shot dead has not been substantiated. Former RAF Fitter Bill Metcalf recalled it was an army officer who took charge at the scene. 38 Barnham, diary. 39 Chandler, letter to the author. 40 Barnham, log book. A report based on the interrogation of Obgfr. Herbert Burger indicates that his Ju 88 fell to AA fire. 41 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). 42 Douglas-Hamilton, ‘With a Fighter Squadron in Malta’, pp. 373–4. 43 Johnston, Tattered Battlements, pp. 128–9. 44 Becker, letter to the author. 45 In May 1942, at least two E-boats of 3.Schnellbootsflotille were lost off Malta. The wreck of one such vessel has been located, but this is probably S 31, which struck and detonated what is thought to have been a German mine during the night of 9–10 May. Not all offshore nocturnal activity in May 1942 was related to mine-laying by German E-boats. On Monday morning, 18 May, Palombaro [Diver] Giuseppe Guglielmo of La Decima Flottiglia MAS was taken prisoner at St Thomas Bay. During interrogation Guglielmo claimed that during the night of 16–17 May he had been ferried by E-boat with Ten. Giuseppe Cosulich to a point off Malta’s coast. Using a rubber dinghy, the pair had attempted to test the vigilance of coastal defences. Guglielmo claimed that they returned to the E-boat and while underway about half an hour later there was an explosion and the E-boat sank. After swimming for a day and night (covering some 30 miles), he managed to reach shore, where he gave himself up to a fisherman, who in turn handed him over to military authorities. It would appear that Guglielmo had drawn on the E-boat’s loss in an attempt to conceal an operation other than his own. Cosulich and Guglielmo had indeed undertaken a reconnaissance, but during the night of 17–18 May. After they had entered Marsaskala Bay in an MTSM (motoscafo da turismo modificato – a type of torpedo assault craft), Guglielmo, wearing a diving suit, made his way ashore, but was then unable to relocate Cosulich and the MTSM. Meanwhile, another MTSM disembarked off the south coast a Maltese Fascist turned spy, S.Ten. Carmelo Borg Pisani. After being unable to scale the sheer cliff face below which he had landed, Borg Pisani was discovered on 20 May, taken prisoner and eventually executed. He was posthumously awarded La Medaglia d’oro al valor militare, Italy’s highest award for bravery. 46 According to his log book, completed by an unknown hand after his death, Pilot Officer Nash was involved in two scrambles on 17 May, shooting down a Bf 109 on both occasions. TNA: AIR 4/81. 47 Barnham, diary. 48 This was an attempt by the Italians to reconnoitre the coastal defences (see note 45). 49 Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, pp. 683–4. 50 Brennan et al., Spitfires over Malta, pp. 83–4. 51 A.I.K. Report No. 317/1942, TNA: AIR 40/2411.

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52 Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 684. 53 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. 54 Barnham, diary. 55 TNA: WO 169/7432.

CHAPTER 8: June–September 1942 1 Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 300. 2 Laddie Lucas, Five Up: A Chronicle of Five Lives (Sidgwick and Jackson, 1978), pp. 59–60. 3 Leo Nomis, letter to the author. Plt Off Nomis served in 229 Squadron on Malta after it rejoined the battle as a Spitfire unit. 4 John Galea, from a letter to the author dated 22 May 1995. 5 Italian PoWs: Interrogation Reports 1940–42. 6 Cull with Galea, Spitfires over Malta, p. 385, names Serg.Magg. Alberto Porcarelli as the pilot who died when his Macchi was shot down near Mellieħa, and Ten. Ennio Cherici as the pilot who baled out into the sea and was taken prisoner. 7 TNA: WO 169/7421. 8 Lucas, Malta – The Thorn in Rommel’s Side, pp. 161–4. 9 The 15 a Sqd. S.84 was piloted by Ten. Raffaele Notari and is believed to have been crewed by Av.Sc. Giorgio Bolgioni, Ten. Mario Daniele, Av.Sc. Egidio Fioretti, Av.Sc. Giovanni Maddaloni and Av.Sc. Mario Pozzoli, all of whom were posted missing. 10 At about 19:00 hours on 6 July 1942, Ju 88 1595/M7+CL of 3./K.Gr. 806 ditched off Malta with the loss of its pilot, Ofw. Peter Wilbertz. Gefr. Heinz Stiller, Fw. Sebastian Krumbachner and Fl. Hans Albrecht were taken prisoner. Another Ju  88, 1096 of 4./K.G.77, ditched after fighter attack, but is listed as being 80 per cent damaged, indicating that it came down on the Sicilian coast. On the same date, Ju 88s 3636/3Z+JN of 5./K.G.77 and 5729/3Z+FP of 6./K.G.77 also failed to return. No details are provided with regard to the loss of 3Z+JN and its crew: Lt. Reinhold Boerger, Uffz. Josef Pfeifer, Uffz. Johann Brunner and Obgfr. Raimund Geidobler. But according to the Luftwaffe Namentliche Verlustmeldung, 3Z+FP was engaged in an attack on Ta Venezia (Ta’ Qali) when it was presumably shot down by a night fighter and crashed in flames. This is almost certainly the aircraft that fell on land close to Żammitello Palace. 11 Dave Ferraby, letter to Brian Cull dated 4 July 1989. 12 Dave Ferraby, letter to the author dated 12 October 1995. 13 John Galea, from a letter to the author dated 28 November 1995. 14 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. The Maltese Triq Ħ’Attard can be translated as Attard Street and Attard Road. 15 Air Raid Report, dated 7 July 1942. 16 Ops ‘B’ Log, TNA: AIR 23/5586.

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17 Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 398. Fw. Hans Feyerlein of 6./J.G.53 also appears to have been credited with two victories on this date. The remains of FS Haggas were located off the south coast by the crew of HSL 128 and buried at sea. The RAF Daily Intelligence Summary states that FS Terry crashed on land. A caption in the photo album of Ernie Broad reads in part: ‘F/S Terry was … killed when he dived straight into the ground from 20,000’. His body was never found but his braces were.’ The whereabouts of the crash site is unknown. 18 Dr George M. Boffa, letter to the author dated 19 May 2004. 19 Douglas-Hamilton, ‘With a Fighter Squadron in Malta’, pp. 379–80. 20 Prien, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77, Teil 3, p. 1232. 21 Form 541 in the ORB of 249 Squadron also credits Pt Off Alan Yates with a Bf 109 destroyed and Warrant Officer Charles ‘Chuck’ Ramsay with a half-share in a Bf 109 destroyed (Ramsay would be killed later the same day). 22 ‘Diary of Pilot Officer Jerrold Alpine Smith, R.C.A.F.’, via Rod Smith. The entry is incorrectly dated 9 July. 23 Fraser, diary. 24 As disclosed, the remains of badly mutilated airmen were sometimes buried where they were found. The burial ‘at sea’ of enemy dead also seems to have been a not uncommon practice in Malta at this stage of the battle. 25 Fraser, diary. The War Diary of 4th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery, TNA: WO 169/7410, records that three Ju 88s were brought down by HAA and that ‘the last to crash is believed to have been badly dazzled by S/L’s, from his erratic behaviour.’ According to ‘Luftwaffe Losses’, Fw. Otto Rutschmann, Ofw. Ernst Weiss, Stfw. Georg Engle and Ofw. Ernst Ulmer of Kü.Fl.Gr. 606 were reported missing in Ju 88 140200/7T+GH on 20 July 1942, probably as a result of becoming disoriented. Ju 88 140065/3Z+CS of 8./K.G.77 was also reported missing during an operation against Malta together with Lt. Rolf Haekel, Gefr. Georg Kiefer, Uffz. Hilmar Krazat and Uffz. Günter Brzeske. 26 War Diary of 4th Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery and Royal Malta Artillery, TNA: WO 169/7406. 27 185 Squadron diaries. 28 Rod Smith, letter to the author dated 2 August 1995. 29 Jerry Smith, diary. 30 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 31 Shores et al., Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 428. 32 Malta Police Reports on Air Raids. 33 Richard McDonald, ‘The Story of Herman Zepp’ (manuscript). After the war, ‘Hermann Zepp’ was exhumed and reinterred as such at St Michele Communal Cemetery at Cagliari, Sardinia. The date of death is incorrectly stated on his grave marker as 25 July 1942. Luftwaffe records identify the pilot of Ju 88 Werknummer 140247 as Lt. Josef Hörmann, or Sepp Hörmann (Sepp being a diminutive of Josef). 34 Bell, letter to the author.

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35 Malta: German prisoners of war interrogation reports (December 1941–October 1942). 36 Ibid. 37 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 38 Fg Off George F. Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM & Bar, and Leslie Roberts, Malta Spitfire – The Story of a Fighter Pilot (Hutchinson, 1943), p. 81. 39 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary. 40 Jerry Smith, log book. 41 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 42 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary. 43 Ibid. 44 Ops ‘B’ Log, TNA, AIR 23/5586. 45 Jerry Smith, diary. 46 Chandler, quoted in Shores et al,, Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942, p. 439. 47 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary. Uffz. Karl-Heinz Witschke’s Bf 109 is probably one of two aircraft wrecks on the seabed, 700 yards off Dragut Point (see Chapter 9, note 11). 48 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 49 FS Colin Parkinson, diary. 50 Beurling and Roberts, Malta Spitfire, pp. 86–8. In his account, Beurling seems to have initially confused Sgt Budd with Flt Lt Eric Hetherington, who landed a few minutes after taking off (another pilot, Sgt R. Lamont, returned to base with engine failure after about twenty minutes). Budd appears to have been misidentified a second time, but as Sgt Vasseure ‘Georgia’ Wynn. According to Beurling, Wynn damaged a Bf 109. According to the ORB of 249 Squadron, Wynn was not involved in the scramble, but Sgt Budd was wounded in this action and credited with a Bf 109 damaged. The RAF Daily Intelligence Summary names Beurling and Jones as having each shot down a Bf 109 and credits Budd with damaging a Bf 109. 51 TNA: WO 169/7413. 52 RAF Daily Intelligence Summary. 53 The author has seen the remains of what is almost certainly Uffz. Walter Schmidt’s Bf 109. A number of items have been retrieved from the wreck, which is broken up and lies 32 metres (105 feet) underwater. 54 The epic story of Il-Konvoy ta’ Santa Marija has been fully documented in several publications. Casualty figures are from Captain E. A. S. Bailey CBE DSC Royal Navy (ed.), Malta, Defiant & Triumphant: Rolls of Honour, 1940–1943 (E. A. S. Bailey, 1992). 55 The RAF Daily Intelligence Summary states the Wellington belonged to 40 Squadron. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Sgt Harry Fox was in 221 Squadron. It would appear that the Wellington Mk I had previously been allocated to 38 Squadron, was struck off charge, and subsequently converted to a Mk VIII and put back into use.

