Mondays Book Talk - Fortress Malta

Written by Ben Kesp


Fortress Malta: An Island under Siege by James Holland 



I will be honest, I am not a war buff nor would I pick up a book of this nature however it was loaned to me following a conversation on the bombardment of Malta during World II. As the expression goes “never judge a book by its cover” and in this case I can certainly say it is true. This was not the book I had been expecting. Granted there are many technical aspects to be discussed concerning the battles, the ships, submarine wars, air forces, ground strikes, strategy and various tactics but what pulled me in was Holland’s ability to humanise the story.

James Holland was born in Wilshire, UK and is a member of the British Commission for Military History. He contributes regularly to newspapers, magazines and has written numerous works including “Italy’s Sorrows” and “The Battle of Britain”. 

Interchangeably he writes about the ferociousness of the war on Malta and the lives of the people down on the ground experiencing the battle first hand. A huge amount of research has been undertaken with many interviews concerning the people involved. I have never experienced war and what struck me on reading about the actual lives of the people involved was how life still went on, friends were made, romance blossomed and amusement continued. Morale was maintained even when it looked like Malta would be bombarded into the Mediterranean receiving continuous bombing from the German air force. One such example is reconnaissance pilot, Adrian Warburton, who on one occasion after photographing Sicily took an unauthorised detour to Greece to pick up alcohol for the rest of his comrades back on base in Malta as reserves were running low. 

Holland goes on to describe in detail what life was like above ground and down below within the bunkers with first hand experiences from the people involved. The smells, emotions and conditions all become real as each page is turned. An excellent read into wartime Malta and how the island battled and won against all odds as it has done many times in its history. 

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