Campaign

Siege of Malta

11 Jun 1940 – 20 Nov 1942 · Malta

From 11 June 1940 to 20 November 1942 Italy and Germany tried to bomb and starve Malta into submission by attacking its ports, towns and shipping, and Italy laid some 54,000 mines around the island. Malta began with almost no air defence, only six obsolete Sea Gladiator biplanes; Hurricanes followed and Spitfires began arriving in March 1942. The August 1942 convoy of Operation Pedestal brought vital relief at heavy cost. After the Axis defeat at El Alamein and the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria, Axis forces shifted to Tunisia and the siege ended.