The Santa Marija Convoy

Author : Dennis Angelo Castillo
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : History
ISBN : 9780739128954

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The Santa Marija Convoy by Dennis Angelo Castillo Pdf

During World War II, Malta played a key role in the Mediterranean campaign, its submarines, light surface forces, and aircrafts destroying supplies desperately needed by Rommel's forces in North Africa. The price the Maltese paid for this effort was the most sustained and intensive bombing campaign in the war, enduring over 130 tons of bombs per square mile. This, compounded by the Axis blockade that attempted to starve Malta into surrender, set the stage for numerous convoy battles, the most dramatic being Operation Pedestal, remembered on Malta to this day as the Santa Marija Convoy. In this book, Dennis Castillo uses published histories as well as interviews and oral histories to explore the experiences of the Maltese and how their faith sustained them through this dark period of Malta's history.

Author : John A. Mizzi
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Naval convoys
ISBN : 9993274062

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Operation Pedestal by John A. Mizzi Pdf

In 1942 an epic naval operation was mounted so as to relieve Malta from the onslaught of attacks by the forces of the Axis. This operation was codenamed "Pedestal"- or "il-Convoy ta' Santa Marija" as it is better known in Malta and Gozo. The men taking part in Pedestal must have gone through hell. For example, the gallant tanker SS Ohio withstood persistent Stuka dive bomber attacks, had a Ju87 crash on her deck and when a Ju88 was brought down it bounced off the water and crashed into the vessel's side! Yet Ohio, after much effort by the Royal Navy, her captain and crew, and survivors from other ships, still made it to Grand Harbour in Malta! Il-Convoy ta' Santa Marija is undoubtedly an iconic landmark event in the history of our country and it is therefore only fittingthat those who paid the ultimate price in this operation be commemorated in a Roll of Honour which is reproduced in this book. This book is a lasting memory of this extraordinary mission which was a turning point in the defence of Malta and the Mediterranean during World War II and to all those who lost their lives defending the values of freedom and democracy. John A Mizzi has brought together in one publication a number of related anecdotes and background accounts which may not have been widely known until now, thereby making this an important addition to the records of the fascinating history of Malta and Gozo.

Author : Peter Charles Smith
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : World War, 1939-1945
ISBN : OCLC:1158397899

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Pedestal by Peter Charles Smith Pdf

Author : Peter C. Smith
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Naval convoys
ISBN : OCLC:681366482

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Pedestal: the Malta Convoy of August 1942 by Peter C. Smith Pdf

Author : Michael Kane McCgwire
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2016-12-15
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0993594743

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A Midshipman's Tale by Michael Kane McCgwire Pdf

During WWII the island of Malta was besieged and by 1942 was running out of food, fuel and ammunition. A convoy of merchant ships was dispatched, protected by a large British Naval escort. On board one of the battleships was a 17-year-old midshipman called Michael MccGwire. This is the account of 'Operation Pedestal' from his Midshipman's Journ

Author : Paul Caruana Galizia
Publisher : Springer
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2016-12-20
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781137565983

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The Economy of Modern Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia Pdf

This book provides the first wide-ranging account of the Maltese economy in the modern era, from colonialism to European Union membership. It sets arguments about growth and development, and the impact and legacy of colonization, against detailed histories of agriculture, manufacturing and trade, and different economic policy regimes. It is based on volumes of newly collected archival evidence and the latest thinking in economic history. By extending coverage up to the present, the book explains how one of the world's smallest nation-states achieved lasting economic development, quintupling its per capita income level since 1970, when many other postcolonial and advanced economies stagnated.