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56 Sqn Ldr P. M. J. Evans, combat report, TNA: AIR 22/392. ‘FASHION’ was an air sector code name. 57 ‘The History of No. 89 Squadron R.F.C./R.A.F.’, unpublished manuscript, pp. 68–9, produced by the 89 Squadron Reunion Club. 58 Ibid. 59 Ibid. 60 Rod Smith, letter to the author.

CHAPTER 9: October 1942 1 Parkinson, diary. 2 TNA: AIR 22/392. 3 Ibid. 4 The final tally is for three Ju 88s, two Bf 109s and one MC.202 destroyed; one Ju 88, one Bf 109 and two MC.202s probably destroyed and six Ju 88s, an unidentified bomber and four Bf 109s damaged. (Some ORBs differ slightly with regard to the number and types of aircraft damaged.) 5 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 6 The MacLeod family suffered another loss when Sgt Alexander MacLeod’s brother, Pte John H. MacLeod of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, died in Italy in December 1943. 7 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 8 Ibid. The police also misidentified the aircraft type, reporting: ‘An M.E. fighter crashed in flames into the sea opposite the Chalet, Ghar-id-Dud, Sliema.’ In his log book, Rod Smith noted that his victim fell smoking into the mouth of Sliema Bay. In later years, he would indicate a location at the entrance of Marsamxett Harbour midway between Fort Tigné and Fort St Elmo. 9 Rod Smith, account written for ‘Laddie’ Lucas, December 1984. 10 Ibid. 11 In 1989, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) divers of the Maltese Army disclosed to the author the locations of two wrecks described as single-engined aircraft. They lie close together in depths of 39 metres (128 feet) and 42 metres (138 feet), 700 yards north-north-east of Dragut Point and east of the Chalet, Sliema. One is reported to be upright on the seabed; the other is said to be upside down. The location corresponds with coordinates taken of Rod Smith’s Spitfire when it crashed on 15 October 1942, leaving little doubt as to the identification of one wreck. The other is likely to be that of Uffz. Karl-Heinz Witschke’s Bf 109, shot down on 29 July 1942 by Sgt George Beurling. 12 Ian Lindsay, log book.

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207

CHAPTER 10: November–December 1942







1 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 2 TNA: AIR 22/392. 3 Rod Smith, letter to the author. 4 Savage, letter to the author. 5 Six Wellingtons of 40 Sqn and seven of 104 Sqn were dispatched between 17:20 and 22:40 hours on 18 December. One aircraft of 40 Sqn developed generator trouble and so diverted to attack Comiso aerodrome. Another of 104 Sqn returned early. The remainder dropped nearly 18 tonnes of bombs on Tunis and La Goulette. 6 This was probably Ju 88 140389/3Z+NK of 2./K.G.77, reported missing on a sortie to Malta on 18 December 1942, together with Ofw. Herbert Bunde, Gefr. Karl Saft, Uffz. Albert Zimmermann and Uffz. Friedrich Stelting. 7 War Diary of 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment, TNA: WO 169/7427. 8 Christopher Shores and Clive Williams, Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII (Grub Street, 1994), p. 623. 9 TNA: AIR 27/412.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Agius, John A., MBE, and Frederick R. Galea, Lest We Forget: Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Air Forces Servicemen Lost in the Defence of Malta (Malta Aviation Museum Foundation, 1999). Bailey, Captain E. A. S., CBE, DSC Royal Navy (ed.), Malta, Defiant & Triumphant: Rolls of Honour, 1940–1943 (E. A. S. Bailey, 1992), and Addenda & Amendments (as at 31 December 1997). Barnham, Denis, One Man’s Window: An illustrated account of ten weeks of war, Malta, April 13th, to June 21st, 1942 (William Kimber, 1956). Bekker, Cajus, The Luftwaffe War Diaries (Macdonald, 1968). Beurling, Flying-Officer George F., DSO, DFC, DFM & Bar, and Leslie Roberts, Malta Spitfire: The Story of a Fighter Pilot (Hutchinson, 1943). Bonner, Robert A., The Ardwick Boys went to Malta: A British Territorial Battalion during the siege 1940–1943 (Fleur de Lys Publishing, 1992). Borgiotti, Alberto and Cesare Gori, Gli Stuka della Regia Aeronautica 1940–45 (Stem Mucchi Modena, 1976). Brennan, Pilot-Officer Paul, DFC, DFM, Pilot-Officer Ray Hesselyn, DFM & Bar, and Henry Bateson, Spitfires over Malta (Jarrolds, 1943). Caldwell, Donald, The JG 26 War Diary, Volume One, 1939–1942 (Grub Street, 1996). Cameron, Ian, Red Duster, White Ensign: The Story of the Malta Convoys (Frederick Muller, 1959). Cull, Brian, 249 At War: The Authorised History of the RAF’s Top-Scoring Fighter Squadron of WWII (Grub Street, 1997). Cull, Brian, and Frederick Galea, Hurricanes over Malta, June 1940–April 1942 (Grub Street, 2001). Cull, Brian, with Frederick Galea, Spitfires over Malta: The Epic Air Battles of 1942 (Grub Street, 2005). Cull, Brian, and Frederick Galea, Gladiators over Malta: The Story of Faith, Hope and Charity (Wise Owl Publications, 2008). Cull, Brian, with Nicola Malizia and Frederick Galea, Spitfires over Sicily: The Crucial Role of the Malta Spitfires in the Battle of Sicily, January–August 1943 (Grub Street, 2000). Douglas-Hamilton, Squadron Leader Lord David, ‘With a Fighter Squadron in Malta’, Blackwood’s Magazine, No. 1543 (May 1944). Douglas-Hamilton, Lord James, MP, The Air Battle for Malta: The Diaries Of A Fighter Pilot (Mainstream Publishing, 1981). Franks, Norman, Buck McNair, Canadian Spitfire Ace: The story of Group Captain R W McNair DSO, DFC & 2 Bars, Ld’H, CdG, RCAF (Grub Street, 2001). Fraser, Stanley, The Guns of Ħaġar Qim: A vivid account of the hazardous life of a gunner during World War Two: The Diaries of Stan Fraser 1939–1946 (Bieb Bieb Enterprises, 2005).

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Galea, Frederick R., Call-out: A wartime diary of air/sea rescue operations at Malta (Bieb Bieb Enterprises, 2002). Gibbs, Wing Commander Patrick, DSO, DFC & Bar, Torpedo Leader (Grub Street, 1992). Hamlin, John F., Military Aviation in Malta G.C., 1915–1993: A comprehensive history (GMS Enterprises, 1994). Hay, Ian, The Unconquered Isle: The Story of Malta G.C. (Hodder & Stoughton, 1943). Holland, James, Fortress Malta: An Island under Siege 1940–1943 (Orion, 2003). Howell, Madge, Our Malta Story (privately published, n.d.). Jackson, Bill, Air Sea Rescue during the Siege of Malta: An Eyewitness Account of Life with HSL107 1941–43 (Matador, 2010). Johnston, Wing Commander Tim, DFC, Tattered Battlements: A Fighter Pilot’s Diary (William Kimber, 1985; originally published by Peter Davies in 1943 as Tattered Battlements: A Malta Diary). Lucas, Laddie, Five Up: A Chronicle of Five Lives (Sidgwick and Jackson, 1978). Lucas, Laddie, Malta – The Thorn in Rommel’s Side, Six Months that Turned the War (Stanley Paul, 1992). Lloyd, Air Marshal Sir Hugh, KBE, CB, MC, DFC, Briefed to Attack: Malta’s Part in African Victory (Hodder & Stoughton, 1949). McAuley, Lex, Against All Odds: RAAF pilots in the Battle for Malta 1942 (Hutchinson Australia, 1989). Mahlke, Helmut, Stuka, Angriff: Sturzfleug (Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn, 1993). Malizia, Nicola, Inferno su Malta: La piú lunga battaglia aeronavale della seconda guerra mondiale (Mursia, 1976). Mifsud, Richard, Flames over Malta (Richard Mifsud, 1989). Ministry of Information, The Air Battle of Malta: The Official Account of the R.A.F. in Malta, June 1940 to November 1942 (HMSO, 1944). Neil, Wing Commander T. F., DFC*, AFC, AE, RAF Ret’d, Onward to Malta: Memoirs of a Hurricane pilot in Malta – 1941 (Airlife, 1992). Nolan, Brian, Hero, The Falcon of Malta (William Blackwood, 1982). Oliver, R. Leslie, Malta at Bay: An Eye-Witness Account (Hutchinson, 1942). Oliver, R. Leslie, Malta Besieged: The inspiring story of Malta’s darkest hour and the men who brought her supplies (Hutchinson, 1944). Perowne, Stewart, The Siege within the Walls, Malta 1940–1943 (Hodder & Stoughton, 1970). Poolman, Kenneth, Faith, Hope and Charity, Three Planes against an Air Force (William Kimber, 1954). Poolman, Kenneth, Night Strike From Malta: 830 Squadron RN and Rommel’s Convoys (Janes Publishing Company, 1980). Prien, Jochen, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 1 (Struve-Druck, 1990). Prien, Jochen, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 2 (Struve-Druck, 1990). Prien, Jochen, “Pik-As”, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53, Teil 3 (Struve-Druck, 1991).

