Sustaining the island fortress of Malta during the Second World War

Abstract

The main objectives of this dissertation are to examine and analyse the precise means by which Malta was sustained by the Allies during the Second World War. The primary focus of this study will be the years 1940 through 1943, which are crucial to understanding Malta's Second World War supply history. This dissertation will also try to shed new light on the supply organisations set up on Malta and the Middle East, which were vital in organising the successful supply of the island. The dissertation will also take a close look at the decisions made by the British top brass regarding the supply of Malta, how those choices were carried out, and how they impacted the provisioning of the island. Additionally, while convoys of ships transporting supplies were the primary and bestknown method of delivering supplies to Malta during the Second World War, this dissertation will also make an effort to thoroughly examine the numerous other strategies employed by the British to deliver supplies, equipment, and reinforcements to the beleaguered island. This dissertation is divided into eight chapters with each chapter dealing with one or part of the different supply periods of Malta’s supply history during the Second World War. The introductory chapter of this dissertation covers the pre-war period and the period leading up to 10 June 1940. This chapter will examine how preparations were made to supply Malta in the event that it was dragged into the Second World War and what was done and what was not done by the British top brass to prepare for this eventuality. The second chapter of this dissertation concentrates on the first supply period, which ran from June 1940 to September 1940, during which Malta was assaulted by the Italian Regia Aeronautica. This chapter will attempt to examine in detail the setting up of the supply organisations which helped to organise the supply of Malta during the war, as well as examining all of the important decisions made by the British high command during this initial supply period. The third chapter of this study will tackle the first phase of Malta’s second supply period which spanned from September 1940 until December 1940. This chapter will investigate how Malta was revictualed during this period which was the first time convoys began to arrive in the Grand Harbour. Further to this the chapter will strive to investigate the important decisions made by the British top brass to keep Malta sustained. The fourth chapter will look into the second phase of the second supply period of Malta’s supply history, which took place between January 1941 and May 1941. This chapter will examine in detail how Malta was supplied after the arrival of the German Luftwaffe in the Mediterranean, which caused great problems for the British in their efforts to keep the island provisioned. The fifth chapter will cover Malta’s third supply period which started in June 1941 and ended in September 1941. This chapter will look into how Malta was supplied during a time when it was once again only attacked by the Regia Aeronautica, due to the withdrawal of the Luftwaffe from Sicily which in-turn led the British to step-up their efforts to resupply the beleaguered island. The sixth chapter will look into the fourth supply period of Malta’s supply history, which was from October 1941 to April 1942. This chapter will explore how the British top brass attempted to provision Malta during this turbulent period which saw an ever decreasing amount of supply ships reaching the besieged island which was mainly due to the return of the Luftwaffe on Sicily. The seventh chapter will examine the fifth supply period which lasted from May 1942 until November 1942. This chapter will investigate the reasons why only one tanker and six ships were able to reach Malta during this supply period, as well as delving into the reasons for the catastrophic supply crisis that the island was experiencing at the time. The final and concluding chapter of this dissertation will talk about Malta's sixth supply period, which lasted from November 1942 to April 1943. This chapter will examine how the Allied successes in North Africa and the arrival of consecutive convoys in Malta helped to stabilise the supply situation, ultimately resulting in Malta's salvation.