Author : Peter Charles Smith
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1998-03-01
Category : Malta
ISBN : 0947554777

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Pedestal by Peter Charles Smith Pdf

Author : Nick Robins
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 465 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-08-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781848323780

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Wartime Standard Ships by Nick Robins Pdf

In both World Wars there arose a pressing need for merchant tonnage both to supplement existing ships but, more importantly, to replace ships that had been sunk by enemy action, and the key to the Allied strategy in both wars was a massive programme of merchant shipbuilding. This need gave rise to a series of standard designs with increasing emphasis on prefabrication and a progression towards welded hulls.This new book tells the remarkable story of the design and construction of the many types that not only contributed to their countrys war efforts, but were also responsible for a cultural change in world shipbuilding that would lay the foundations for the post-war industry. The story begins in the First World War with the National type cargo ships which were the first examples of prefabricated construction. The best known of all types of wartime standard ships, of course, were the Liberty ships and their successor, the better equipped Victory ships, both built in the United States. Some 2,700 Liberty ships were built and this incredible achievement undoubtedly saved the Allies from losing the War. In Canada, the Ocean and Park ships made a further major contribution. Germany and Japan also introduced standard merchant shipbuilding programmes during the Second World War and these are covered in detail. The many different types and designs are all reviewed and their roles explained, while the design criteria, innovative building techniques and the human element of their successful operation is covered.Some of the story has been told piecemeal in a range of diverse books and articles, a few with extensive fleet lists. However, the complete history of the twentieth century wartime-built standard merchant ship has not previously been written, so this new volume recording that history within its appropriate technical, political and military background will be hugely welcomed.

Author : Angus Konstam
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 173 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2023-10-26
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472855640

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Operation Pedestal 1942 by Angus Konstam Pdf

A fascinating story of a key turning point in the War in the Mediterranean, as the island of Malta was thrown a vital lifeline. Since 1940, the island of Malta had been a thorn in the Axis' side. It sat astride the direct sea route between Italy and its North African colonies, and from 1941 the Royal Navy had used the island as a base for its attacks on Axis convoys. The island, though, relied on convoys to survive, and from early 1941 these came under increasingly heavy air and submarine attack. As the situation became critical in 1942, the decision was made to send through a heavily protected convoy, carrying fuel and supplies, in an effort to save the island. This mission was codenamed Operation Pedestal. This fascinating work describes how, after leaving Britain on 2 August 1942, the convoy was repeatedly pummeled by Axis air and submarine attacks as it ground its way towards Malta, with most of the merchant ships sunk during the passage, along with an aircraft carrier and two cruisers. It also explores how despite this grim toll, the sacrifice was worth it. The specially commissioned illustrations in this work cover the progress of the convoy step by step, the submarine and surface naval actions during Pedestal's voyage, the Stuka attack on the carrier Indomitable and the air attacks against the convoy, and the broader strategic situation in the Western Mediterranean. The result is a unique visual exploration of one of the most famous episodes of the war in this theatre.

Author : John Henshaw
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2024-02-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781476648538

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Malta's Savior by John Henshaw Pdf

Holding the small island of Malta, the British Empire's strategic centerpiece in the Mediterranean Sea, was critical to the Allied cause in World War II--and taking it was essential for Axis victory. German forces laid siege to the island beginning in June 1940, and it soon became the most bombed place on Earth. By August 1942, with supplies running out, Malta was in dire need of relief. In what was then the largest Royal Navy force yet assembled in the war, two battleships, three aircraft carriers, seven light cruisers, 32 destroyers and a fleet of transports were mustered from far-flung theaters. This day-by-day account of Operation Pedestal chronicles the planning, execution and climactic battle that saw only five of 14 merchant ships make it to Valletta, all but one heavily damaged.

Author : Roy V Martin
Publisher : Roy V Martin
Page : 382 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2020-03-01
Category : History
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Ebb and Flow by Roy V Martin Pdf

During the Second World War the British Merchant Navy's main task was to bring food, fuel and materials to Britain and it's allies, and to ferry troops wherever they were needed. The ship's crews came from all parts of the then Empire and beyond. One in six of them lost their lives. They did much more, taking part in the evacuations and landings throughout the war. They played a key role in several of these operations, particularly the little known evacuations from France after Dunkirk and the evacuation of Singapore. They manned almost a thousand ships for the D-Day Landings, including more than half of the infantry Landing ships and all of the Hospital Carriers that ferried the wounded back to Britain.

