The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1201 - 897 Air Raid on Malta

Chapter 1201: Chapter 897: Air Raid on Malta

Chapter 1201: Chapter 897: Air Raid on Malta

When the British-French-Australian Forces jointly attacked the Libyan Colony, the Italian Army also focused its attention on Malta Island.

Located at the center of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta is not a very large island. But, because it is situated right in the middle of the Mediterranean, the strategic importance of Malta becomes very significant.

Especially for Italy, occupying Malta is crucial in order to protect its Libyan Colony.

As mentioned before, Italy’s mainland is separated from its Libyan Colony by the Mediterranean Sea.

And Malta’s geographical location lies right between Italy and its Libyan Colony, making it a fully strategic location.

Currently, Malta is under British control, which is why the Italian Fleet has repeatedly failed to support Libya.

The Italian Fleet simply cannot penetrate Malta’s defenses, and even if they manage to do so by chance, they would face encirclement by the British Fleet.

So the question arises, how can we effectively occupy this island which has become so crucial strategically?

After much consideration, the Italians decided to replicate the tactics used by Australasia in the Ryukyu Islands, which involved using a large number of paratroopers to bomb Malta.

Since it’s an air raid, it’s mandatory to prepare a sufficient number of airplanes to protect the transport planes that are carrying the soldiers.

To achieve their strategic goal, the Italians assembled thousands of planes, including hundreds of bombers—their intentions could not have been clearer.

On September 1, 1936, hundreds of airplanes took off from Sicily, Italy, aiming for Malta Island a few dozen kilometers to the south.

We must acknowledge the strength of the British. Even in the densely powerful Mediterranean, the British have managed to keep three crucial areas under their control: the western Mediterranean outlet at Gibraltar, the central Mediterranean crossway at Malta, and the eastern Mediterranean outlet at the Suez Canal.

Because the British are so powerful, the Mediterranean has essentially become like an inland lake. Without British permission, no country’s fleet can enter the Mediterranean, nor can they move from the Mediterranean to the ocean.

It goes without saying that the importance of controlling the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, and Malta is what enables the British Empire to firmly hold power.

Given the importance of these areas, it is natural that the British defenses are extremely rigorous.

Although the island of Malta is not large in terms of area, the British still have stationed a brigade of troops there, along with hundreds of airplanes as aerial forces.

More importantly, Malta serves as the main base for the British patrol fleet in the Mediterranean, and at any time, a significant number of British warships are stationed here, including key naval forces such as battleships and aircraft carriers.

The Italian plan to bomb Malta is quite insane because it signifies that Italy would have to directly confront the threat of the British fleet.

To avoid encountering the main force of the British fleet, the Italians waited for a long time, finally finding an opportune moment when the main force of the British fleet was out on patrol.

Due to the close proximity between Sicily, Italy, and Malta, Italian aircraft formations were quickly detected by the British radar after traveling a distance.

There is no doubt that war brings technological advancement to humanity, and the recent years have witnessed a rapid progression in radar technology.

Not only have various countries mastered radar technology, but they have also applied it to airplanes, warships, and various other devices.

The British responded swiftly. Upon detecting a large number of unidentified flying objects, hundreds of British fighter aircraft on Malta began to take off.

Whether it’s a bombing or an air raid, being vigilant is absolutely necessary.

Besides getting the airplanes on Malta to take off, the stationed troops on the island also started to assemble urgently and moved towards the pre-prepared air-raid shelters.

Brigadier General Matthews, the commander of the troops on Malta, swiftly entered the command room inside the air-raid shelter and issued one order after another.

“How’s the situation with the airplane takeoffs?” Brigadier General Matthews inquired.

“Currently, all the planes on the island have entered the runway one after another, and it’s estimated that all will be airborne within ten minutes,” Deputy Officer Karl replied.

Matthews nodded in satisfaction with the response of the air forces. Having detected the target through radar and communicated it to the air force, which then reacted within ten minutes was impressively quick.

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This was also fortunate as the number of planes on Malta was not very high, otherwise, it might have taken at least half an hour to get hundreds of planes airborne.

“All troops immediately go into anti-air defense, and keep the radar alert for enemy presence at sea. Until we can determine the enemy’s specific plans, we must be prepared for the worst,” Brigadier General Matthews continued to command.

“Yes, Your Excellency the General!” the deputy officer nodded and immediately relayed Brigadier General Matthews’ orders to all troops.

