Air battles over Malta 1942

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Barrett said:
Chris Shores wrote at least two books on the subject. Look there.
Click to expand...

Shores also documents a lot of the combat in Malta in his Mediterranean Air War Vols 1, 2 and 3


Great thread idea and great thread already! Malta is one of the most interesting and lesser known Theaters.

Of the aircraft already mentioned, I think the most important were the Spitfire, Hurricane, Gladiator and Beaufighter on the Allied side, and the Bf 109, Ju-87, Sm. 79, MC 202 and MC 200 on the Axis side.







And a painting for good measure



I may have missed that it was already mentioned, but the Ju-88 was also very important, the Me 110 was used quite a bit, and the He 111 played a role too I think. There are also some other more rare and exotic aircraft involved which makes the whole thing more fun and interesting to me.


Re 2000 (1/48 scale model)


Re 2001


This one crash landed on returning from Malta


This is a 1/48 scale model somebody made of an Re 2001

Perhaps the most significant of the more exotic planes involved in the struggle for Malta would be the beautiful Reggiane series of fighters from Italy, notably the Re 2000 and the Re 2001 and I think some other sub-types. These apparently gave the RAF some problems, for example on 12 May, 1942 when 18 Re 2001 from 2* Gruppo plus some MC 200s, claiming two Spitfire Mk Vs (which RAF records confirm were actually lost).





On the Allied side, one of the more interesting planes used was the Martin 167 "Maryland" aka "Glen Martin" bomber or "Martin Bomber", an American-made bomber used mostly by export customers. Slim and fast (top speed 304 mph in ideal conditions, cruise speed 248 mph), it was used for recon and ASW as well as bombing raids.

The Martin 167 had forward firing guns and was fast.. and by far the most amazing thing about it was that there was an air-to-air ace flying the type, a very eccentric, colorful and somehow quintessentially British fellow named Adrian Warburton. He flew Martin 167s on daring recon missions and among other hair raising exploits got into several air to air combats with them, so many in fact that he became the only known Ace in the type, scoring five air-to air victories before he disappeared in 1944.


Finally, I would say if you are looking at Malta you might want to include the convoys as some of the convoy fights were really dramatic and they brought in yet more interesting types of aircraft, plus submarines and torpedo boats.

One of the big ones was Operation Pedestal, a crucial and brutally fought convoy battle which both sides claimed as a victory. Nearly the entire convoy was destroyed but the crucial fuel (especially) and other supplies made it to port, with the last surviving oil tanker literally sinking in the harbor after it was unloaded.

The British lost 1 aircraft carrier, 2 light cruisers, a destroyer and 9 merchant ships, plus 34 planes shot down. The Axis lost 2 submarines and 60 aircraft (mostly Italian). Convoys give you a lot more interesting Allied planes in particular, including Sea Hurricanes, Martlets, and Fulmar fighters plus Fairey Albacore bombers on Royal Navy Carriers, plus Short Sunderland Flying Boats, P-40 Kittyhawks and P-39s from land. The Germans employed some of their more exotic planes like Do 24. Flying Boats and possibly also He 115 and Ar 196 float planes.



Sea Hurricanes on the HMS Victorious




Grumman Martlets (Wildcat to the Americans) tangled with Bf 109s and MC 202s over the Med


Fairey Fulmar fighters were widely used in the convoy defenses


British aircraft carrier Indomitable listing


oil tanker SS Ohio limping into port, half sunk, towed by tugboats and RN destroyers

Read more about the Malta convoys here:

Malta convoys - Wikipedia
 
Last edited:
I think the RAF mainly flew Spit MkVcs in 1942. Certainly there were some b wings in the mix.

Also, the LW had 109Fs in their return to the theatre.
 
I don't have concrete info, but I think I/JG 53 and I JG 77 started getting Gustavs in September '42 (possibly earlier). I/JG 27 arrived with their G-2s at the start of October.
 
Zippythehog said:
I think the RAF mainly flew Spit MkVcs in 1942. Certainly there were some b wings in the mix.

Also, the LW had 109Fs in their return to the theatre.
Click to expand...
Sorry Just seen that you mentioned 109 f's
I am pretty sure that the spifire v's were necessitated by the arrival of the 109 f as the hurricanes were struggling badly against the 109 f
 
The Hurricanes and Fulmars struggled with the Bf 109s (any mark E through G or later) and the MC 202s, they could barely hold off the MC 200s and the Bf 110s, and they often had a hard time intercepting Ju 88s.

The Spits could do all of the above of course but only within their range.

It was actually land based Kittyhawks which broke up Luftwaffe bomber raids in the last couple of Malta convoys, for example during Operation Stoneage in Nov 1942. Later on P-38s were patrolling the Med and pounced on long ranged bombers which ranged past their escorts. The Germans had the same problems with the Bf 109 range as the Brits did with the Spitfires and this limited their operational capabilities.

I would even go out on a limb and say the lack of an effective long (or even medium) ranged fighter is what cost the Germans control of the Med.

S
 
From reading about Operation Stoneage I notice Bristol Bisleys, Martin Baltimores, Lockheed Hudsons and Fairey Swordfish were also in the mix:


Bristol Bisley (aka Blenheim Mk V I think)


Lockheed Hudson


Martin Baltimore


Another Baltimore


Swordfish aka Stringbag


And here is a Do. 24 for good measure


A Short Sunderland after being strafed by CR 42s at Malta


Another Sunderland in better condition


And a 450 Squadron RAAF Kittyhawk in 1942, same squadron which protected the convoy in Oepration Stoneage
 

Interesting was not aware, should have guessed due to the color photo. Thanks!

S
 
You might enjoy reading a book "Over To You", by Roald Dahl, who I believe flew with the RAF over Malta.
 
You might enjoy reading the book "Over To You", by Roald Dahl, who I think flew fighters for the RAF over Malta.
 
 

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