HISTORY

An RAF ground crew refuels and rearms a Spitfire Mark Vc from No. 603 Squadron RAF at Ta

Kali airfield. The protective wall was raised from

empty fuel cans and sandbags.

the whole year 1942. The number of attacks

on the island dropped significantly, and

for the whole month Spitfires took off for

only 38 scramble sorties. The important

things, however, took place at sea. Thanks

to the success of the Pedestal convoy

and ample fuel supplies in Malta, British

offensive operations aimed at supply

routes for Rommel’s “Panzerarmee

Afrika” were once again in full swing.

While the British were successfully

building up supplies in advance of the

decisive battle, the Axis forces gradually

lost 20 per cent of all supplies sent by sea

from Italy during September and as much

as 44 per cent of supplies in October.

Fuel shortages were particularly critical.

It was therefore decided to carry out

another bombing offensive against Malta

with the aim of re-securing safe shipping

routes and eliminating it once and for all.

The offensive, also known as the October

Blitz, was launched on October 11, and

once again there were “dogfights” between

Spitfires Mk.V, German Bf-109F/Gs and

Italian C.202s and Re.2001s. However, air

superiority over Malta was by then clearly

in the hands of the re-enforced British

squadrons, while considerable fatigue

was already showing on the GermanItalian side, as well as frustration and

wear and tear from the previous battles.

The spectacularly planned October Blitz

lasted only seven days and was a clear

defeat for the Axis forces. During those

days, RAF pilots flew nearly 2,400 combat

sorties with their Spitfires, shooting down

99 confirmed enemy aircraft, 51 probably

and 122 aircraft damaged with the loss of

24 Spitfires and thirteen pilots. In addition,

40 aircraft were damaged and 13 Spitfires

were destroyed on the ground.

In November the number of Luftwaffe

raids dropped significantly, with only 29

alerts during the month. With the intensity

of hostilities so drastically reduced, Allied

convoys bringing essential supplies

found it easier to reach the island and

also brought material for repairs and

airfield construction. Malta’s survival was

essential to the victory at El Alamein and

the subsequent success of the land battle

in North Africa.

So much desired Spitfires therefore

ultimately achieved the air superiority over

the battlefield and thanks to them Malta

held on. Until the middle of November,

when the air raids on Malta were recalled,

385 Spitfires were dispatched to Malta

during thirteen operations off the aircraft

carriers, 367 of them flew over to the

island. During the heavy fighting, the

Spitfire pilots were credited with at least

600 aerial victories. The most successful

of them all, Canadian George “Screwball”

Beurling scored 28 confirmed kills.

He was followed in distant second place

by “Paddy” Schade with 14 kills, Canadian

Wally McLeod with 13 kills and “Slim”

Yarra with 12 kills. A total of 41 Spitfire

pilots scored five or more kills during

the fighting for Malta, earning ace status.

Almost one hundred of Spitfire pilots paid

the ultimate price during the combat.

to the “spring board” for the Operation

Husky, i.e., invasion of Sicily. On the eve

of the operation there were 35 squadrons

with 600 aircraft based in Malta. The

capacity of the four existing airfields at

Luqa, Ta Kali, Hal Far and Qrendi was

expanded, and a fifth airfield, Xewkija,

was temporarily built for USAAF on the

adjacent Gozo archipelago. On July 10,

1943, this operation opened the way to

the liberation of the whole continent.

In just couple of days, the Allies captured

the solid supporting base on the Sicilian

soil and soon after the Allied aircraft

were transferred from Malta bases to the

liberated airfields in Sicily and Southern

Italy. Due to these changes the special

Malta camouflages became history.

Spitfires flew their further missions

carrying the standard camouflage

patterns only.

Mechanics of the special assembly group at the

Spitfire Mk.V at Gibraltar. Behind them the fuselages of Hawker Hurricanes can be seen in their

shipping crates. The Special Assembly Group was

set up at Gibraltar in July 1942 to assemble and

test fly aircraft transported from Britain and destined for Malta. The two earliest Mk.Vb Spitfires,

EP720 and EP791, became part of the Operation

Train, the last delivery of Spitfires to Malta.

Spitfires Mk.Vb from No. 249 Squadron at Ta Kali

airfield, autumn 1942.

After the battle

During the first months of 1943 the air

battle for Malta ceased. The defenders

won having destroyed more than

a thousand of the enemy aircraft in

combat. Another sign of the change

in the situation of Malta’s defenders was

the arrival of new Mk.IX Spitfires at the

end of March. The Mediterranean Island

was transformed from the besieged base

A trio of Mk.Vc Spitfires from No. 249 Squadron waiting on the main runway at Ta Kali for

scramble, while a Bristol Beaufighter lands in the

background.