Author : Paul Williams
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 267 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2009-04-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781526771056

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Malta by Paul Williams Pdf

Malta: Island Under Siege not only relates the decisive military action from World War II but also details the religious, historical and political events that led to the Axis forces' attempts to conquer and occupy Malta, putting the reader in the meeting rooms of the military leaders and politicians, on board the convoys, in the cockpits of the bombers and with the civilian population sheltering beneath Malta's fortresses while trying to live as normal a life as possible.Wartime locations on the island, many often ignored by the guidebooks and tourist maps, are explored and their relevance to Malta's resistance examined alongside the people, on both sides of the conflict, who helped shape the Mediterranean island's destiny before, during and after the Second World War. Malta is now a holiday destination to many, but it's easy to forget how much the people of the island, its British garrison and the sailors of the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy had to endure to ensure the Allies kept a toe-hold in North Africa and southern Europe at a time when Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy were threatening to sweep all before them.

Author : John Henshaw
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2024-03-08
Category : History
ISBN : 9781476690094

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Malta's Savior by John Henshaw Pdf

Holding the small island of Malta, the British Empire’s strategic centerpiece in the Mediterranean Sea, was critical to the Allied cause in World War II—and taking it was essential for Axis victory. German forces laid siege to the island beginning in June 1940, and it soon became the most bombed place on Earth. By August 1942, with supplies running out, Malta was in dire need of relief. In what was then the largest Royal Navy force yet assembled in the war, two battleships, three aircraft carriers, seven light cruisers, 32 destroyers and a fleet of transports were mustered from far-flung theaters. This day-by-day account of Operation Pedestal chronicles the planning, execution and climactic battle that saw only five of 14 merchant ships make it to Valletta, all but one heavily damaged.

Author : David Wragg
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2005-08-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750954280

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Royal Navy Handbook 1939-1945 by David Wragg Pdf

Overstretched from the start of the Second World War in 1939, the Royal Navy acquired First World War surplus destroyers from the United States Navy and embarked on a massive programme of construction, building and buying aircraft carriers, escort carriers and frigates and corvettes, building up a powerful submarine arm and, almost from scratch, re-creating the naval air arm taken from it in 1918. The service had to learn fast. It soon became clear that the Germans would not provide an opportunity for a major battleship to battleship fleet action along the lines of Jutland, but that submarine warfare and surface raiders were to be just as effective at undermining the British war effort. The Royal Navy was expected to be active in the North Atlantic and in British waters, and then after the Soviet Union was invaded by Germany, it had to protect the Arctic convoys. Meanwhile, it also had to keep control of the Mediterranean, alone after the fall of France, supporting ground forces in North Africa and then in Greece, send convoys to Malta and disrupt the Axis supply lines both in the Mediterranean and off the coast of Norway, and then it had to face the Japanese in the Far East. By the war's end the Royal Navy had grown from its pre-war strength of 129,000 to 863,000 men. Its fleet had also grown from 12 to 61 battleships and cruisers, seven to 59 aircraft carriers, and 100 to 846 destroyers, by 1945.

Author : David Wragg
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2003-12-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783034611

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Malta by David Wragg Pdf

The strategic importance of Malta sitting astride both the Axis and Allied supply routes in the Mediterranean was obvious to both sides during WW2. As a result the Island became the focal point in a prolonged and dreadful struggle that cost the lives of thousands of servicemen and civilians. After setting the scene for the action, this book tells the story of the Island's stand against the might of the Axis powers that led to the unprecedented award of the George Cross to the whole island by King George VI. It not only covers the struggle by the British and Maltese forces on the ground but the vicious fighting in the skies above. This was indeed a siege involving every man and woman on the Island.David Wragg tells the story using many first -hand accounts and yet skillfully explains the strategic situation. The result is an inspiring book worthy of the courage shown by the Islanders and their defenders.