pics from Malta

[JensenPark]

I posted some pics before from someone I met at my hotel (an Air Canada pilot) who helps with restoration of planes in Malta.

[Painless]

~S~ JP M8,

Strangely I was watching a History Channel program about the Italian airforce yesterday which went into some detail about the Malta campaign. They said that the three Gladiators "Faith", "Hope", and "Charity" did not hold out against the entire Italian Mediterranean airforce....................there were infact eighteen Gladiators !! LOL

~S~ Painless

[Jabo]

~S~ JP, nice piccies.

True, 18 Gladiators were delivered by HMS Glorious in early 1940, although not fully assembled. Six were subsequently moved on to other theatres (Norway and Egpyt). A flight of aircraft were assembled and test flown during April 1940 although whether this was a flight of three or six is unclear. Two of these were lost, and two more of the kits were assembled. During the ten days that the Gladiators defended Malta, more than three aircraft were deemed operational, although not always at the same time. It was only later that names were given to the aircraft. from "Gladiator At War"

N5520 is Faith though, there are pictures of her on Malta in 1940. Apparently there are moves afoot to have the fuselage shifted to the Malta Air Museum where there are a set of wings waiting for it. It would appear that the fuselage incorporates parts from at least one other Gladiator, but given the way in which aircraft were maintained during the war, this is not surprising. It's a bit like the axe of my grandfather - the head and handle have been replaced many times, but it's still his axe.

Jabo

[delta7]

Further to Jabos post

HMS Glorious offloaded 18 gladiators, which were stored in crates. When she left she took 3 and 3 were shipped to Egypt which left 12.

6 were constructed , the remaining 6 were used as spares.

the pilots were volunteers from those available in the RNAS and RAF on the island as there were no fighter pilots available.

They were the sole defense from the 11th of June untill hurricanes arrived and became operational on the 2nd of July 1940

they clained 9 combat victories and 5 damaged. 4 were from pilots flying N5520

Only one was lost in air combat.

JP That is the name board taken from the tanker

from "Malta the hurricane years"

Brave Men

S

[Painless]

~S~ Chaps,

You guys are great , you know that ! LOL

~S~ Painless

[JensenPark]

btw: if any of you can get your hands on the book: Malta Convoy by Shankland and Hunter, I highly, highly recommend it.

All about Pedestal and my favourite US ship of all time, the Ohio (you can't help but to love this ship when you read all she and her crew went through)

What an amazing story.

[Jabo]

Thanks for the recommendation Kelly, I'll keep an eye open for it. In 'First Light' by Geoffery Wellum, there's a good bit where they're flying Spitfires off carriers in the Med to relieve the Hurri's on Malta. Thirty-odd spits with operational overload of fuel and not a bullet between them - the ammo bays were packed with cigarettes!

Another great read if you can find it - and you'll need to look in the second-hand bookshops, is a book called 'The Ship Busters' (it's from the '50's) recounting the development of the RAF's torpedo capability during the war through the story of 22 Squadron, who operated Beauforts and Beaufighters from Malta during the time the Axis powers were desperately trying to resupply Rommel in North Africa.

Jabo