Imperial War Museum gathering to recall siege of Malta, Operation Pedestal
Some 40 Royal Navy, Army, Merchant Navy, Royal Air Force and nursing service veterans will meet at the Imperial War Museum in London on Wednesday to mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Pedestal and the siege of Malta, one of the most dramatic...
Some 40 Royal Navy, Army, Merchant Navy, Royal Air Force and nursing service veterans will meet at the Imperial War Museum in London on Wednesday to mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Pedestal and the siege of Malta, one of the most dramatic episodes of the Second World War.
The Maltese High Commissioner, George Bonello du Puis is guest of honour, the museum said.
"Malta, which was the key to control of the Mediterranean, suffered the first of thousands of air raids in the summer of 1940. In 1942 the Germans and Italians launched an all-out assault on the island and its lifelines with the intention of bombing and starving it into surrender.
"The tonnage of bombs dropped on Malta in March and April 1942 alone was twice that dropped on London during the Blitz. Malta's valiant fighter pilots struggled against the odds to keep the bombers at bay; one pilot commented that the battle for Malta made the Battle of Britain 'look like a picnic'," the museum said.
With Malta on the verge of starvation the Admiralty launched Operation Pedestal in a desperate attempt to break the siege. Fourteen fast merchant ships with a powerful escort entered the Mediterranean on August 9, 1942. The convoy was relentlessly attacked by aircraft, U-boats and E-boats and suffered heavy losses.
But five merchant ships, including the American tanker Ohio, whose decks were almost awash but whose precious cargo of fuel was intact, managed to limp into Grand Harbour between August 13 and 15 amid scenes of rejoicing. The arrival of these vital supplies ensured the salvation of the island and made possible the British victory at El Alamein.
"The heroism of the Maltese people did not go unnoticed. On April 15, 1942 King George VI, in a unique gesture, awarded Malta the George Cross, an honour still proudly borne on the Maltese flag," the museum said.
A new account of the siege of "Malta, A Beacon of Hope" by James Holland, will be published by Orion in April 2003. The author will be present at the reception.