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Prien, Jochen, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77, Teil 3, 1942–1943 (Struve-Druck, 1993). Prien, Jochen, Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77, Teil 4, 1944–1945 (Struve-Druck, 1995). Prien, Jochen, and Gerhard Stemmer, Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der II./Jagdgeschwader 3, 1940–1945 (Struve-Druck, 1996). Prien, Jochen, Peter Rodeike and Gerhard Stemmer, Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1939–1945 (Struve-Druck, 1998). Prien, Jochen, Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der III. und IV./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1938 – 1945 (Struve-Druck, 1995). Radtke, Siegfried, Kampfgeschwader 54, Von der 52 zur Me 262, Eine Chronik nach Kriegstagebüchern, Berichten und Dokumenten, 1935–1945 (Schild Verlag, 1990). Rae, Flight Lieutenant J. D., DFC & Bar, Kiwi Spitfire Ace: A Gripping World War II Story of Action, Captivity and Freedom (Grub Street, 2001). Ramsey, Winston G. (ed.), After the Battle, Number 10, Malta G.C. (Battle of Britain Prints International, 1975). Rolls, Flight Lieutenant W. T., DFC, DFM, AE, Spitfire Attack (William Kimber, 1987). Rixon, Frank, BEM (ed.), Malta GC Remembered, by those who were there during World War 2 (Woodfield Publishing, 2005). Scott, Stuart R., Battle-Axe Blenheims: No 105 Squadron RAF at War 1940–1 (Sutton Publishing, 1996). Shankland, Peter, and Anthony Hunter, Malta Convoy (Collins, 1961). Shores, Christopher, Aces High, Volume 2: A Further Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII (Grub Street, 1999). Shores, Christopher, and Brian Cull, with Nicola Malizia, Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940–41 (Grub Street, 1987). Shores, Christopher, and Brian Cull, with Nicola Malizia, Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942 (Grub Street, 1991). Shores, Christopher, and Clive Williams, Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII (Grub Street, 1994). Smith, Peter, Pedestal: The Malta Convoy of August 1942 (William Kimber, 1970). Smith, Squadron Leader R. I. A., DFC & Bar, with Christopher Shores, The Spitfire Smiths: A Unique Story of Brothers in Arms (Grub Street, 2008). Spooner, Tony, DSO, DFC, Warburton’s War: The Life of Wing Commander Adrian Warburton, DSO*, DFC**, DFC (USA) (William Kimber, 1987). Stones, Donald, Operation ‘Bograt’: From France to Burma (Spellmount, 1990). Vella, Philip, Malta: Blitzed But Not Beaten (Progress Press, 1985). Wingate, John, DSC, The Fighting Tenth: The Tenth Submarine Flotilla and the Siege of Malta (Leo Cooper, 1991).

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INDEX OF PERSONNEL Page numbers in italics refer to Appendix I and notes. Agius, Dolores, 8 Agius, Fredu, 8 Agius, Gnr Francis, 126 Ahrens, Fw. Klaus, 167 Albrecht, Flg. Hans, 203 Alexander, Sgt J.M., 21, 161 Allen, Plt Off David R., 7, 159 Almos, Plt Off Fred, 91, 92 Alpe, FS Charles, 52 Anderson, Plt Off/Fg Off Albert, 32, 52, 167 Andrae, Uffz. Gerhard, 200 Antonelli, Ten. Francesco, 123, 178 Appmann, Uffz. Christian, 174 Arnold, Lt C.J., 47, 49, 166 Arnold, Ofw. Ulrich, 142 Askin, Sgt Ralph W., 164 Aumann, Obgfr. Helmut, 170 Babinek, Ltn. Wilfried, 44, 165 Baines, Sgt, 62 Baker, Flt Lt Cecil H., 198 Baldacchino, Gnr Francis, 126 Bamberger, Sgt Cyril S., 30 Banser, Uffz. Wilhelm, 161 Baril, Plt Off J. W. P., 131, 133 Barlow, Plt Off Leslie, 110, 113 Barnes, Plt Off L., 32, 33 Barnfather, Plt Off Riversdale R,. 100, 174 Barnham, Flt Lt Denis, 83, 84, 85–86, 90–1, 101, 102, 103–4, 105, 106, 110, 113, 200, 281 Barton, Sqn Ldr Robert, 31, 34 Bates, G.M., 88 Bathurst, DSO, MC, TD, MP, Maj Lord Allen A., 184 Baudisch, Fritz, 16–18 Baudoni, Serg. Andrea, 13, 160 Bauer, Uffz. Karl, 133, 180 Becherucci, Serg. Dante, 192 Becker, Obltn. Gerhard, 63, 169 Becker, Uffz. Heinrich, xiii, 83, 94, 108–9, 173 Beckett MC, Maj Gen C.T., 126 Behlau, Hptm. Leo, 178 Behnisch, Fw. Walter, 177 Bell A/Bdr Howard, 65 Bell, L/Cpl John C., 69

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Belling, Ltn., 137 Below, Obltn. Friedrich, 84 Belser, Obltn./Hptm. Helmut, 55, 86, 95 Benedetti, Ten. Mario, 3, 158 Berres, Ltn. Heinz-Edgar, 123–4 Beurling, Sgt/Plt Off George, 115, 130, 134, 136–7, 181, 206 Bezzina, Spiro, 5 Bing, Plt Off Leslie P.S., 116 Bisdee, Sqn Ldr John, 99 Black, Sgt Thomas L.G., 40, 165 Blackburn, Plt Off C.A., 52, 167 Böhme, Obgfr. Kurt, 170 Böhmer, Uffz. Willi, 177 Boerger, Uffz. Paul, 74, 75 Boerger, Ltn. Reinhold, 203 Boffa, George, 123 Bolgioni, Av.Sc. Giorgio, 203 Bolten, Gefr. Peter, 133, 180 Bonanno, IoAv. Giovanni/Ugo, 31, 163 Bonk, Fw. Karl, 179 Booth, Plt Off John C.M., 198 Borg Pisani, S.Ten. Carmelo, 202 Bosley, Fg Off J.E., 58, 168 Boyd, Capt Denis, 9 Boyd, Sgt John L., 94, 103, 174 Boys-Stones, Fg Off John B., 21, 161 Bragadin, S.Ten. Vittorio, 36, 164 Brandt, Ofw. Walter, 131, 137 Branson, Sgt R., 185 Braschi, IoAv. Antonio, 174 Braun, Fw. Johannes, 19, 160, 193 Braun, Hptm. Emil, 105, 175 Brauner, Uffz. Hermann, 200 Brauns, Ltn. Wilhelm, 41, 165, 195 Brennan, Sgt Virgil P., 83, 91–2, 97–8, 111 Brenton, Sgt Edward H., xii Briggs, Plt Off George M., 98 Broad, Sgt Charles E., 67, 68, 72–3, 171, 204 Brooker, Plt Off Stanley F., 79. 80

Brooks, Cpl R.A., 86 Brooks, FS Lucien D., 84, 172, 200 Brown, Sgt R.H., 131 Brown, Wg Cdr Mark H., 37 Browne, LAC Cyril A., 184 Brunner, Uffz. Johann, 203 Bruttini, Av.Sc. Amleto, 36 Brydon, FS N.G., 146 Brzeske, Uffz. Günter, 204 Buchanan, Fg Off/A/Flt Lt George, 69, 74, 97, 109, 198–9 Buchanan, Wg Cdr J.K., xii Buckle, Lt P., 8 Buckstone, Flt Lt John W., 95 Buczek, Uffz. Franz, 160 Budd, Sgt Ernie, 134, 136, 137 Bülow, Obgfr. Karl-Heinz, 166 Buhagier, Carmel, 133 Buhagier, PC Joseph, 133 Bunde, Ofw. Herbert, 207 Buratti, Av.Sc. Giuseppe, 178 Burfield, Gnr Thomas E., 69 Burger, Obgfr. Herbert, 107, 175, 202 Burges, Flt Lt George, 1, 2, 12 Bush, Sgt Cyril F., 100 Bussaglia, IoAv. Silla, 192 Busuttil, Anthony, 61 Cachia, Michael, 140 Calleja, Arthur, 146 Calzolari, IoAv. Dino, 192 Camilleri, PC Carmelo, 8 Campbell, FS Andrew B., 153, 184 Carabellese, Av.Sc. Francesco, 101–2, 174 Carmena (Maltese), 5 Carpenter, Flt Lt John M.V., 37 Casadio, S.Ten. Giovanni, 178 Cassidy, Flt Lt Ernest, 38–9 Catani, Serg.Magg. Luigi, 5 Cauchi, Gnr Seraphim, 96 Cavalli, S.Ten. Francesco, 5–6, 158 Cavan, Plt Off Brian, 29, 163 Cazzolli, Ten. Remo, 110–13, 176 Chaffe, Sqn Ldr Ronald I., 59

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212 Chandler, LAC Philip, 58, 106, 133 Charney, Flt Lt Kenneth, 148 Cherici, Ten. Ennio, 203 Cherubini, Ten. Fabrizio, 123 Chessa, IoAv. Giovanni A., 192 Chiodi, Cap. Antonio, 3 Clark, Capt Franklin F., 99 Clark, FS Campbell, xii Clark, Lt Clifford A.L., 75 Clawson, Cpl Hugh, 73 Clay, Sgt Lionel F., 164 Clegg, LAC Richard, 184 Coffin, Plt Off Howard, 49, 62, 169 Colville, Sgt, 50, 166 Constantini, Alberto, 176 Conte, IoAv. Lino, 174 Copp, Sgt W.E., 32, 44, 165 Corfe, WO Douglas F., 83, 172 Corr, L/Bdr James, 65 Cosulich, Ten. Giuseppe, 202 Craig, FS Lincoln L.A., 183 Crichton, Plt Off J., 65 Cripps, Plt Off Walter E., 85–6, 172 Cristiani, Serg.Magg. Romolo, 178 Cumbers, Plt Off Alfred B., 141, 142, 182 Cunningham, Adm Sir Andrew, 154 Daddo-Langlois, Plt Off/Flt Lt Raoul, 64, 119, 120, 124 Dale, 2nd Lt Peter E.H., 164 Daniele, Ten. Mario, 203 David, Cpl Ronald C., 69 Davis, FS George R.C., 114, 176 De Benedetti, S.Ten. Neri, 33 De Giorgi, Ten. Silvio, 34–5 De Maria, S.Ten. Salvatore, 99, 174 De Nancrede, FS C.S.G., 117 De Sanctis, Serg. Fausto, 171 De Vito, Av.Sc. Andrea, 171 Deacon, Sgt A.H., 23 Degenhardt, Uffz. Albert, 169 Demmer, Uffz. Heinrich, 162 Di Giorgi, Io Av. Francesco, 5 Dicks-Sherwood, Plt Off Eric, 100 Dickson, Sgt. 98 Dittmayer, Uffz. Hans, 20, 161 Dive, Sgt Peter B., 44, 165 Dobbie, Gen Sir William G.S., 72, 110 Dobislav, Hptm. Max, 30

