Strana 23
#11194
BOXART STORY
The Mediterranean island of Malta was one of the
most important strategic points in the area between
southern Europe and Africa. It was said that whoever
controlled Malta could control the supply routes
between Italy and Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya,
and the occupied part of Egypt. That is why fierce
battles were fought over "British" Malta. The Italian
Regia Aeronautica began bombing attacks in June
1940, and from 1941 the Luftwaffe took part in the
effort, operating from mainland Italy and later from
Sicily.
With the arrival of the Luftwaffe, the campaign
intensified and reached its peak in 1942. However,
the island itself was severely depleted, not only in
terms of its civilian population, but also in terms of
Allied military supplies, weapons, and equipment.
British supply convoys were decimated, and despite
the perseverance, ingenuity, and courage of the
defenders, the British defense was on the verge of
collapse.
The turning point came at the end of the summer
of 1942, when the defending RAF began to gain the
upper hand as the relentless Italian and, above
all, German attacks were accompanied by ever-
increasing losses. With the onset of autumn, the
situation became critical for German and Italian
airmen. The story of Antonis Karydis's box art with
a colourfully camouflaged Ju 88 also belongs to this
period.
One of the units involved in the bombing of Malta
was KG 77. The commander of its II. Gruppe was Hptm.
Heinrich Paepcke. This native of Watterscheid was an
experienced bomber pilot at the age of almost thirty-
two. His entry into the Luftwaffe in 1935 was preceded
by service in the merchant navy (Handelsmarine)
and a brief stint with the Wehrmacht. In 1939,
he completed pilot training, and from then on,
the Ju 88A dive bomber became his daily bread
and later also his destiny. This twin-engine aircraft
perfectly fulfilled Hitler's desire for a Schnellbomber
(fast bomber) capable of striking enemy positions
at lightning speed and quickly returning to its own
territory, while still having a chance to defend itself
against enemy fighters. Although the role of the
Junkers Ju 88 evolved and changed between 1939
and 1945, mainly because the nature of the war in
its last two years significantly limited the use of
Luftwaffe ground attack aircraft, the Ju 88's intended
use as a bomber remained dominant almost until the
end of the war.
Paepcke's first combat unit was Kampfgeschwader
30, which he joined in December 1939. After only
a few months, in April 1940, he became commander of
its 7th Staffel, and five months later he was awarded
the Knight's Cross.
In October 1941, Heinrich Paepcke was promoted
to Hauptmann and took command of II. Gruppe
KG 77, with which he moved to the Mediterranean.
From its Italian base in Comiso, his unit carried out
attacks on Malta and its supply routes, mainly naval
convoys, from January 1942 onwards. The Luftwaffe,
along with the Regia Aeronautica, did not slacken in
their attacks on RAF infrastructure, particularly in an
effort to weaken the Allies' growing ability to inflict
increasingly heavy blows on the attackers. Maltese
airfields were therefore often among the bombing
targets.
This was also the case on October 17, 1942, when
KG 77 attacked Luga airfield in the southern part of
the island. Shortly after 6:30 a.m., a group of seven
Ju 88s appeared northeast of Malta, accompanied
by approximately 25 fighters. Five Spitfires from
No. 249 Squadron RAF took off from Ta Qali airfield
almost immediately to engage the attackers, but
no contact was made with the enemy. At 6:45 a.m.,
another eight Spitfires from No. 185 Squadron took
off from Hal Far, soon joined by aircraft from Luqa
Air Base – eight from No. 126 Squadron and four from
No. 1435 Squadron. Southeast of the capital Valletta,
approximately 12 miles from the easternmost point of
Malta, the town of Żonqor, a battle ensued in which
several Ju 88s were shot down and most of the
others were forced to drop their bomb loads into the
sea and turn back.
The pilot of one of the attacking Spitfires was
US fighter pilot F/Lt Ripley O. Jones from Coopersown,
New York, serving in the RAF Volunteer Reserve.
During the clash with the Ju 88 group, he collided
head-on with Heinrich Paepcke's Junkers. Both pilots
were killed in the collision and their planes crashed
into the sea. Some of the crew members managed to
jump out of Paepcke's Junkers during the fall, were
recovered out of the sea and captured (some sources
state that the entire crew was killed).
RAF fighters claimed four bombers destroyed in
this battle, including Paepcke's Junkers downed
by Jones, two others probably destroyed, and one
damaged. F/Lt. Jones was the only Spitfire pilot
lost in this battle. One other Spitfire returned home
damaged, its pilot unharmed.
Heinrich Paepcke was posthumously awarded the
Oak Leaves (Eichenlaub) to his Knight's Cross and
promoted to the rank of Major.
Despite fierce attacks, the Allies managed
to protect Malta. After the victory at El Alamein,
and especially after the Allied landings in North
Africa in November 1942, Malta ceased to be
important enough for Germany and Italy to continue
their efforts, and the intensity of the attacks
weakened considerably. Later, in the summer of
1943, the island became an important element in the
invasion of Sicily.
Ilustrace: Antonis Karydis
Within sight of Malta
Text: Jan Zdiarský
INFO Eduard
23
September 2025