The history of World War II always interested me. I have watched many documentaries regarding the horrors of the Nazi camps, the Blitz, D-Day, Pearl Harbor, etc, etc. Always thankful that God was on our side and the good guys defeated Nazi Germany.
However, I viewed WWII as someone else’s history. Until I saw the movie, Malta Story.
The Malta Story told the story of how Malta was incessantly bombed by Germany and Italy. As I watched the live footage of the bombings, it suddenly hit me, my parents are there! Suffering through the onslaught of these attacks. When that light switch went on in my head, I went from a history lesson, to a family experience story. When I woke up to this I began to find it uneasy, watching the fighter planes drop their bombs on to Malta. The incessant bombings that were done, from the fighter planes, were highly damaging to the small island, as it was meant to be.
The island of Malta was critical in keeping Allied supply lines open. Hitler and Mussolini know this and needed to capture this island. The Allied troops did their military best to halt this capture as they fought back with the little they had. The bombing of Malta began on June 10, 1940 and continued until November 20, 1942. Over 2 years of bombing gave Malta the title of ” most heavily bombed place on earth.”
Luqa, Malta is where the island’s only airport is located. This meant that the village of Luqa had to be bombed with vicious intensity. The village of Luqa, is where my parents resided and the village of my birth. During WWII Malta depended heavily on Great Britain, for Malta was a commonwealth of the British Empire, at the time. When Mussolini declared war on Britain, he immediately sent his bombers to attack Malta. Italy was 60 miles away from Malta, and it was a close and easy target for the Italians. The Maltese were left to defend the island solely on their own because the British were fighting the Germans on their own shores.
My favorite war story was how Malta had only three planes to thwart the early attacks by the enemy. These Gloster Sea Gladiator biplanes were christened, by the Maltese, Faith, Hope and Charity,
and were flown into combat by inexperienced RAF fighters, John Water, George Burgess, and Timber Woods. And for 17 days Faith, Hope and Charity went up against trained Italian fighters and bombers.
The Italians did not succeed in their attacks on Malta, so the German forces were sent in. The German bombings were even more intense then the Italians. However, Britain realized that losing Malta to the Germans would have been a terrible set back in the war and air power was quickly sent to the aid of Malta.
My parents were children at the time of WWII. They experienced daily air raids. Food was scarce. It is said that when the Maltese saw the first bomber planes flying over Malta, they just stood and watched them. The Maltese had no idea what was about to happen to them, and their island. Their innocence was quickly dissolved.
Yes, watching the Malta Story brought the war home for me. The Malta Story, is a Maltese history story. A story that would make any Maltese proud. Through all the horrors they endured the Maltese persevered, with the help of their Christian faith. Today the island of Malta is considered one of the best vacation spots in the world. Malta has picked up the ruins of stones, the enemy left behind, and built a new island. An island based on Faith, Hope and Charity.