Air Battle of Malta.indd 212

Air Battle of Malta Dobromirski, Porucznik Krzysztof L., 184 Dodd, Sgt Wilbert G., 94 Dodd, FS William, 121 Donald, Sgt Keith L., 183 Douglas, Flt Lt William, 88, 100, 174 Douglas-Hamilton, Sqn Ldr Lord David, 105, 107, 108, 123 Dowland GC, Wg Cdr John N., 50, 166 Downs, Pte, 116 Dragotta, Serg. Calogero, 178 Drake, Sub Lt (A) Reginald G., 36, 195 Dressen, Obgfr. Peter, 171 Drew, Sgt A., 128 Dringoli, Serg. Giovanni, 115 Dürbeck, Hptm. Wilhelm, 25, 160 Durant, Sgt, 57, 168 Earle, Flt Lt Peter, 184 Earney, FS Herbert H., 183 Eastman, Sgt/FS D.E., 59, 72, 197 Ebner, Gefr. Ludwig, 177 Eckhardt, Obltn. Richard, 149, 183 Edwards, Flt Lt Henry G., 118 Ehrenberger, Ofw. Rudolf, 68, 79–80, 81, 93 Eisenhower, Gen Dwight D., xv Eisenhuth, Ofw. Emil, 170 Eliot, Fg Off H.W., 28, 29–30 Ellis, LAC Michael D., 69 Ellul, Gnr Joseph, 126 Engelbert, Uffz. Friedrich, 61, 169, 198 Engle, Stfw. Georg, 204 Englisch, Ltn. Iring, 141 Evans, Sqn Ldr Paul M.J., 140 Eyres, Lt D.E.C., 164 Fankhauser, Uffz. Josef, 64, 66 Farquharson, FS Gordon, 131, 133 Farrugia, Robert, 122 Feldeisen, Obgfr. Hans, 24, 162 Fenech, Carmen, 23 Fenrich, Ofw. Emil, 67, 170, 198 Ferraby, Plt Off David, 121, 122, 178 Feyerlein, Ltn. Hans, 204 Filippi, S.Ten. Felice, 2, 158 Finlay, Sgt Colin V., 72, 94, 103, 174

Fioretti, Av.Sc. Egidio, 203 Fischer, Obgfr. Anton, 177 Fletcher, FS/Plt Off John W.S., 69, 87, 173, 198–9 Flint, A/Capt Anthony, 8 Foley, Plt Off Thomas G., 86, 173 Foote, Cpl William C., 69 Forrester, Sgt Philip E., 159 Forster, Uffz. Josef, 179 Fox, FS Harold J., 106 Fox, Plt Off Harold M., xii Fox, Sgt Harry D., 139, 181, 205 Foxton, Fg Off James H.T., 194 Francis, Sgt E.H., 140, 182 Frank, Fw. Hans, 69, 170 Franke, Obgfr. Heinz, 162 Fraser, Gnr/L/Bdr Stanley, 44, 53, 57, 64–5, 70–1, 96–7, 125–6 Freese, Fw. Heinrich, 47, 49, 166 French, Pte Ernest S., 69 Freytag, Obltn. Siegfried, 131, 135, 143 Frick, Uffz. Gustav, 133, 180 Fuchs, Fw. Walter, 170 Führer, Uffz. Albert, 133, 180 Fullalove, Sgt John K., 79, 80, 172 Fumerton, Fg Off Robert C., 116 Furlong, Sub Lt Bernard J., 36, 164 Galea, John, 10, 48, 49, 116, 121, 122 Gallaway, Flt Lt I.U.M., 139, 181 Gandolfi, Av.Sc. Bruno, 176 Gape, Cpl Wilfred, 164 Garland, Plt Off Thomas, B., 194 Garrett, Pte R., 69 Gass, Sgt Murray I., 143 Gatti, M.llo. Angelo, 36, 164 Gauci, Gnr, 126 Geidobler, Obgfr. Raimund, 203 Geilenkirchen, Uffz. Karl, 171 Geisler, Generallt. HansFerdinand, 9 Geisshardt, Obltn. Fritz, 134 Gelli, Serg.Magg. Faliero, 130, 180 Genovese, IoAv. Giovanni, 178 George VI, King, 77 Gerhardt, Uffz. Werner, 162 Gerstel, Uffz. Johann, 179 Gessele, Uffz. Hermann, 169

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Gesuino, Serg.Magg. Manca, 178 Gianini, Av.Sc. Pietro N., 116, 177 Gilbert, Sgt John, 111 Gill, Sgt S., 181 Giovannini, Av.Sc. Celestino, 174 Glass, Ltn. Hans-Joachim, 125, 143 Goedert, Stfw. Helmut, 125 Göthe, Ofw. Otto, 56, 168, 199 Goode, Sgt Reg J., 22, 161 Gori, Serg.Magg. Pietro, 192 Gort VC, Field Marshal Lord, 99, 110 Goyen, Fg Off F.M., 162 Gracie, Wg Cdr Edward, 91, 94 Graves, Plt Off Michael A., 100 Gray, Plt Off Clifford K., 185 Graysmark, Sgt Charles E., 100 Grech, Charlie, xvi Grech, Flt Lt Wyndham, 6, 192 Gridley, Plt Off Robert V., 50, 166 Griehsl, Obgfr. Max, 160 Griffin, Bdr, 129 Griffith, Sgt, 181 Griffith, Sub Lt Arthur, 12 Groner, Uffz. Georg, 69, 170 Grosvenor, Sgt Francis R., xii Günther, Uffz. Winfried, 69, 89, 170 Guerin, Plt Off James J., 198 Guglielmo, Palombaro Giuseppe, 202 Guthrie, Plt Off James W., 131, 132, 133, 135, 144, 180 Gutt, Obgfr. Wilhelm, 165 Haas, Uffz. Fritz, 171 Häcker, Fw., 137 Hackston, Sgt Thomas, xv, 32, 33, 163 Haekel, Ltn. Rolf, 204 Haf, Gefr. Karl, 88, 173 Haggas, FS Haydn, 117, 122, 204 Haley, Sgt Allan H., 37, 164 Halford, Plt Off John, 115, 176 Hall, Plt Off J.E., 27 Hallett, Plt Off William C.H., 198 Hamilton, Plt Off Claud E., 24, 29, 163, 194 Hamilton, Sgt J.S., 148 Hankins, Sgt Percy, 50, 166 Hanks, Wg Cdr Peter P., 145, 147

Air Battle of Malta.indd 213

Index of personnel Hannak, Obltn. Günther, 153 Harnisch, Uffz. Hermann, 153–4 Harrow, Lt J., 24–6 Hartley, Fg Off Peter, 3, 158 Hartlich, Fw. Helmut, 162 Hartmann, Obgfr. Gernot, 167 Hartney, Sgt D.J., 125 Harvey, Sgt Ray V., 51, 60 Harwood, Sgt D.J., 152, 183 Haubenthal, Uffz. Johann 177 Hayes, FS Brian., 42 Hayton, Flt Lt Gilbert McL., 71 Hearl, Cpl William K.S., 126 Heese, Obgfr. Erwin, 41, 165 Heide, Fw. Erwin, 78 Heil, Ofhr. Roman, 18, 19 Heinle, Fw. Franz, 160 Heitland, Gefr. Gustav, 160 Heller, Fw. Wilhelm, 25–6, 162 Henley, Lt Robert, 12, 159 Heppell, Flt Lt Philip, xii, 63, 71 Hermann, Ltn. Wolfgang, 110 Hertzler, Gefr. Rudolf, 175 Hesse, Ofw. Walter, 57, 168 Hesselyn, Sgt Raymond B., 69 Hetherington, Flt Lt Eric, 205 Heuser, Ltn. Heinz, 129–30, 180 Hill, Plt Off, 34 Hills, Sgt Raymond, 114, 176 Hilton-Barber, Plt Off/Fg Off Roger A., 2–3, 4, 5 Hipper, Fw. Heinz, 59, 197 Hitler, Adolf, 25, 30, 39, 87 Hörmann, Ltn. Josef, 129 180, 204 Hogarth, FS George A., 139, 143, 181, 182 Holdsworth, Capt M., 43 Hollingworth, LAC John, 159 Holmes, Sgt Oliver L., 183 Holt, LAC George W., 137 Hone, Fg Off Cyril, 85 Hoppe, Obgfr. Gerhard, 47, 49, 166 Horricks, Sgt Garth, 48, 67–8, 72–3, 74–5, 196 Hoskin, LAC Stanley F., 69 Hounslow, Cpl Douglas S., 184 Houston, FS J.K., 140 Howard, Sgt Frank S., 110, 175 Howe, FS David J., 60 Howell, Maj H.A.A., 60 Hubbard, Sgt Donald F., 131, 180 Hüppop, Obgfr. Rolf, 175 Hughes, 2nd Lt J. Quentin, 34, 75–6, 199

213 Hulbert, Plt Off John, 48 Hunter, Sgt Archibald, 159 Hurst, FS John, 105, 110 Hyde, Sgt Reginald, 6 Iannucci, M.llo. Maurizio, 145, 147, 182 Idzikowski, Porucznik Zbigniew, 184 Illica Magnani, Ten. Luigi, 2, 192 Ingram, Plt Off Mervin R.B., 104–5 Innes, Plt Off R.A., 28 Jackson, Capt, 25 Jaffke, Uffz. Paul, 178 Jeffries, Flt Lt Charles G.St D., 29 Jellici, M.llo. Luigi, 115 Jemmett, Plt Off Frank J., 81, 172 Jennings, Sgt Henry H., 29, 163 Jessop, Sgt F.J., 21 Johannsen, Ltn. Hans, 21, 28 Johnston, Flt Lt Hugh A.S., 71–2, 78–9, 92–3, 108, 122, 171, 173 Jolly, Sgt A.W., 32 Jones, Sgt A.S., 21 Jones, Plt Off Frank, 136 Jones, Fg Off Ripley O., 131, 133, 144, 145 Jopling, PO (A) Arthur, 36, 195 Jordan, Sub Lt P.A., 116, 177 Josling, Plt Off Norman H., 71 Jury, Sgt Frank W., 40, 165 Kageneck, Obltn. Erbo Graf, 29 Kaluza, Obgfr. Erich, 200 Kasimir, Ltn. Oskar, 177 Kästle, Fw. Justin, 19, 160 Kearsey, Plt Off Philip J., 19 Kebbell, Sgt Thomas R.D., 144, 182 Kee, Flt Lt E.H.C., 52 Keeble, Flt Lt Peter G., 2–3, 158 Keech, FS, 139, 181 Kehlbuth, Fw. Alexander, 83, 172 Kelley, Plt Off Philip, 68, 170 Kelly, Sgt Clarence L., 137 Kelly, AC1 Stanley E., 184 Kelsey, Sgt Eric, 12 Kemeth, Stfw. Eduard, 160 Kemp, Flt Lt Nigel, 51 Kennett, Plt Off Peter, 23 Kent, Plt Off David W. 127, 179

