Malta Spitfire

Author: George Beurling
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
ISBN: 1909166294
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 147

Book Description
An aviator’s true story of WWII air combat, including two dramatic weeks in the skies above the besieged island of Malta. Twenty-five thousand feet above Malta—that is where the Spitfires intercepted the Messerschmitts, Macchis, and Reggianes as they swept eastward in their droves, screening the big Junkers with their bomb loads as they pummeled the island beneath: the most bombed patch of ground in the world. One of those Spitfire pilots was George Beurling, nicknamed “Screwball,” who in fourteen flying days destroyed twenty-seven German and Italian aircraft and damaged many more. Hailing from Canada, Beurling finally made it to Malta in the summer of 1942 after hard training and combat across the Channel. Malta Spitfire tells his story and that of the gallant Spitfire squadron, 249, which day after day ascended to the “top of the hill” to meet the enemy against overwhelming odds. With this memoir, readers experience the sensation of being in the cockpit with him, climbing to meet the planes driving in from Sicily, diving down through the fighter screen at the bombers, dodging the bullets coming out of the sun, or whipping up under the belly of an Me for a deflection shot at the engine. This is war without sentiment or romance, told in terms of human courage, skill, and heroism—a classic of WWII military aviation.

Malta Spitfire Vs - 1942

Author: Brian Cauchi
Publisher: MMP
ISBN: 9788361421795
Category : Fighter pilots
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In the desperate battle for Malta in 1941-2, the arrival of Spitfire Vs helped turn the tables in favor of the Allies. For years arguments have raged about the precise color schemes carried by these aircraft. This new book looks at all the evidence, from photos and memories through surviving parts to interpret the many color schemes of these aircr

Malta Spitfire Pilot

Author: Denis Barnham
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
ISBN: 1909808687
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 345

Book Description
An RAF fighter pilot’s “intensely vivid” account of the siege of Malta in World War II (The Times Literary Supplement). In the summer of 1942, Malta was vulnerable to air attack from the Germans and Italians, and defended by a handful of Spitfires and a few anti-aircraft guns. Denis Barnham, a young and inexperienced flight lieutenant, spent ten hectic weeks on this indomitable island; he left a well-ordered English aerodrome for the chaos and disillusionment of Luqa. His task was to engage the overwhelming number of enemy bombers, usually protected by fighter escorts, and shoot down as many as possible. The Spitfires were bomb-scarred and battered. Oftentimes they could only get two or three in the air together, and the airfields were riddled with bomb craters, but they managed to keep going and make their mark on enemy operations. Barnham has written a powerful account of his experiences in Malta, starting with his trip in an American aircraft carrier through the ceaseless battle and turmoil during the desperate defense of the island, through his departure by air back to England, having seen the reinforcements safely landed and the tide of battle turning. With thrilling and terrifying descriptions and illustrations of the air action, this account, told with humor and compassion, is one of the best firsthand accounts of aerial combat ever written.

Malta Spitfire

Author: George F. Beurling
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780143012375
Category : Fighter pilots
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Book Description

Spitfires Over Malta

Author: Brian Cull
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781904943303
Category : Spitfire (Fighter plane)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Brian Cull's book tells the story of the RAF's gallant stand in 1942 to hold Malta against all odds in the face of the combined might of the German Luftwaffe and Italy's Regia Aeronautica.

Air Battle of Malta

Author: Anthony Rogers
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 178438190X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Book Description
In the Second World War, Malta was besieged for nearly two and a half years, during which time a decisive air war was waged between Britain, Italy and Germany.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 defense by outclassed Hurricanes, culminating in the desperate months of fighting following the arrival on Malta of the Spitfire in March 1942.What became of the many aircraft destroyed over the Maltese Islands, and what was the fate of their pilots and crews?More than a thousand aircraft were lost. Many crashed into the Mediterranean; others came down on Malta and the neighboring island of Gozo. This book focuses on the latter some 200 British, Italian and German machines, and the fate of their pilots and crews. It reveals where those airplanes fell, thus providing a record that will continue to be valued by future generations.This comprehensive volume documents all known aircraft crash sites in and around the Maltese Islands and provides the circumstances of each loss are related in detail with accounts from both sides.In Germany especially there are many still unaware of the fate of family members who never returned after the Second World War. This book reveals what happened to some who even today are still officially listed as missing.

