Role of Malta in WW1 and WW2 - Essay Example

? The Role of Malta in WW1 and WW2 The Role of Malta in WW1 and WW2 The small Mediterranean island of Malta played a pivotal role inthe courses of both the two world wars. Based on several reasons, with the main one being the island’s strategic geographical position, Malta found itself deeply involved in direct military and indirect aspects of World War I and II. The dynamics of this involvement took different courses for the two wars, as Malta played different but crucial roles. A common aspect, however, is the interaction of Malta with the main countries involved in the war. These include UK, France, Italy and Turkey among others. The structure of the paper entails a look at the role of the island in World War I, followed by its role in World War II. In each case, a background on the state of Malta just before the war will start off the discussion, followed by analyzing the role it played in the given war in terms of its interactions with the world powers. The guiding thesis to this study is that Malta played a vital role in determining the course and outcomes of the world wars. Malta’s Role in World War I A brief overview of the state of Malta before World War I indicates that the island was a British Colony. In 1814, Britain had acquired Malta as part of its empire following the Treaty of Paris. The main attractions that Malta held were its geographical location in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is situated in approximately the middle-point of the Mediterranean Sea, which makes it a strategic position as a continental gateway between Europe and Africa. For Britain, Malta’s centrality between Gibraltar and the Suez Canal made the island an essential stop on the way to India, where Britain had historically strong interests. As a British colony preceding World War I, Malta served as shipping way stop and as a headquarter for British and other nations’ fleets. Britain’s interaction with Malta makes the country the first to be studied in terms of its interaction with the island during the First World War. An important point to note is that Malta did not play an active and substantial military role during World War I. The first instance of British-Malta interaction in terms of World War I happened in 1914 as Britain joined Russia and France in war against Germany. According to Austin (2004), Malta held a British Mediterranean Fleet of about 14 battleships prior to the First World War. The author states that Britain’s involvement in the war resulted in a rapid withdrawal of this fleet to meet the threat posed by Germany. British military was traditionally involved in patrol-like tendencies due to its strong navy, hence the need to involve the Mediterranean Fleet in war. Sciberras (2004) details the next level of interaction between Britain and Malta as the war progressed. According to this author, February 1915 saw an early enquiry of the possibility of hospital accommodation in Malta. The first arrivals of injured British (and other Allies’) soldiers were treated in the available hospitals, in Malta, during this period. The present hospital resource in Malta at the time was merely four small hospital facilities with 278 bed capacity (Rudolf and Berg, 2010). However, the projected increasing in number of casualties meant that the available hospital resources would be overwhelmed. Hence, there was provision of extra nursing accommodation in barracks and Maltese schools, with the available hospital resources expanded to make a total of 25,000 beds. The first convoys of wounded British soldiers arrived in Maltese hospitals in March 1915, and by September of the same year, Malta held about 10,000 soldiers under treatment. The Maltese population of the time took part in the treatment of these soldiers. With the progression of the war, Malta increasingly became a significant center for nursing British and Allies’ soldiers owing to its proximity to the areas of war and its ease of accessibility in comparison to the home countries. To highlight the importance of Malta’s role as a nursing center, it is worth noting that the island gained the description of “The nurse of the Mediterranean” during the First World War (Rudolf and Berg, 2010). The expansion of the hospital facilities in the island also indicate the importance it played in the war. From the total of 278 beds in four hospitals at the beginning of the war, the hospital bed capacity rose to about 25,000 in a total of 28 hospitals, an enormous growth by all considerations (Rudolf and Berg, 2010). Further evidence of the importance of Malta in the course of the war as a nursing center is obtained from two unusually devastating battles. First, the Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16 in the Ottoman (Turkish) empire peninsula, where a combined force of the British and the French attempted to capture Constantinople (the Ottoman capital). The outcomes of the battle were devastating to the Allies as they lost the war to the Turks. In terms of casualties, both sides experienced considerable losses. The British losses led to the swelling of the numbers arriving to the island of Malta, which was equal to the task of accommodating these soldiers. The second is the Salonika Campaign by the British from 1915 through to 1918. Importantly, the number of arrivals to Malta from this campaign not included injured soldiers but also soldiers suffering from Malaria outbreaks. Malta served as a central nursing station for such soldiers from the Salonika campaign (Sciberras, 2004; Dimech, 2004). Overall, about 60,000 sick and wounded soldiers received treatment in Malta during World War I, highlighting the importance of the island in the war from a British perspective (Rudolf and Berg, 2010). Another aspect of the British-Malta interaction during World War I is the direct contributions