03-Feb-17 13:34:46

214 Kesselring, Generalfeldmarschall Albert, 39, 66 Kestler, Uffz. Heinz-Norbert, 20 Kiefer, Gefr. Georg, 204 Kietzmann, Uffz. Paul, 25–6, 162 King, Plt Off Neville S., 110, 123 Klager, Ltn. Ernst, 64 Klaus, Fw. Ernst, 140, 181 Klawitter, Uffz. Kurt, 140, 181 Kleniewski, Sierzant Alfred E., 184 Knight, Plt Off Dennis F., 194 Knobloch, Uffz. Martin, 57, 168 Köster, Obgfr. Hermann, 107, 175 Kothmann, Ltn. Willi, 20 Krahl, Hptm. Karl-Heinz, 63, 77, 171 Kraus, Fw. Karl, 178 Krazat, Uffz. Hilmar, 204 Krieg, Obltn. Rudolf, 66–7, 170 Kronschnabel, Ofw. Josef, 83 Krumbachner, Fw. Sebastian, 203 Kühdorf, Ofw. Karl, 21, 28 Küther, Ltn. Ernst, 160 Kuhlmann, Capt Keith C., 141 Kunzi, Uffz. Walter, 63, 169 Lagi, M.llo. Lino, 6, 158 Lambert, Sqn Ldr R.N., 22 Lamont, Sgt R., 205 Langdon, Plt Off Charles E., 19 Langer, Ltn. Hans, 67, 93 Langley, Sgt Jacob, 181 Langreder, Uffz. Heinz, 19, 161, 193 Lanzarini, Serg.Magg. Abramo, 7, 158 Lardner-Burke, Plt Off Henry P., 37 Lattimer, Plt Off Charles H., 146 Lavington, 2nd Lt Richard, 8 Le Provost, Pte George, 2 Lechner, Obgfr. Ferdinand, 107, 175 Lee, Fg Off Norman, 74 Lees, Sgt Robert J., 92 Leggett, Fg Off Peter G., 42–3, 165 Leggo, Plt Off Douglas C., 64, 65, 169 Lentini, Serg. Olinto, 176 Lenzner, Fw. Rudolf, 25–6, 162 Levy, Sgt Jack, 21, 161

Air Battle of Malta.indd 214

Air Battle of Malta Lewin, Sgt Raymond, 7, 159 Liberti, S.Ten. Francesco, 35, 164 Lindsay, Fg Off Alec I., 148, 182 Lintern, Plt Off Donald W., 36 Linton, Plt Off Ossie, 91, 92 Livingston, Sgt Alexander, 32, 163 Lloyd, AC/AVM Hugh Pughe, 30 Lloyd, Flt Lt Rhys, 72, 73, 74, 125 Loerzer, Generallt. Bruno, 39 Lord, George, 65 Louis, Ltn. Joachim, 52 Lovell, Sqn Ldr Anthony, 131, 132, 133 Lowe, Plt Off Peter W., 58 Lowrey, Sqn Ldr W.E.M., 57, 58, 168 Lucas, Flt Lt/Sqn Ldr P.B., 64, 65, 66, 82, 92, 115, 118–20, 124, 172 Lunati, Av.Sc. Giovanni, 178 Lundy, Sgt Martin A., 152, 183 MacDonald, Col A.C., 84–5 MacDougal, Sgt Charles W., 19, 20, 161 Mackie, Plt Off Alexander S., 55, 167 MacLachlan, Flt Lt James A.F., 12, 13–15, 20, 160, 193 MacLeod, Sgt Alexander O., 145, 206 MacLeod, Pte John, 206 MacNamara, FS J.E., 123 MacPherson, Sgt Robert, 31, 163 MacQueen, Flt Lt Norman C., 90–2, 173 Maddaloni, Av.Sc. Giovanni, 203 Märklstetter, Ltn. Hans, 110 Magruder, Flt Lt Ernest P.F.L.T., 140–1 Mahar, Sgt Eric L., 137 Mahlke, Hptm. Helmut, 16–18 Malcolm, L/Cpl Maurice, 2 Maltzahn, Maj Freiherr Günther von, 42, 44, 51–2 Manning, Lt John S., 195 Manz, Uffz. Walter, 91 Marchio, Serg. Mario, 201 Marjoribanks-Egerton, A.B., 198 Martin, Sgt Eric G., 114, 176 Martin, Uffz. Luitpold, 177

Martin, Sgt W.E., xii Maslin, Sgt John, 181 Matthews, Plt Off Robert H., 33–4, 35, 43–4, 165 Mattuschka, Gefr. Johannes, 41, 165 Mayall, Sgt John M., 63, 169 Maynard, AVM Forster, 30 Maynard, Plt Off N.M., 162 Mazzolenis, M.llo. Guglielmo, 31, 163, 194 McAllister, Fg Off Samuel, xii McColl, Sgt Andrew, 114, 176 McCracken, Sgt John D., xii, 185, 191 McDonald, L/Bdr Richard, 129 McHan, Plt Off/Fg Off Richard E., 117–8, 177 McKay, Plt Off Ian, 43–4, 76–7 McLeod, Flt Lt Henry W., 137–8, 146 McLeod, Sgt Matthew L., 135 McNair, Plt Off Robert, 64, 113 Meinel, Uffz. Johannes, 175 Mejor, Plt Off John, 98, 131, 133 Metcalf, William, 202 Metcalfe, Sgt Henry B., 44, 165 Meyer-Lülmann, Ltn. Hans, 78 Miani, Ten. Carlo, 115 Michalski, Obltn. Gerhard, 49, 135, 137, 139 Middlemiss, FS Robert, 120, 121 Mietusch, Obltn. Klaus, 23 Mifsud, Rosaria, 24 Milburn, Plt Off Harold A., 95, 173 Millar, Maj Arthur D.C., 184 Miller, Gp Capt, 144 Miller, Sgt Reginald A., 76 Miller, Plt Off W.L., 122 Minuto, IoAv. Francesco, 163 Mirlenbrink, Uffz. Josef, 173 Mirschinka, Uffz. Werner, 47, 166 Mitchell, Fg Off Richard, 100, 105, 113, 201 Mitchison, LAC Edward, 73 Mizzi, John, 59 Mondry, Uffz. Georg, 14, 193 Moody, Plt Off Ernest, 139, 140, 181 Morrison, Fg Off Samuel C., 183 Morrison-Jones, Plt Off C.R., 52 Mortimer, Sgt Dennis J., 40, 165 Mortimer, Plt Off P.A., 23

03-Feb-17 13:34:46

Mortimer-Rose, Sqn Ldr Edward, 41, 44 Mould, Sqn Ldr Peter W.O., 30 Müller, Uffz. Harry, 171 Müller, Gefr. Heinrich, 12, 159 Müller, Ltn. Heinz, 200 Müncheberg, Obltn. Joachim, 13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 23, 28, 193 Mulloy, Sgt George F.R., 198 Munzert, Ltn. Hermann, 60 Muratori, Serg.Magg. Enzio, 158 Murcutt, Sgt Alfred D.F., 164 Murray, Plt Off Kenric N.L., 63, 169 Mutimer, Sgt Richard S., xii Nairz, Uffz. Max, 59 Nakoski, Stfw. Fritz, 160 Nash, Plt Off Peter A., 69, 74, 82, 110, 175, 198–9, 202 Nasoni, Ten. Mario, 7, 158 Neale, Sgt Donald T., 51, 167 Neil, Flt Lt Thomas F., 32 Nettelnbreeker, Gefr. Franz, 82, 172 Neubauer, Gefr. Wilhelm, 69, 170 Neuhoff, Ltn. Hermann, 60, 64, 65, 75, 171, 198 Niclot Doglio, Cap. Furio, 130 Nomis, Plt Off Leo, 115, 203 Nordmann, Ltn. Theodor, 17, 18 Norris, Sqn Ldr Stanley C., 62 Notari, Ten. Raffaele, 203 Nottage, Flt Lt George, 141, 142 O’Leary, Sgt Arthur A., 120 Oaten, Sgt Jack, 164 Obermeiländer, Fw. Walter, 94, 173 Oliver, Plt Off R.M., 59 Ormrod, Plt Off Oliver O., 43, 45–46, 49, 53–4, 56, 72, 73, 74, 76, 81, 199 Orsingher, Av.Sc. Sergio, 174 Otis, Sgt Joseph E., 125, 179 Ottavini, Av.Sc. Cesare, 158 Ottey, Sgt Raymond, xii Otto, FS Allan W., 92, 173 Packington, BSM F.G.R., 43, 50 Paczia, Uffz. Erich, 110 Palmer, Sgt Douglas, 8 Pankiewicz, Porucznik Stanisław, 184

Air Battle of Malta.indd 215

Index of personnel Papalia, S.Ten. Fulvio, 116–17, 177 Park, AVM Keith, 125 Park, Sgt Nigel, 131, 133 Parkinson, FS Colin H., 136, 143 Parks, FS Thurne, 109, 121, 122, 178 Parry, Flt Lt Hugh, 83 Pascalizzi, IoAv. Gino, 178 Paterson, FS Alastair S.B., 183 Pawson, Plt Off Kenneth W., 83, 172 Pearce, L/Cpl Charles E., 69 Pelleschi, Av.Sc. Arduino, 120, 178 Pendlebury, Sgt, 74 Peter, Gefr. Franz-Wilhelm, 167 Petertil, Sonderführer Dr Eduard, 86, 173, 200 Petrai, IoAv. Gustavo, 174 Pfeifer, Uffz. Josef, 203 Pickering, Sgt James, 10 Pike, Sgt, 68, 170 Pilz, Uffz. Hans, 68–9, 170 Pisarra, IoAv. Gaetano, 178 Pitt, Cpl Joseph, 69 Pizzi, Av.Sc. Ettore, 76, 171 Plagis, Plt Off John A. 97, 98, 199 Pluda, Cap. Mario, 37, 38, 164 Pohl, Uffz. Josef, 179 Pohl, Fw. Otto, 135 Pohlau, Fw. Paul, 178 Pollak, Obgfr. Andreas, 179 Popp, Obgfr. Josef, 180 Porcarelli, Serg.Magg. Alberto, 117, 177, 203 Potter, Plt Off Arnold, 50, 166 Povey, Flt Lt Frederick R., 69 Pozzoli, Av.Sc. Mario, 203 Preu, Ltn. Karl-Heinz, 44, 52 Priewisch, Uffz. Gerhard, 179 Pritchard, Sgt O., 181 Prokesch, Uffz. Hans, 107, 175 Pullicino, Dr F., 5, 6 Putnam, Plt Off Hiram A., 78, 79, 171 Quaet-Faslem, Obltn. Klaus, 43 Quaritsch, Ltn. Karl-Heinz, 78 Quass, Uffz. Wolfram, 180 Raab, Obltn. Hermann, 61, 169 Rabagliati, Sqn Ldr/Wg Cdr Alexander C., 32, 59 Rae, Plt Off John D., 119, 120 Rahlmeier, Fw. Heinz, 63

