- Hardcover: 560 pages
- Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd; illustrated edition edition (13 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0719557534
- ISBN-13: 978-0719557538
- Product Dimensions: 24.8 x 15.9 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 251,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
'Malta became a central symbol of British tactical defiance...the sufferings of the Navy in supplying it make shocking reading' -- Max Hastings
Product Description
From the day Mussolini's Italy declared war on Britain in June 1940, the island of Malta was under siege. Its strategic importance was obvious to both sides, standing as it did in the central Mediterranean, athwart the supply route between Italy and the Axis armies in North Africa. It had therefore to be bombed out of existence by the Axis powers, and preserved at all costs by the British. This is a review of the contest of air-power against sea-power, written by a professional sea-farer. It emphasizes the part played by the Merchant Navy.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Richard Woodman's latest work is a companion volume to his 1994 Arctic Convoys. This very well-written book represents a clever integration of historical overview, strategic summary, and personal reminisces from those who fought. Covering the period 1940-43, the author first looks at the naval forces involved prior to the Malta campaign. He then goes on to consider the campaign in detail - looking at the different Operations and Convoys that comprised it, and taking in the personal accounts of those who served. The battles of Calabria, Matapan and the two battles of Sirte are also described. Whilst dealing with the overall causes and events of each Operation and Convoy, the author has not trapped himself into writing history in the grand manner. He provides more detailed accounts of the action, narrowing events down to the time of the day at which they took place and providing enough information to keep avid gunnery devotees happy. As may be imagined this volume is a comprehensive study of the ships and men involved in the Mediterranean during these three years; the author has managed to avoid regurgitating history in dull prose and presents his research in a logical and readable fashion. The 33 black and white pictures in the book show a variety of photos of some of the men involved in the campaign, shots of convoys at seas and in port, and a few 'action' shots of burning and sinking ships and the terrible damage caused by the bombing of Malta. Overall, Malta Convoys is a useful companion volume to Arctic Convoys, and stands as an excellent read and resource in its own right.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
With the fall of Crete, Malta appeared indefensible, yet to lose it would have dealt a winning hand to Axis forces in North Africa and made the capture of Gibraltar inevitable. In fact, the German High Command - the OKW - wanted to take Malta in preference to Crete, but was overruled by Hitler. While Crete fell to airborne assault, it proved of little enduring value to the Axis cause.
Malta, snuggled so close to the Italian mainland, seemed doomed. However, while many in Britain wrote it off, the islanders were gripped with a determination to resist. And the Navy grasped that in Malta it had an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
Woodman details the deadly chess game of submarines, shipping and aircraft, mines and weather, soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians, as both sides sought to protect or sever one another's supply lines.
Woodman demonstrates that possession of Malta was crucial to the warfare raging in North Africa. Whoever controlled the island could dominate the Mediterranean, and hence the oil of the Middle East, and the entry to the Suez Canal. Failing to seize it ahead of Crete was one of Hitler's major errors of the war. However, Woodman points out that Britain maintained a garrison in Malta almost by accident - a fortunate happenstance which probably dictated the outcome of the North African conflict and eventually exposed the Axis Powers to a third Front in Italy.
Densely packed with information, this is an excellent source book for anyone interested in the North African campaign or naval/convoy warfare in WW2. Malta's role has always been understated: this book goes some way to restoring it to strategic importance, and does so without ignoring the human dimension of its determined population and defenders.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
With Richard Woodman I have got to the point where I'll happily buy any of his nautical histories without bothering to find out much more than their subject matter knowing they will be a good and informative read.
And so it is with Malta Convoys. Like most (I hope) people I knew the overall story of Malta in WWII and how important it was to the allies in the Med. This puts the detail into the story in great detail - but what a read it is illustrating the hardships and triumphs of both the Royal and Merchant Navy.
Read this book and you'll not pass the Merchant Navy War Memorial on Tower Hill in London without stopping and looking up some of the ships names that become familiar to you and those of their ship's company who perished on them. Truly reading about death can make the realities a memorial illustrates come to life.
And so it is with Malta Convoys. Like most (I hope) people I knew the overall story of Malta in WWII and how important it was to the allies in the Med. This puts the detail into the story in great detail - but what a read it is illustrating the hardships and triumphs of both the Royal and Merchant Navy.
Read this book and you'll not pass the Merchant Navy War Memorial on Tower Hill in London without stopping and looking up some of the ships names that become familiar to you and those of their ship's company who perished on them. Truly reading about death can make the realities a memorial illustrates come to life.
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