MALTA EARNS THE GEORGE CROSS

______When Italy began an offensive into Egypt in 1940 and opened the Mediterranean Theater of the war, the British-held Islands of Malta were placed squarely in the Axis crosshairs. Their strategic position, midway between Sicily and Libya and right across the route between the Straits of Gibralter and the Suez Canal, made them simultaniously a dagger aimed at the heart of the fascist effort in North Africa and a vital link between beleaguered England and its possessions in the Far East.

______The Axis struck at Malta with airpower. Italian and German planes swept the skies clear of British fighters (at least for a while) and then the bombers came and pounded the small islands. With friendly aircover gone the only defense lay with the antiaircraft of the Royal Malta Artillery, which made the effort over the islands a costly effort. The civilian population hid as best they could underground, in caves or shelters cut into the rock.
______Despite the pounding it took, Malta continued to serve as a base for Allied submarines and its antiaircraft umbrella at the main harbor provided occasionally provided shelter for ships convoying through the Mediterranean. On April 15th, 1943 King George VI awarded the "Island Fortress of Malta" the George Cross, the British medal for bravery second only to the Victoria Cross. To this day, the island carries the medal on its red and white flag.

WHAT WAS THE NORMANDIE SQUADRON?

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