215 Ramsay, WO Charles B., 204 Ramsay, Sgt William J.Q., 164 Rand, Sgt Walter, 164 Rasmussen, Sgt N.E., 57, 168 Rastinnes, Uffz. Walter, 99, 174, 200 Rauer, Uffz. Walter, 99, 174, 200 Rawlings, Sgt David P., 159 Reay, Sgt Thomas, 7, 159 Recker, Fw. Walter, 81 Rees, Plt Off L.G.M., 24, 162 Reeves, Plt Off Anthony J., xii, 47 Reeves, Plt Off Neville E., 120 Reggiani, Ten. Sergio, 31, 163 Rehschütz, Gefr. Werner, 169 Reid, Sgt Leonard, 128 Reumann, Obltn. Kurt, 19 Rey, Av.Sc. Vittorio, 174 Richardson, Sgt R.H., 136, 180 Richardson, Gnr Thomas F., 69 Richter, Uffz. Otto, 175 Riedel, Ltn. Heinz, 124, 179 Riedl, Uffz. Franz., 140, 181 Rippon, Plt Off Anthony, 27 Ritchie, Sgt David, 134, 135, 180 Rivolta, Serg. Eugenio, 102 Roberts, Sgt Elwyn K., 114, 176 Robertson, Sgt Frederick, 4, 6, 13, 22, 158, 161, 192, 194 Robilotta, Ten. Domenico, 174 Rohringer, Uffz. Franz, 140, 181 Rollwage, Ofw. Herbert, 131, 134 Rommel, Generallfeldmarschall J.E.E., 143 Roosevelt, President Franklin D., xv Rose, Lt Teddy, 129 Ross, FS Kenneth J., 144, 176 Roy, FS David., 92 Rudloff, Obltn. Günther, 20, 161 Ruggeri, S.Ten. Aldo, 176 Ruggero, Av.Sc. Giovanni, 176 Rush, NA A.S., 12, 159 Russell, Plt Off John K., 48, 52, 54 Rutschmann, Fw. Otto, 204 Ryckman, FS George A.J., 78 Saft, Gefr. Karl, 207 Sammut, Spr Joseph, 8 Samut-Tagliaferro, Brig Alfred xiii Sanders, Flt Lt Lester, xv, 100, 105, 113, 123–4, 179 Saunders, Sgt Raymond H., 110, 148, 149, 182

03-Feb-17 13:34:46

216 Savage, Pte T.C., 50, 51, 151 Scarborough-Taylor, L/Bdr John C., 69 Schade, Uffz. Hans, 63 Schäfer, Uffz. Heinrich, 174 Schäfer, Obgfr. Karl, 167 Schanina, Ofw. Joachim, (see Slany, Ofw. Heinrich) Schembri, David, 33 Schembri, Ninu, 56 Schierning, Uffz. Helmut, 95 Schiess, Ltn. Franz, 124 Schillung, Uffz. Ernst, 170 Schleif, Ltn. Dieter, 51, 166 Schlick, Uffz. Horst, 123–4 Schlitt, Uffz. Herbert, 179 Schmidt, Flt Lt Dallas W., 153, 154 Schmidt, Uffz. Walter, 138, 181 Schmiedl, Uffz. Franz, 179 Schneider, Ofw. Hans, 160 Schnez, Gudrun, xi Schnez, Obltn. Viktor, xi, 47, 48, 49, 166 Schöw, Ltn. Werner, 75 Schulz, Uffz. August-Wilhelm, 19 Schwarz, Obgfr. Heinrich, 165 Schwarz, Uffz. Walter, 59, 168 Schweiger, Uffz. Anton, 63, 169 Schwengers, Uffz. Jürgen, 82, 172 Schwerdt, Fw. Günther, 105, 175 Schwerdtner, Ltn. Heinrich von, 43 Sclavo, Serg. Alfredo, 32, 163, 195 Serafini, IoAv. Antonio, 158 Shepherd, Plt Off Douglas, 181 Sherlock, Plt Off F.J., 127 Shirley, LAC Norman C., 55 Siedl, Uffz. Walter, 78 Sillato, Gnr Saviour, 126 Simionato, M.llo. Olindo, 122 Simpson, Sgt Peter S., 37 Singer, Uffz. Wilhelm, 20 Slade, Plt Off Jack, 88 Slany, Ofw. Heinrich, 151, 183 Sluggett, Plt Off C.F., 52, 167 Smith, Sgt Arthur T., 8, 159 Smith, Gnr Ernest G., 69 Smith, Plt Off Jerrold A., 124, 128, 131, 132–3, 137 Smith, Plt Off/Fg Off/Flt Lt Roderick I.A., 127–8, 129–30, 131–2, 133, 135, 137, 142, 144–6, 147, 150, 151, 182, 206

Air Battle of Malta.indd 216

Air Battle of Malta Somerville, LAC James, 67 Sorg, Ofw. Otto, 153 Soukup, Ltn. Herbert, 78, 107–8, 175 Southwell, Fg Off John S., xii, 194 Spibey, Sgt Dennis, 184 Spies, Hptm. Walter, 84 Spyer, Sgt Richard A., 194 Stadermann, Ltn. Waldemar, 57, 168 Stadtmann, Obgfr. Karl-Heinz, 175 Stahl, Ofw. Albert, 57, 168 Stahl, Fw. Paul, 175 Stainforth, Wg Cdr George, 131, 132, 133 Stamm, Gefr. Heinrich, 18, 19 Stapf, Obgfr. Paul, 20, 161 Starke, Obgfr. Alfred, 162 Steele, Sgt Archibald C., 62, 67–8, 170 Stelting, Uffz. Friedrich, 207 Stenborg, Plt Off Gray, Sterzi, Cap. Annibale, 113, 176 Steuss, Ofw. Ernst-Wolfgang, 173 Stevenson, Plt Off James D., 148, 182 Stiller, Gefr. Heinz, 203 Stockmann, Fw. Gerhard, 147–8 Stones, Flt Lt Donald W.A., 38–9, 165 Stoop, Fg Off John, 117 Story, Sgt Alan W., 50, 166 Stott, Spr, 148 Streets, Plt Off Edward E., 48, 198 Stuart, Plt Off James R.A., 56, 168 Suckow, Gefr. Erwin, 19, 161 Süchlich, Uffz. Helmut, 199 Sutherland, Sgt J.R., 59, 197 Sutton, Pte, 116 Swain, Sgt Lawrence H., 141, 182 Tarantino, Serg. Manlio, 3 Taroni, Serg.Magg. Luigi, 37, 38 Taylor, Fg Off Frederic F., 2, 3, 6, 15, 19 Taylor, LAC D.A.J., 162 Tearle, Sgt Francis J.M.P., 76 Tedder, AM Sir Arthur, 77 Telle, Uffz. Rüdiger, 177 Terry, FS Peter C., xii, 122, 204 Tew, Plt Off James D., xvi, 60, 168

Thiemann, Uffz. Arnulf, 63, 169 Thomas, Sgt Desmond D.P., 164 Thomas, Plt Off F.D., 117, 131, 133 Thomas-Ferrand, Sqn Ldr H., 6 Thompson, Sgt Keith, 181 Thompson, Flt Lt Peter D., 52–3, 54, 167 Thompson, Plt Off William, 131, 133 Tiddy, Sgt A., 131, 133 Timms, Sgt William J., 10, 159 Todd, Sub Lt Richard S., 116, 177 Tosi, Serg.Magg. Armando, 36 Townsend, Sgt Eugene O., 164 Trebell, Sgt James G., 118 Turco, IoAv. Michele, 163 Turner, Sqn Ldr Percival S., 58 Tweedale, Sgt Gordon R., 62, 81, 82, 83, 93, 94, 95–6, 174 Ulmer, Ofw. Ernst, 204 Varey, FS Arthur W., 148 Vaughan DSO, DFC, Flt Lt Leonard A., 184 Vego Scocco, Ten. Vinicio, 174 Vella, Catherine, 154 Vella-Haber, L/Bdr Francis, 122 Verroll, FS Laurie, 110 Vidler, Sgt N., 74 Vinall, Sgt John D., 144 Viola, Serg. Gianfranco, 76, 171 Vogel, Ofw. Alfred, 170 Volpe, Ten. Giuseppe, 8, 159 Waddingham, Flt Lt John, 141, 142, 182 Waghorn, Sgt Peter H., 22, 162 Wagner, Uffz. Heribert, 148, 182 Walker, Sgt G.A., 29 Walmsley, Sgt B.C., 28, 162 Warburton, Fg Off Adrian, 39 Waterfield, Fg Off/A/Flt Lt Arthur A.V., 198 Waters, Fg Off John, 2 Watt, Sgt Alexander C., 184 Weaver, Sgt Claude, 128 Webber, Plt Off A.L., 152 Weber, Gefr. Fritz, 88–9, 173 Wedgwood DFC, Sqn Ldr Jefferson H., 184 Weegman, Obltn. Horst von, 161 Wegmann, Uffz. Benedikt, 60–1, 168 Weiss, Ofw. Ernst, 204 Wells, Sgt Peter C., 44, 165

03-Feb-17 13:34:46



Index of places

West, Plt Off Jeffery G., 81 West, Fg Off Ronald, 111 Westcott, Sgt J.A., 48, 49, 59, 166 Westmacott, Fg Off Innes B., xii Westphalen, Uffz. Albert, 94, 173 White, Flt Lt Benjamin, 55 Whitney, Plt Off Douglas, 23 Whittingham, Fg Off/Flt Lt/ Sqn Ldr Charles D., 13, 19, 20, 28–9 Wiegand, Obgfr. Rolf, 166 Wiergowski, Uffz. Karl, xiii Wigley, Plt Off Philip, 56, 62, 63, 72, 73–4, 82, 171 Wilbertz, Ofw. Peter, 203 Wilcke, Hptm. Wolf-Dietrich, 81, 83 Williams, L/Cpl, 116 Winsor, L/Cpl, 116 Winton, Fg Off Denis, 60, 168

