A documentary about the island’s austerity and bravery during World War II, called The Battle for Malta, will be aired on BBC Two tonight.
If Malta had fallen, life would have been a heck of a lot harder for the Allies in North Africa
“The documentary credits the bravery and heroism of the Maltese people during the Second World War,” historian James Holland, who will be presenting the hour-long documentary, told The Times.
“We also question why the Axis powers wanted to bomb the island into the sea. The reason of course is because it was very strategically important. If Malta had fallen, life would have been a heck of a lot harder for the Allies in North Africa.”
Britain would have lost its foothold in North Africa and quite possibly lost the whole Mediterranean and Middle East, Mr Holland, who is also the author of the book Fortress Malta, argues in the documentary.
Caught in a struggle between Britain and Germany to control the Mediterranean, Malta became the most bombed place on Earth. Beyond unimaginable austerity, the island was close to starvation by the summer of 1942, and the magnitude of these attacks reflected the importance of its strategic position.
A British stronghold, Malta’s position made it a vital refuelling point and the documentary looks at how, from the Axis perspective, Malta had to be neutralised at all costs. Rommel’s armies needed 70,000 tons of supplies a month in 1941 and 100,000 tons by the summer of 1942, and the island stood in the way of ships crossing from Italy and Greece to North Africa.
It was the island’s job to dent the Axis shipping. In November 1941, Malta-based strike forces sank 77 per cent of shipping en route to North Africa, Mr Holland said, adding that, by the end of the year, Rommel’s forces had been pushed back 500 miles.
Although Mr Holland is quite familiar with Malta and its history, the trip to the island taught him much more about the island’s struggle during the war.
Documents saved by historian Simon Cusens show that in 1942 conditions were so dire that the Chief Medical Officer issued orders banning the use of running water to wash hands and the flushing of toilets more than once a day.
The documentary also focuses on lesser known characters such as Tubby Crawford, who in 1941 was second-in-command of the HMS Upholder, Ann Agius Ferrante, who lived in Mdina, Meme Cortis, a nurse at the Mtarfa hospital and former reporter John Mizzi.
Freya Eden-Ellis, production manager of Maya Vision International, said it tells the tale of how the Maltese refused to have their morale broken even during the darkest hours.
In August, the London-based production company made an appeal for memories of life on the islands during the war.
A five-person crew, led by Bafta-nominated producer and director Aaron Young, flew out in September and December to shoot the documentary over 12 days.
Maya Vision International is an independent film and television production company founded 29 years ago. It has managed the Short Film Completion Fund on behalf of the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund since 2002.
The Battle for Malta will be aired at 8.30pm on BBC HD and BBC Two. It will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.