What do you think?
Rate this book
Malta #2
Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942
The first Spitfires arrived in Malta in February 1942 to supplement and replace the few remaining (now obsolescent) Hurricane fighters who had helped defend Malta since 1940.
This book reads like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the airmen, soldiers, sailors, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won.
This book reads like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the airmen, soldiers, sailors, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won.
704 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1991
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Shores
86 books10 followers A career surveyor, Christopher Francis Shores earned an international reputation as one of Britain’s finest aviation historians.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 24, 2016
Christopher Shores et al. have produced a first-rate book on the contributions made by the Spitfire in the defense of Malta against a determined Axis assault.
From 1940 to 1942, Malta served as a linchpin in Britain's efforts to retain a presence in North Africa and the Mediterranean against the Axis Powers. From Malta, British air and naval vessels would harry German and Italian ships sending supplies to Rommel in the Western Desert during the height of the fighting there in 1941-42. Ship sinkings became almost prohibitive to the Axis, so both the Germans and Italians resolved to destroy Malta through air assault.
The first Spitfires arrived in Malta in February 1942 to supplement and replace the few remaining Hurricane fighters who had helped defend Malta since 1940.
This book reads almost like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the pilots, soldiers, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
From 1940 to 1942, Malta served as a linchpin in Britain's efforts to retain a presence in North Africa and the Mediterranean against the Axis Powers. From Malta, British air and naval vessels would harry German and Italian ships sending supplies to Rommel in the Western Desert during the height of the fighting there in 1941-42. Ship sinkings became almost prohibitive to the Axis, so both the Germans and Italians resolved to destroy Malta through air assault.
The first Spitfires arrived in Malta in February 1942 to supplement and replace the few remaining Hurricane fighters who had helped defend Malta since 1940.
This book reads almost like a daily diary of the war in, around, and over Malta throughout 1942. The reader gets a keen appreciation for the sacrifices made by the pilots, soldiers, and civilians in Malta who stood up to the Axis, and won. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
August 29, 2017
I fear I will become a broken record on books by Mr. Shores... but I enjoy bearing good news to those of you who care. This is an outstanding book. Period. Maybe even in CAPS.
I simply love the way the story is told, and how each time period (be they days or weeks depending on the activities) is analyzed and references compared so you the reader can make an assessment on the facts. The downright critical comments on the poor accuracy of pilot's claims is refreshing, even including actual interviews where memories appear a bit fuzzy or rusty. The willingness to demonstrate the fallibility of memories and show over and over how eyewitnesses can be seriously poor on gathering facts lends significant credence to my belief that first hand accounts are of value in only setting a mood or tone... facts generally need to be found elsewhere.
The book is of course well written, and very logically presented. The additions by Mr. Cull and Mr. Malizia are critical to the success of this series as it gives so much more flavor to hearing about both sides of a particular engagement or fight. The daily grind from the Axis side is not well developed, but that is not unexpected as the primary view is allied-centric.
Anyone with an interest in military aviation would greatly benefit from reading this book (or any others by the authors for that matter). This is a completely solid 5-Star book, and will be certainly on my "Re-read List" in the future.
I simply love the way the story is told, and how each time period (be they days or weeks depending on the activities) is analyzed and references compared so you the reader can make an assessment on the facts. The downright critical comments on the poor accuracy of pilot's claims is refreshing, even including actual interviews where memories appear a bit fuzzy or rusty. The willingness to demonstrate the fallibility of memories and show over and over how eyewitnesses can be seriously poor on gathering facts lends significant credence to my belief that first hand accounts are of value in only setting a mood or tone... facts generally need to be found elsewhere.
The book is of course well written, and very logically presented. The additions by Mr. Cull and Mr. Malizia are critical to the success of this series as it gives so much more flavor to hearing about both sides of a particular engagement or fight. The daily grind from the Axis side is not well developed, but that is not unexpected as the primary view is allied-centric.
Anyone with an interest in military aviation would greatly benefit from reading this book (or any others by the authors for that matter). This is a completely solid 5-Star book, and will be certainly on my "Re-read List" in the future.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews