Malta was awarded the George Cross in April 1942 after four months of continuous bombardment by the Axis air forces. As the Royal Navy battled to get convoys containing vital supplies through to the island, they were hampered by U-boats and airborne attacks which wrecked merchant shipping. It wasn't until August 1942 that a convoy arrived intact. With the volley of bombs coming from the sky the people of Malta and the beleaguered defending forces were subject to the most appalling privations. Yet Malta was a key point in the Allied defences. Had it fallen into the hands of Germany, Rommel would probably have won the battle for North Africa and the outcome of the war might have been different.
Out of ilction for some considerable time to come.
The Italian navy with I. uftwaffe assistance continued to blockade .Malta, the island which held the key to victory in North Africa. In December 194 1 the Germans flew 169 bombing raids over Malta. In January 1942 the number rose to 262. Of course, the devastation took effect and A. xis convoys began seeping through once more as Allied ships were put out of action, deprived themselves of fresh supplies.
Nevertheless, Churchill was determined to keep. Malta in Allied hands at all costs.
It wasn’t until. March 1942 that a British convoy managed to slip through the Italian net bringing in vital supplies. Attempts to get supplies to the island in June failed. Yet still the vicious air bombardment continued. .Much of the island was laid waste by the daily bombings as Hitler and .Mussolini plotted an invasion.
In answer to a pressing need for raw materials, the Allies planned a convoy of unprecedented size and strength in ‘Operation Pedestal’. Setting (jff from Gibraltar to guard the supply ships were three aircraft carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, 34 destroyers and eight submarines. The US carrier Wasp was also in evidence to bring new air forces to the island. The convoy departed on 10 August 1942 and came under repeated air attack. Both the Luftwaffe and Italy’s Regia
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