MALTA – THE TORN IN ROMMEL’S SIDE – Six Months That Turned the War

Between June 1940 and December 1942, Malta was one of the most bombed places on earth. Of paramount strategic importance to both the Allies and Axis powers, Malta became the besieged and battered arena for one of the most decisive struggles of World War II. Against overwhelming odds, the RAF transformed almost certain defeat into aerial triumph in a battle now acknowledged as the key to Allied victory in North Africa and the subsequent invasion of southern Europe.

As the commanding officer of the island's top-scoring Spitfire squadron, Laddie Lucas experienced firsthand the daily pressures of incessant combat, hunger, disease, and claustrophobic confinement on a remote island no bigger than the Isle of Wight. His personal and inspiring account is a testimony to the people who stood firm during a time of terrible adversity — to the heroism and skill of the pilots who fought day after day to the limit of their endurance, to the tenacity and courage of the ground crews who toiled to keep their planes flying, and to the fortitude of the Maltese people whose indomitable spirit earned them the George Cross.

"This book is a dramatic reflection of the hardships, bravery, and determination to survive marking the worst year for Malta, its people, and its garrison. Laddie Lucas's humanity raises it above what one may expect from a straightforward war record." — The Sunday Times of Malta

Source: Publisher's summary printed on cover