--- product_id: 145182852 title: "Fortress Malta : An Island Under Siege@@ 1940-1943" price: "₨674" currency: SCR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sc/products/145182852-fortress-malta-an-island-under-siege-1940-1943 store_origin: SC region: Seychelles --- # Fortress Malta : An Island Under Siege@@ 1940-1943 **Price:** ₨674 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Fortress Malta : An Island Under Siege@@ 1940-1943 - **How much does it cost?** ₨674 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sc](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/145182852-fortress-malta-an-island-under-siege-1940-1943) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In March and April 1942, more explosives were dropped on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta ' smaller than the Isle of Wight ' than on the whole of Britain during the first year of the Blitz. Malta had become one of the most strategically important places in the world. From there, the Allies could attack Axis supply lines to North Africa; without it, Rommel would be able to march unchecked into Egypt, Suez and the Middle East. For the Allies this would have catastrophic. As Churchill said, Malta had to be held 'at all costs.' FORTRESS MALTA follows the story through the eyes of those who were there: young men such as twenty-year-old fighter pilot Raoul Daddo-Langlois, anti-aircraft gunner Ken Griffiths, American Art Roscoe and submariner Tubby Crawford - who served on the most successful Allied submarine of the Second World War; cabaret dancer-turned RAF plotter Christina Ratcliffe, and her lover, the brilliant and irrepressible reconnaissance pilot, Adrian Warburton. Their stories and others provide extraordinary first-hand accounts of heroism, resilience, love, and loss, highlighting one of the most remarkable stories of World War II. Review: Great Read. Incredibly Important Story of Devastation, Tenacity, and Heroism - A fantastic telling of the really quite incredible Siege of Malta during WWII. From the broad strategic strokes and senior decisionmakers to the fine detail of pilots, submariners, and Malta residents trying to live their lives and have families even as the Luftwaffe and Italian forces try to bomb the island into oblivion with all their might--its all here. Sometimes the book felt over-long, but I couldn't put it aside until I'd read the final postscript. This is a story of courage and heroism and suffering and despair, and in some ways belongs up there with the Battle of the Bulge or the Siege of Stalingrad or Midway as among the greatest battle moments of a vast war. Without Malta there would have been no victory against Rommel and no turning of the tide against the Axis. Yet at great cost to the Allies, immense frustration to Kesselring and Rommel, and near complete destruction of the island's historic buildings and infrastructure. Highly recommend. Review: Interesting Book - A great book, really in depth and interesting. ## Features - New - Mint Condition - Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon - Guaranteed packaging - No quibbles returns ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #132,251 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,814 in European History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,255 Reviews | ## Images ![Fortress Malta : An Island Under Siege@@ 1940-1943 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71TQB4Xbr4L.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Read. Incredibly Important Story of Devastation, Tenacity, and Heroism *by B***U on June 12, 2025* A fantastic telling of the really quite incredible Siege of Malta during WWII. From the broad strategic strokes and senior decisionmakers to the fine detail of pilots, submariners, and Malta residents trying to live their lives and have families even as the Luftwaffe and Italian forces try to bomb the island into oblivion with all their might--its all here. Sometimes the book felt over-long, but I couldn't put it aside until I'd read the final postscript. This is a story of courage and heroism and suffering and despair, and in some ways belongs up there with the Battle of the Bulge or the Siege of Stalingrad or Midway as among the greatest battle moments of a vast war. Without Malta there would have been no victory against Rommel and no turning of the tide against the Axis. Yet at great cost to the Allies, immense frustration to Kesselring and Rommel, and near complete destruction of the island's historic buildings and infrastructure. Highly recommend. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting Book *by A***R on January 6, 2026* A great book, really in depth and interesting. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating read with some discrepancies with other sources. A bit wordy without being conclusive *by M***Y on October 24, 2022* Malta did not have any military air presence. I am particularly interested in the period June 10 – June 21, 1940 when 3 antiquated Gladiator biplanes (Faith, Hope, and Charity) with non-military pilots defended Malta against the entire Italian air force of 55 Italian bombers and 21 fighters! Until the Hurricanes arrived. I found discrepancies on the number of biplanes, the number of pilots, and the length of time the biplanes defended Malta before the Hurricanes arrived. This is critical information given that this is a non-fiction account of being greatly outnumbered by the Italian air force when losing the island could mean losing the war, Malta being a very important strategic point for both the Axis and Allied powers. Holland does address Malta's importance very