On May 5, 1821, 200 years ago this week, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, born in 1769 on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean, expired, at the age of 51, on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic. Considered by many as an islander – born and died on islands – he was also exiled on the Italian island of Elba in 1814, from where he made his surprise heroic comeback for 100 days in 1815, until finally he faced allied enemies for the last time at Waterloo.
In June 1798, then a promising 29-year-old French general, Bonaparte dropped anchor in Malta for six days on his way to Egypt before his rise to conquer most of the continent, removing monarchies, and reign as the lord of Europe for 15 years. The French Malta interlude did not last long but it did ignite what was to become the island’s long road to future freedom and independence.
Drowning men screamed as burning oil engulfed them: With hundreds dead and half the supply ships sunk, the British mission to save Malta in 1942 seemed doomed. What followed, as Max Hastings recounts in a gripping book, would go down in maritime history
By summer 1942, the island of Malta was on the brink of surrender
Starving population endured round-the-clock bombing by Germans and Italians
Operation Pedestal carried vital food, fuel and ammunition on ships
In compelling account of heroism under fire, remaining ships limp doggedly on
Charles Debono looks back at the crash of Pilot Officer Walter ‘Pips’ Cripps on April 26, 1942.
On April 26, 1942, Air Officer Commanding Malta, Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd was advised that an intercept of Luftwaffe Enigma traffic indicated that some units of Fliegerkorps II were preparing to leave Sicily.
Meanwhile, an air raid warning was sounded at about 2.28pm, where a total of 55 Junkers Ju88s and 15 Junkers Ju87 Stukas appeared over Malta and attacked Ta’ Qali, Luqa, the Grand Harbour area and Kalafrana. Bombs also dropped on Marsa, Qormi, St Paul’s Bay, Buffs Camp at Attard, Delimara, Salina, Fleur-de-Lys, Sliema, Msida, Lintorn Barracks, anti-aircraft gun positions at Spinola and searchlight emplacements at Salina and Tigné, St Paul’s Bay and Attard.
On the evening of April 29, 1941, a formation of nine Ju 88s bombers of III/ (Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1 took off from Sicily. Their orders were to attack cruisers and destroyers spotted in Malta’s Grand Harbour by reconnaissance aircraft previously that day.
German intelligence was spot on. The previous evening, the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla, consisting of six destroyers, had entered the Grand Harbour to join the light cruiser Gloucester in port. The bombers were escorted by BF 109s Messerschmitt fighters of 7./JG26 led by the famous German ace Joachim Müncheberg.
Part of the report compiled by Lt J. Harrow while interrogating the prisoners of war. Photo: Anthony Rogers
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