The siren’s wail echoed through Malta Aviation Museum yesterday as it celebrated the “Glorious 10th of May”, when the tide of World War II turned in Malta’s favour.

The Anglican Chaplaincy of Malta and Gozo presented the museum with the Royal Air Force chapel altar front, which had been transferred to St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral after the RAF chapel in Luqa Airport was closed down.

Honorary secretary to the Malta Aviation Museum Foundation Joseph Galea Debono explained that the May 10, 1942 battle was a crucial turning point because the air supremacy enjoyed by Germany and Italy in Malta was destroyed.

This was thanks to the delivery of 64 Spitfires flown off USS Wasp and HMS Eagle on May 9.

Malta at the time was on its knees and was the most bombed place on Earth.

On May 10, a daylong air battle raged over the island in which the Maltese and British gunners and the newly arrived Spitfires are reputed to have shot down or damaged a considerable number of Axis aircraft in pitched dog-fights.

Re-enactors play chess, as Spitfire pilots might have done as they waited to be scrambled in the air battle over Malta during World War II.

The Spitfires refuelled and rearmed in a very short time, taxied to the runway end and took off again to meet waves of other incoming enemy aircraft.

At the end of the day, 57 enemy aircraft were reported to have been downed or damaged by fighter planes while eight were shot down or damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

There were still many months of hard fighting to come but a start had been made and, after that Sunday, the enemy could no longer keep on raiding with impunity.

Yesterday’s event included authentic re-enactments by the 39/45 Ops re-enacting group from the UK, the Malta Command WW2 Living History Group, the Military Vehicle Collectors Club and the Gozo Military Club.

Also present was RAF Air Commodore Neil Laird, who reminded the audience that “we must never forget that freedom is not free”.