“Send a telegram to General Yorn, saying that we are under attack by the Italian Air Force, and the enemy may likely attempt a landing on Malta.

Also, send another telegram to the French, requesting their support. ” Matthews commanded further, “The Italians better not provoke us; otherwise, today we might just send them to meet their maker.”

Although Malta was easily susceptible to attacks from Italy due to its geographic location, its central position in the Mediterranean also meant it was very close to both French and British colonies.

Especially for the French North African colonies, the nearest, Tunisia, was less than 300 kilometers from Malta, meaning airplanes could arrive in support within just over an hour.

For this reason, Matthews wasn’t the slightest bit panicked by the possibility of an Italian attack, he even found it somewhat amusing.

He had initially thought that being stationed in Malta would earn him no commendations, but now the Italians had come to him on their own accord.

Although there were only a little over 100 aircraft for air defense on Malta Island, due to the offensive in Libya, the British and French had deployed hundreds of aircraft on both the eastern and western sides of Libya, totaling over a thousand.

Moreover, the Royal Fleet patrolling in the Mediterranean also had several hundred aircraft on board its aircraft carriers.

Unless the Italian Air Force deployed in full strength, they would have to pay a much heavier price to make any move against Malta.

General Matthews was not worried at all about whether the French would provide support. The importance of Malta Island to the British needed no mention, and it was also very critical for the French.

Should Malta Island fall, the French offensive on Libyan soil would also be compromised. Even just for the sake of the offensive in the Libyan colony, the French must ensure the security of Malta Island.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and hundreds of British fighter aircraft took off successfully, forming a formation and heading towards the unidentified flying objects.

The speed of the airplanes was very fast, and within a few minutes, the British and Italians could actually see each other’s planes.

“Damn it, what do the Italians want to do?” the British formation’s commanding air force commander said with a somber expression.

He hadn’t expected the Italians to deploy so many planes; this was clearly not a simple bombing raid.

“First and second squadrons, move forward to intercept, third squadron, flank cover, and also count the exact number of enemy planes. I want to see what these Italians are really up to,” the British air force commander immediately ordered.

With each command, hundreds of planes instantly split into three squadrons, two of which rapidly advanced towards the Italian planes.

Rat-a-tat!

Bang bang bang!

Both parties’ fighter aircraft, having reached their respective ranges of fire coverage almost simultaneously, began exchanging fire without any hesitation or delay.

Various machine guns and cannons firing and exploding appeared like pulsating notes playing a grand chorus in the azure sky.

Of course, a normal chorus would at most cost money, but this aerial grand chorus was deadly.

The Italian fighter aircraft primarily consisted of Fiat CR.32 biplanes, along with various other modified models.

On the British side, the fighter aircraft were even more diverse, including Hurricanes produced by the British and fifth-generation military aircraft supported by Australasia.

In terms of aircraft performance, the British clearly had the advantage. Both British and Australasian planes had performance equal to or surpassing the Italian Fiats.

But the problem was, the number of planes deployed by Italy was several times that of the British, reaching into the hundreds.

Although the British Air Force was also supported by Malta Island’s anti-aircraft weapons, they still ended up at a disadvantage after the first round of fire.

Especially the first and second squadrons responsible for interception, which saw four Hurricane fighter aircraft hit by Italian planes in the first round of fire, two of which had already crashed.

The remaining two planes were also clearly damaged, one of whose wings was already half shot up, the plane shaking as it began to descend.

This loss made the British air force commander slightly frown. The initial probing attack had already cost the British four planes, while the Italians had lost only one.

Although it was more of a probing action, such a ratio of losses was not good news for Britain.

“If we can’t intercept them, let’s retreat to the west for now,” the British commander decisively ordered, “The ground troops have already entered the air-raid shelters, and we can wait for the French planes to come support before we re-engage these Italian Air Forces.”

After several rounds of probing attacks, the British Air Force decisively chose to retreat westward, towards the French North African colonies.

The Italian Air Force did not pursue the victory either, because they too knew that the French had deployed hundreds of planes in Africa, and a rash pursuit could only trap them in an enemy encirclement.

However, the proactive retreat by the British Air Force allowed the Italians to focus on launching an attack against Malta Island.

After quickly destroying Malta Island’s anti-aircraft weapons, the Italian Air Force began to target crucial locations on Malta Island.