Malta

Author: Juliet Rix
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
ISBN: 1784770701
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Book Description
This new, thoroughly updated fourth edition of Bradt's Malta - written by an expert who has been visiting for more than a decade - remains the most comprehensive guide available and has built a reputation for being the essential guide for getting beneath the surface of this island nation and discovering what lies beyond the beaches. Sun, sand and sea there may be, but Malta boasts so much more, and this new edition is packed with historical and archaeological insights, from the Stone Age to the Romans, the Knights Hospitaller to World War II. It also showcases the islands' wildlife and bird-watching opportunities, summer festas, and the less commercialised islands of Gozo and Comino. Malta has been changing at the rate of knots, with Valletta's year as European Capital of Culture accelerating restoration and renovation. Copious openings - of historic sights, key fortresses, a new national gallery and boutique accommodation, particularly in Valletta - are covered, while the culinary scene continues to thrive, with notably greater choice for vegetarians and vegans. Malta has recently become much more socially accepting and is now considered one of the top places for LGBT travellers, while the offering for younger travellers has expanded, too. The Isle of MTV festival is going strong, Annie Mac now has a spring festival in Malta and a host of bars and clubs has sprung up. There is also lots on offer culturally, with festivals, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and opera all contributing to a full programme. Bradt's Malta contains all the information needed for a successful trip. Whatever your budget, it is the ideal guide for everyone from culture aficionados to history and archaeology buffs, foodies, war veterans, families and couples escaping for a romantic break.

Spitfire Troubadour

Author: Tony Snell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781425171872
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Spitfire pilot, shot down in Sicily. Shot as a spy, escaped to fly again. Toured Africa and America doing a one man show. Performs in own Caribbean Island Restaurant.

Malta 1940–42

Author: Ryan K. Noppen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472820614
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 92

Book Description
In 1940, the strategically vital island of Malta was Britain's last toehold in the central Mediterranean, wreaking havoc among Axis shipping. Launching an air campaign to knock Malta out of the war, first Italy and then Germany sought to force a surrender or reduce the defences enough to allow an invasion. Drawing on original documents, multilingual aviation analyst Ryan Noppen explains how technical and tactical problems caused the original Italian air campaign of 1940–41 to fail, and then how the German intervention came close to knocking Malta out of the war. Using stunning full colour artwork, this fascinating book explains why the attempt by the Axis powers to take the British colony of Malta ultimately failed.

Fortress Malta

Author: James Holland
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 1780225970
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 497

Book Description
The extraordinary drama of Malta's WWII victory against impossible odds told through the eyes of the people who were there. In March and April 1942, more explosives were dropped on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta - smaller than the Isle of Wight - than on the whole of Britain during the first year of the Blitz. Malta had become one of the most strategically important places in the world. From there, the Allies could attack Axis supply lines to North Africa; without it, Rommel would be able to march unchecked into Egypt, Suez and the Middle East. For the Allies this would have been catastrophic. As Churchill said, Malta had to be held 'at all costs'. FORTRESS MALTA follows the story through the eyes of those who were there: young men such as twenty-year-old fighter pilot Raoul Daddo-Langlois, anti-aircraft gunner Ken Griffiths, American Art Roscoe and submariner Tubby Crawford - who served on the most successful Allied submarine of the Second World War; cabaret dancer-turned RAF plotter Christina Ratcliffe, and her lover, the brilliant and irrepressible reconnaissance pilot, Adrian Warburton. Their stories and others provide extraordinary first-hand accounts of heroism, resilience, love, and loss, highlighting one of the most remarkable stories of World War II.