Witschke, Uffz. Karl-Heinze, 131, 134, 180, 206 Witt, Ltn. Hans-Georg, 86, 173 Wood, Sgt Colin L., 134, 135 Wood, Sgt James, 61 Woodhall, Gp Capt A.B., 58, 91, 97, 118, 119 Woods, Fg Off William, 1, 2, 3, 6 Woolley, Brig C.J., 126 Woor, Sgt Thomas R., 159 Worrall, Sgt, 37 Worsfield, Sgt Arthur J., 164 Wouldes, Sgt Noel F., 50, 166 Wright, Plt Off Russell A., 150, 183 Wylde, A/Flt Lt Paul R., xii Wynn, Sgt Vasseure F., 146 Wynne, Sgt Ernest V., 30, 163 Wysocki, Sierzant Roman, 184 Yarra, Sgt/FS John, 100–1, 122

217 Yates, Plt Off Alan, 204 Young, Fg Off James N.W., 152 Zammit, Emanuel, 140 Zammit, Gnr Albert, 126 Zammit, Joseph, 140 Zammit, Sebastian, 141 Zammit, Spr Spiro, 12 Zampini, Ten. Alberto, 171 Zancan, Av.Sc. Giovanni, 174 Zarb, L/Sgt Fidele, 126 Zehetmair, Uffz. Richard, 12, 159 Zellot, Ltn. Walter, 78 Zepp, Ltn. Hermann: see Hörmann, Ltn. Josef Zieliński, Starzy Sierzant Oskar F., 184 Zimmermann, Uffz. Albert, 207 Zube, Ofw. Kurt, 160 Zühlke, Ltn. Werner, 24, 162, 194

INDEX OF PLACES Page numbers in italics refer to appendices and notes. Abbysinia, 112 Addolorata (Cemetery), 15, 44 Aħrax Point, xv, 94, 173 Alexandria, 11 Andover, 25 Argostoli, 39 Attard, 85, 122, 176, 203 Attard Road (and see Triq Ħ’Attard), 122, 203 Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, xv Bajda Ridge, 172 Balzan, 59 Bandolier Street (Żejtun), 108 Barcelona, 112 Belgium, 71 Bengħisa, 58, 126, 168 Bidnija, 23, 56, 100, 168, 174 Bieb ir-Ruwa, 181 Bieb is-Sultan: see Żabbar Gate Bin Ġemma, 41, 165 Bir id-Deħeb, 113, 184 Birgu: see Vittoriosa Birkirkara, 57, 63, 71, 89, 168, 169, 176

Air Battle of Malta.indd 217

Birżebbuġa, 36, 56, 93, 120, 132, 152, 164, 175, 183 Biscari, 88, 89 Bishop Caruana Street (Żebbug), 116 Blue Grotto, 31 Breda, 41 Britain, xiv, 1, 3, 4, 9, 25, 30, 69, 71, 96, 99, 103, 110, 152, 188 Bubaqra, 47, 57, 166, 168, 177 Buleben il-Kbir, 7, 158 Bull Street (Cospicua): see Triq il-Ġendus Bur Magħtab, 165 Bur Marrad, 172 Busugrilla, 169 Cagliari, xiii, 20, 204 Callus Street (Mosta), 124, 179 Cambridge (Battery), 50 Canada, 18 Cannon Road (and see Triq il-Kanun), 122 Cape Bon, 49 Castel Benito, 112

Castille, 70 Catania, 31, 41, 47, 112, 113 Chapel of Our Lady of the Abandoned, 122, 173 Chapel of St Francis, 35, 164 Chapel of St Mary, 162 Chapel of Sta Agata, 47, 166 Ċirkewwa, xvi Comino, 1, 76, 123, 135, 146 Cominotto, 76 Comiso, 9, 18, 26, 36, 94, 139, 207 Cornwall, 140 Corradino (Kordin), 25, 160 Cospicua, xiii, 55, 68, 69, 81, 170, 185 Cottonera, 69 Couvre Port, xv Crete, 87 Dabrani, 180 De Redin Tower, 2 Decimomannu, 151 Delimara/Point, 5, 6, 12, 59, 64, 69, 120, 126, 133, 158, 159, 185

03-Feb-17 13:34:47

218 Dingli, 22, 37, 51, 54, 55, 87, 100, 101, 102, 148, 149, 164, 166, 167, 169, 173, 174, 182, 197 Dockyard/Creek, xiii, xiv, 1, 2, 11, 21, 42, 68, 75, 78, 80, 81, 99, 174 Dragunara/Point, xv, 29, 131 Dragut Point, 180, 182, 206 Dun Mario Street (Qormi), 7, 159 Dwejra Lines, 135 Dwejra/Bay (Gozo), xiv Egypt, 3, 11, 28, 30, 55, 62, 67, 152 El Alamein, 152 Elmas, 151 England, 25, 41, 70, 91, 92, 93, 201 Erba’ Mwieżeb, 162 Fgura, 7 Filfla, 19, 64, 97, 143, 144 Floriana, 71, 87, 95, 162 Foligno, 112 Fomm ir-Riħ Bay, 7, 158 Fort Binġemma, 5 Fort Madliena, 29 Fort San Leonardo, 2, 80, 111, 176, 192 Fort St Angelo, 98 Fort St Elmo, xiv, 206 Fort St Lucien, 60 Fort St Rocco, 86 Fort Tas-Silġ, 133, 192 Fort Tigné, 206 Fra Ben Tower, 118 France, 1, 4, 15, 71 Gafa Street (Mosta), 66 Ġebel Ċantar, 51, 61, 65, 101, 151, 169, 183 Ġebel Għawżara, 136 Gela, 13 General Hospital: No 39, 84 No 45, 84, 142 Germany, 13, 25, 26, 41, 47, 67, 89, 129 Għajn Dwieli, 12, 160 Għajn il-Kbira, 166 Għajn Riħana, 185 Għajn Tuffieħa/Bay, 6, 7, 22, 27, 82, 86 Għallis, 55, 167 Għar Dalam, 165, 176 Għar Ħanżir, 79, 171

Air Battle of Malta.indd 218

Air Battle of Malta Għar id-Dud, 206 Għar id-Duħħan, 181 Għar Lapsi, xii, 74, 171 Għar Mundu, 166 Għargħur, 29, 141, 148, 162, 163, 182 Għaxaq, 28, 113, 120, 162, 175, 176, 178, 184 Għemieri, 149 Gibraltar, 1, 31, 33, 50, 115, 152 Gilze-Rijen, 41 Ġnejna Bay, 7 Gorizia, 112 Governor’s Palace, 71 Gozo, xi, xiv, 1, 4, 13, 18, 21, 22, 41, 76, 91, 108, 116, 123, 130, 135, 138, 140, 143, 144, 146, 153, 161, 165, 171, 177, 179, 180, 181 Greece, 9, 134 Guardalajara, 112 Guarena/Tower, 31, 163, 169 Gudja, 33, 62, 106, 110, 113, 164, 169, 171, 175, 179, 181, 182 Gulf of Hammamet, 153 Gwardamanġa, 162 Hamburg, 26 Heidelberg, 67, 198 Heppenheim, 198 HF5 (observation post), 56, 77, 168, 171 High Street (Qormi), 172 Ħaġar Qim, 31, 64, 129, 180 Ħaġra s-Sewda, 171 Ħal Dragu, 165 Ħal Far, xii, xiv, 1, 11, 12, 16, 19, 20, 23, 28, 40, 46, 53, 55, 56, 59, 60, 62, 63, 68, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 86, 88, 92, 93, 94, 95, 100, 109–10, 116, 117, 118, 120, 125, 130, 131, 132, 139, 141, 152, 153, 159, 165, 168, 169, 170, 171, 173, 177, 179, 198, 199 Ħal Farruġ, 160, 193 Ħal Mann, 163 Ħal Saflieni, 44, 165 Ħal Tartarni, 54, 167 Ħalq Dieri, 37, 164 Ħamrija Bank, 163 Ħamrun, 63, 71, 113, 122 Ħemsija, 167 Ħuttaf Gandolf, 71 Il-Bajjada, 153, 184

Il-Biez, 180 Il-Fiddien, 36, 164 Il-Ġibjun: see Ġebel Ċantar Il-Ħofra il-Kbira, 192 Il-Ħotba, 54, 167 Il-Ħotob, 59, 168, 176 Il-Kalanka tal-Gidien, 185 Il-Magħtab: see Magħtab Il-Mara, 126 Il-Marnisi, 113, 165 Il-Menqa, 173 Il-Mizieb, 46 Il-Prajjet, 177 Il-Qadi, 172 Il-Qali, 69, 133, 170 Il-Qolla, 136, 180 Il-Widna, xiii Illesheim, Inquisitor’s Palace, 50, 51 Is-Sgħajtar, 183 Is-Simblija, 171 It-Tiġrija, 171 It-Torri ta’ Triq il-Wiesgha, 158 It-Tumbrell, 158 Italy, 1, 9, 36, 112, 113, 117, 134, 154, 188, 206 Ix-Xħagħra l-Ħamra, 162 Jerma Palace Hotel, 193 Kalafrana/Bay, xiii, xiv, 1, 3, 12, 24, 40, 49, 51, 78, 82, 93, 106, 120, 121, 130, 131, 132, 134, 139, 145, 162, 166, 173, 192 Kalkara, xii–xiii, 99, 173, 174, 185 Kefallonia, 39 Keliba, 50 Kerċem, 116, 177 Kerkennah/Islands, 50, 153 King’s Corner, 23 Kingsway (Valletta), 71 Kirkop, 30, 71, 126, 151, 163, 170, 179, 180 Kuriat, 153 L42 (beach post), 86 L’ Iskorvit, 158 La Goulette, 152, 207 Lascaris, xv Lechfeld, 41 Libya, 13, 30, 36, 44, 112, 117 Lija, 96, 163, 174 London, 113 LQ14 (defence post), 139 Luqa Barracks, 75 Luqa Road, 170