thoroughly, which I appreciate. James Holland states there were 7 biplanes, with no more than 2 flying at a time and that there were 8 Pilots. Kenneth Poolman in “Faith, Hope, and Charity” states there were 4 biplanes with 7 pilots. ALL other accounts I read said there were THREE biplanes flying at any given time. Hence the names Faith, Hope, and Charity. One would think there would be agreement on these points: how many biplanes and how many pilots. The facts matter as the numbers are a central part of the narrative: 3 biplanes against the ENTIRE Italian air force, 55 Italian bombers and 21 fighters! It is critical to know how many biplanes were in the sky at any given time over that 10 day to 3 week period (accounts vary). Holland does go into a great deal of detail, so he could be right that there were only 4 biplanes on Malta although it doesn’t appear to match any other source that I could find. * I find throwing around all these numbers confusing and would like some solid, clear, concise summary statements. Maybe the answer to the basic question: How many biplanes were there on Malta during the Seige of Malta? is in here somewhere. * It also doesn’t make sense to me that only two planes were flown at a time as Malta would want to fly the MAXIMUM amount of planes possible given the incredibly unfavorable odds. Also, the Maltese named the planes “Faith, Hope, and Charity”. Why would they give 3 names to 2 planes? However, even 8 pilots would not allow for 3 planes on continuous shifts if they were 8 hour-shifts. It would have to be 3-3-2. The discrepancies abound. I found 3, 4, 6, 12, and 18 biplanes in the literature. Seriously, I did. The famous 3 planes were “Faith, Hope, and Charity”. What makes the most sense to me is that 12 Gloster Sea Gladiator biplanes were found in crates. 10 were assembled and 2 were kept for parts. The reason only 3 planes were referred to (Faith, Hope, and Charity) is, for the period from June 10 – June 21, 1940 there were only 8 volunteer pilots. Obviously these 8 pilots couldn’t fly 24 hours every day, they had to fly in shifts. So the decision was made to fly 3 at a time (a suicide mission at best against the entire Italian air force of 55 Italian bombers and 21 fighters!), then the next shift would go up. They had to sleep sometime. The people of Malta named the 3 planes they always saw in the sky as “Faith, Hope, and Charity”. At least one of the biplanes was gunned down and replaced. I give 5 stars for the comprehensive story of Malta's involvement in World War II and 3 for the confusion over central facts/accuracy discrepancies/need for concise summary statements. Of course, in the end Holland could be right and all the others wrong. Part of the problem may be something gets on the internet and it gets repeated over and over as the truth (or until it becomes the truth in everyone’s mind), instead of going to the original documents. It’s very frustrating as a reader to have discrepancies and confusion over this extremely exciting non-fiction narrative in which the numbers are a critical feature. * Holland on the number of gladiators: “It was Maynard's chief administrative officer who tipped him off about the sea gladiators lying in crates at the RAF seaplane station of Kalafrana. 24 of these Royal Navy biplanes had arrived there the previous March. For a variety of reasons 18 of them were still there the following spring, and it was agreed that they would be assembled and eight of them flown to the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and 10 to HMS Eagle. The eight for Glorious were duly dispatched but it was the 10 for Eagle that Maynard was told about. Maynard asked Cunningham if he could borrow them, to which the Admiral readily agreed. In early April the pre-war civil airfield of Hal Far just a mile west of Kalafrana was given a Station Fighter Flight and four of the 10 gladiators were finally transferred over to the RAF.” “On 23rd of April 1940 the Malta fighter flight was born even though Maynard had no trained fighter pilots on the island. Undeterred, Maynard asked for all volunteers of which his personal assistant George Burges was one. Within 24 hours Maynard had his eight new fighter pilots. Basic training began but no sooner had it started but they were told that a transport ship was coming to collect the ten gladiators after all. Just six days after the Malta Fighter Flight had been formed it was dissolved, and the plains dismantled and put back in crates ready for shipping.” “The farce continued when a few days later the Navy decided they only needed three of the planes.” (so 10-3=7) “On 4 May the fighter flight was reformed after all. The gladiators were reassembled and stripped of their naval modifications. Armor plating was added along with a number of other improvements.” “The fight or flight was split into two flights of three so as to operate in shifts with no more than two planes in the air at any given time. Enthusiastic and dedicated as the pilots were, however, bravado and courage were not enough to take on the full might of the Italian air force. The harsh reality was, they lacked any form of operational experience, were desperately short of supplies and the gladiators were virtually obsolete against Italians faster fighter aircraft.” I'm still not sure what is being said here. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sc/products/145182852-fortress-malta-an-island-under-siege-1940-1943](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/145182852-fortress-malta-an-island-under-siege-1940-1943) --- *Product available on Desertcart Seychelles* *Store origin: SC* *Last updated: 2026-11-06*