Per Kvindesalnd 15.07.2004 Fra Sheila og Ottar

A very interesting account, using the stories of individuals caught up in the conflict, of the seige of Malta in WWII, whereby the island was heavilly bombed and blockaded from 1940 onwards. The privations suffered by the ordinary people are evoked as well as the initially deplorable conditions facing pilots who were trying to defend the island, and the crews of ships and submarines also involved in the operations around the island. It explains how crucial the island's role was in trying to disrupt the supplies going to North Africa for Rommel's army and the initial mismangagement which resulted in heartbreaking losses of pilots and aircraft in particular.

The book has many photographs also so you can better picture the individuals discussed. There are some very tragic stories of the various fatalities, in some cases caused by senseless accidents, poor plane maintenance, exhaustion of pilots etc.

One issue I found was that the index quite often does not cite all the references to particular individuals if wishing to look back and refresh your memmory during the read, as there are a lot of people discussed, and it isn't possible to keep them all in mind, at least for me. But some particular pilots were such eccentrics and misfits that it wasn't difficult to recall who they were. For this reason only am dropping to a 4-star rating overall. ( )

Overlooked and undersupplied, the Malta garrison and Maltese people stood tall and remained strong during the early days of WW 2. Subject to more bombing attacks than London during the Blitz, always short of food, fuel and ammunition the Island's defenders were awarded the George Cross in celebration of their courage and indomitable spirit. Ths story is told well and in a very readable fashion by extensive use of the personal histories of residents and a nice variety of the military defenders. ( )

Engagingly written history of "the most bombed place on Earth" based on eyewitness accounts. Thoroughly recommended. ( )