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Luqa/village/aerodrome, xii, xiv, 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 22, 24, 28, 29, 31, 33, 36, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58, 63, 68, 70, 73, 74, 75, 78, 79, 80, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 93, 94, 95, 96, 100, 102, 103, 104, 113, 114, 117, 118, 120, 123, 125, 128, 130, 131, 137, 138, 139, 141, 144, 145, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 158, 160, 161, 163, 165, 171, 174, 179, 181, 182, 185 Lyster Barracks, 12, 77 M33 (defence post), 44 Madliena/Madalena, 24, 50, 141 Magħtab (Il-Magħtab), 24, 162, 194 Main Street (St Julians), 144 Manikata, 162 Manoel Island, xiv, 2, 42, 55, 86 Marfa, 122, 146, 172 Margarita Square (Cottonera), 69, 170 Marmarica, 112 Marsa/Creek, xiv, 29, 70, 71, 82, 94, 95, 107, 163, 173, 175 Marsalforn Bay, 123, 179 Marsamxett/Harbour, 35, 206 Marsaskala/Bay, xvi, 60, 80, 158, 160, 168, 172, 173, 176, 181, 193, 202 Marsaxlokk/Bay, 1, 12, 24, 36, 82, 106, 115, 158, 164, 170, 172, 176, 180 Matapan, 26 Mdina, 139, 167 Mellieħa/Bay, 36, 42, 82, 83, 87, 116, 117, 146, 164, 177, 203 Mġarr, 24, 120, 158, 178 Middle East, 1, 4, 30, 33, 50, 115, 117, 134, 139, 152 Misraħ Santa Margerita (Cospicua), 199 Mistra Bay, 21, 161 Mnajdra, 129, 180 Mosta, 56, 66, 78, 79, 81, 124, 136, 140, 148, 161, 170, 179 Mqabba, 83, 124, 171, 172 Mrieħel, 63, 114, 169 Msida/Creek, 82 Mtaħleb, 5 Mtarfa (Imtarfa), xii, 4, 15, 35, 52, 66, 88, 108, 138, 148 München Riem, 41 Munich, 26

Air Battle of Malta.indd 219

Index of places Munxar, 76, 199 Nadur, 21, 76, 161, 171 Naxxar, 44, 73, 83, 85, 90, 91, 92, 105, 113, 140, 152, 171, 182, 183 Nerik Xerri Street (Kirkop), 179 Netherlands, 41 North Africa, xii, 9, 13, 20, 22, 23, 30, 31, 39, 67, 77, 87, 117, 152 Norway, 9 Notre Dame: see Żabbar Gate Opera House, 71 Ospizio, 29, 162 Our Lady of the Abandoned (Chapel), 122 Paola, 12, 15, 68, 86, 160, 165, 170 Parlatorio Wharf, 11 Pembroke, xiv, 24, 60, 82, 108, 138, 168 Pinto Wharf, 185 Point de Vue (hotel), 66 Poland, 129 Poor House, 82 Pwales Valley, 161 Qasam Barrani, 117, 177 Qasam San Ġorġ, 116, 177 Qawra, 118, 177 Qlejgħa, Qormi, 7, 19, 30, 59, 85, 122, 140, 159, 168, 169, 172, 176, 178, 180, 203 Qrendi/village/landing strip, xiv, 31, 37, 44, 54, 128, 129, 139, 143, 163, 167, 169, 181, 182 RA6 (beach post), 2 Rabat, 22, 55, 60, 61, 66, 67, 76, 78, 81, 110, 161, 166, 167, 168, 169, 172, 175, 181, 182, 194 Ragusa, 78 Raħal Ġdid (see Paola) Ras il-Fenek, 3, 158 Ras il-Qammieħ, xii, 185 Ras l-Irqieqa, 137, 181 Ravenna, 112 Republic Street (Valletta), 35 Rhodesia, 65 Rinella, 36 Rome, 112 Russia, 30, 39, 87, 107, 129

219 Russian/Eastern front: see Russia Safi/village/airstrip, xiv, 30, 33, 56, 62, 63, 76, 78, 80, 106, 110, 113, 125, 141, 163, 164, 166, 169 Salina/Bay, xiii, xv, 55, 83, 85, 167, 182 Salonika, 89 Salvu Sacco Street (Kirkop), 179 San Blas Valley, 41 San Ġwann, 44 San Leonardo, 172 San Nicola, 164 San Pawl Tat-Tarġa, 92, 173 San Pietru, 95 Santu Rokku, 173 Sardinia, xiii, 20, 151, 204 Saviour Street (Lija), 96, 174 School of Artillery, 152 Scotland, 112, 138 Senglea, 69, 80, 87, 99, 174, 201 Sicily, xi, xii, 1, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 18, 20, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 47, 51, 60, 64, 78, 87, 88, 89, 94, 100, 103, 107, 108, 109, 110, 115, 117, 120, 127, 129, 139, 143, 144, 147, 148, 151, 154, 197, 203 Siġġiewi, xii, 24, 31, 61, 65, 82, 93, 117, 123, 166, 169, 171, 172, 177, 178, 183 Sikka il-Bajda, 94 Sliema, 50, 55, 83, 146, 147, 179, 180, 182, 206 Spain, 112 Spinola, 84, 85 St Andrew’s (Camp), 6, 13, 60, 84, 160 St James Ditch, xv St Julian’s/Bay, 63, 83, 124, 144, 145, 146, 150, 182 St Margaret Square (Cospicua): see Misraħ Santa Margerita St Mawgan, 140 St Michele, xiii, 20, 204 St Nicola, 164 St Patrick’s (Camp), 84, 142 St Paul’s Bay, xii, 1, 19, 21, 23, 36, 50, 84, 85, 100, 101, 118, 130, 136, 138, 148, 161, 162, 172, 180 St Publius (Church), 87 St Thomas Bay, 202 Sta Katerina, 167 Sta Venera, 44, 165 Strada Reale (Valletta), 35

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220 Strait Street (Valletta), 35 Suez, 1 Ta’ Bir Miftuħ, 158, 171 Ta’ Brija, 172, 177 Ta’ Brija Street (Siġġiewi), 178 Ta’ Daniel, 158 Ta’ Ġarda, 120, 176, 178 Ta’ Giorni, 124, 179 Ta’ Ġokondu, 160 Ta’ Kandja, 79, 171 Ta’ Karach, 32, 175 Ta’ Kuljat, 130, 180 Ta’ l-Għasfur, 123, 178 Ta’ Luretu, 175 Ta’ Marianu, 54, 167 Ta’ Netta ta’ Falzon, 182 Ta’ Qali (Takali), xii, xiii, xiv, xv, 1, 10, 12, 19, 20, 21, 24, 32, 33, 37, 42, 43, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 60, 61, 62, 66, 72, 74, 75, 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 88, 91, 92, 94, 100, 102, 104, 105, 117, 124, 130, 134, 137, 138, 139, 144, 146, 148–9, 173, 175, 183, 191, 193, 196, 203 Ta’ Salib, 181 Ta’ Saliba, 102 Ta’ Salvatur, 78 Ta’ San Ġakbu, 175 Ta’ San Girgor, 153, 184 Ta’ San Ġwakkin, 122, 178 Ta’ San Niklaw, 139, 169 Ta’ San Pietru, xiii, 185 Ta’ Srina, Ta’ Tinġi, 140, 181 Ta’ Wied Rini, 110, 149, 175, 182 Ta’ Żokrija, 170 Ta’ Żuta, 51, 63, 78, 102, 169 Tal-Bakkari, 177 Tal-Balal, 44 Tal-Ħandaq, 7, 129, 134, 159, 180 Tal-Ħlas (Chapel), 183 Tal-Ibraġ, 181 Ta’ l-Infetti, 166 Tal-Milħa (farm), 83, 172 Tal-Munxar, 171 Tal-Papa, 183

Air Battle of Malta.indd 220

Air Battle of Malta Tal-Pitkal, 100, 174 Tal-Qortin, 57, 168 Tal-Ramlija, 180 Tal-Virtu, 81, 172 Taormina, 20 Tarġa Battery, 185 Tarxien, 2 Tas-Silġ, 6, 68, 170 Tas-Sriedak, 20, 161 Tat-Tarġa, Tigné, 12, 42, 55, 69, 85, 86, 96, 147, 166, 182 Tobruk, 112, 117 Torri l-Aħmar, 83 Tripoli, 68, 112 Triq Ħ’Attard (and see Attard Road), 122, 203 Triq Ħal Qormi, Triq il-Ġendus (Cospicua), xiii, 185 Triq il-Kanun (Ħamrun), 122 Triq il-Wileġ, 23 Triq is-Sienja (Kalkara), xii, 185 Triq Ix-Xatt Juan B. Azzopardi (Senglea), 99 Tunis, 207 Tunisia, 153, 154 Turin, 112, 152 United Kingdom: see Britain United States of America, 11, 84 Valletta, xv, 16, 20, 25, 32, 34, 35, 42, 43, 49, 56, 63, 68, 70–1, 82, 85, 90, 144, 164, 193 Victoria, 21, 177 Victoria Lines, 24, 185 Victory Chapel, 84, 172 Vienna, 129 Villa Azzopardi, 93 Villa Portelli, 99 Vittoriosa, xv, 55, 69 Wallenbruck (Herford), 18 Wardija, 74 Water Mill Street (Kalkara): see Triq is-Sienja Western Desert: see North Africa

Wied Basassa, 31 Wied Dalam, 32 Wied id-Dis, 29, 163 Wied il-Busbies, 161 Wied il-Għajn, 3, 158 Wied il-Kbir, 31, 171 Wied is-Sewda, 122 Wied iż-Żurrieq, xii, 103, 126, 133, 174 Wied Magħlaq, 95, 173 Wied Qasrun, 37, 164 Wied Qirda, 10, 159 Wolseley (Camp/Battery), 133, 180 Würzburg, 18 Xewkija, 140, 181 Xgħajra, 158 XHB 10, (HAA gun position), 139, 181 XHB 8, (HAA gun position), 126 XHC 14, (HAA gun position), 164 XHE 33, (HAA gun position), 141, 182 Xrobb il-Għaġin, 41, 76, 165, 199 XSF 47 (searchlight position), 148 Yugoslavia, 13 Żabbar, 2, 7, 80, 172, 176, 192 Żabbar Gate, 161 Żammitello Palace, 120, 178, 203 Żebbieħ, 38, 135, 148, 165, 180, 182 Żebbuġ (Gozo), 180 Żebbuġ (Malta), xi, xii, 10, 22, 37, 48, 49, 93, 116, 121, 122, 154, 159, 164, 166, 173, 176, 181, 183 Żejtun, 7, 15, 54, 107, 125, 152, 158, 167, 184 Żonqor/Point, xv, 8, 12, 20, 71, 80, 88, 106, 111, 132, 144, 145, 158, 159, 161, 173, 193 Żurrieq, xii, 118

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