Malta remains the most bombed place on earth. In March and April 1942, more explosives were dropped on this tiny Mediterranean island - an island smaller than the Isle of Wight - than on the whole of Britain during the first year of the Blitz. Malta had become one of the most strategically important places in the world. From there, the Allies could attack Axis supply lines to North Africa; without it, Rommel would be able to march unchecked into Egypt, Suez and the Middle East. For the Allies this would have been catastrophic. The battle that ensued stretched the civilian population and their defenders to the limits. Slowly but surely they fought back, taking the fight back to the enemy. Without Malta, El Alamein could not have been won. As Churchill said, Malta had to be held at all costs. This book follows the story through the eyes of those who were there; young men such as 20-year-old fighter pilot Raoul Daddo Langlois; cabaret dancer-turned RAF plotter Christina Ratcliffe, and her lover, the brilliant and irrepressible reconnaissance pilot, Adrian Warburton. Their stories and others provide extraordinary first hand accounts of heroism, resilience, love, and loss.… (more)