Description: In the summer of 1940 the siege of Malta began with Mussolini’s bombers which opened one of the epic battles of WWII. The central location of Malta has always been a key to the control of the Mediterranean. In this book the author begins with the story of how this small island withstood the attacks by the Italian Air Force and how the British fleet under Admiral Cunningham took temporary control of the seas. But the ships were vulnerable to air attack and with the defeat at Crete the Luftwaffe tipped the balance for the Axis forces until Hitler moved his forces to the eastern Front to face Russia. It was then that Malta provided the principal base for the British forces to strike back. The final phase of the battle was the most difficult when Hitler once more hurled the Luftwaffe at the Island and the convoys. The author draws on a wide range of sources including first hand accounts. But it is the people of the island that claim pride of place and with the author living amongst them for so long he has a good knowledge of the local people. It is this close understanding that breathes such life into this book and makes it a vivid portrait.