to the Empires military. According to Sciberras (2004), the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy conscripted about 780 Maltese, with about 1000 laborers from Maltese forming the Maltese Labor Battalion and Dardanelles to aid war efforts. In Salonika, the Royal Malta Artillery received backing from Maltese Militia officers and 2 Malta labor Corps. In the course of war, the responsibilities of mine sweeping and submarine warfare were entrusted to the officers from Malta. Overall, Malta contributed about 31,000 individuals to the British war efforts either as part of the military or as part of the work/labor requirements during the progress of the war. Another military role played by Malta for the British during the First World War involved keeping the prisoners of war, who were under two Barracks; Port San Salvatore and Verdala (Sciberras, 2004). The relationship between Britain and Malta sums the interaction of the island and the Allies during the First World War. British dominance of this interaction is largely due to the pre-war occupation of Malta by the latter. As part of the empire and due to its strategic position, Malta held influential British interest than other world powers at the time, for instance through bearing the biggest British sea power after the Home Fleet (Kavanaugh, 2010). In general terms, the conclusion is that Malta’s interaction with the Allies mainly lay in its use as a nursing base, and as a camp for prisoners of war besides being a source of manpower for the war. Malta’s Role in World War II Malta took center- stage in World War II in a profoundly military involvement than in World War I. Once again, the strategic geographical location as a gateway between Europe and Africa and even Asia due its location in the Mediterranean Sea was the main contributory factor. The location of the island in the Mediterranean meant that the Axis Powers saw Malta as a threat to resupply convoys from African Corps. Meanwhile, the island still remained a vital garrison and base to Alexandria, where the Mediterranean military might of the Allies had been transferred (Malta History, 2006). A background study of the state of Malta prior to World War II indicates ill preparation for the important role the island would play in the course of the war. According to Malta History (2006), Britain had transferred its Naval Operations to Alexandria in the 1930s. However, later redistributions of the Empire’s military fleet saw Malta receive less attention as other interests took precedence. Importantly, Japan had in 1922 failed to re-sign the Anglo-Japanese Treaty which had made Japan an Ally during World War I. Thus, there was a need to sustain a superior British fleet in Singapore compared to Japan in case of war. In 1928, Britain’s Order of Priority for Installation of Armaments ranked Malta sixth after Singapore, Hong Kong and the port of Suez among other considerations (Austin, 2004). Hence, the period prior to World War II saw Malta receive significantly less military attention from the Allies commensurate to the role the island would play in World War II. Malta’s Role with Britain in World War II As the background indicates, British interests in Malta had diminished prior to the World War II. The reasons for this shift in importance included the need to protect other interests, for instance in Hong Kong and Singapore in the Far East from Japan (Austin, 2004). In the Mediterranean, British commercial and interests had to be moved from Malta to a different place since the might of the Italian Air Force could easily reach Malta. For the same reason (the Italians), Britain could not risk its Mediterranean Fleet in Malta. Thus, the British transferred their interests to Alexandria prior to World War II, effectively reversing Malta’s position as the Mediterranean centerpiece of Britain for nearly a century. This was further underpinned when Britain had to seek control of the Mediterranean just before World War II. After British transfer of interests to Alexandria in Egypt, they left the Western Mediterranean region under French control. However, France signed an armistice with Germany in 1940, forcing the British to refocus its efforts in the Mediterranean. Britain introduced Force H in Gibraltar instead and thus relegated Malta to the backseat (Grove, 2011). However, this was to change when the World War II started. A day after Italy’s Mussolini had declared war on Britain and France he ordered strikes on Malta with heavy Air power making the island the earliest sufferer of the war. The Maltese population, with its all its handicaps against a major power, held out bravely and fought back with whatever anti-warplane weapons could be salvaged. Soon, the Germans joined Italy in bombing the island, making Malta the most bombed place on earth. Britain had to come to the rescue to defend Malta, thus restoring the interaction between the two (Grove, 2011). Malta’s role with Britain in the Second World War involved heavy militarism and increased importance. For Britain and the Allies, it was necessary to defend Malta against the Axis Powers based on several reasons. First, the Allies recognized the critical role the island could play in their North African campaign. Secondly, the island provided a launch pad to attack the Axis Powers. A third reason involved the island’s strategic position from which enemy convoys could be interdicted. Thus, Britain refocused attention to Malta in the progression of the war. Thus, Britain backed a small number of Sea Gladiators and, later, a large number of Hurricanes, effectively curtailing the Italian airstrikes to Malta (Malta History, 2006; Grove, 2011). An important aspect of the role played by Malta with Britain in the World War II involved the deployment of Force K by Britain to Malta. Britain-Malta early success at repulsing the Italians could not be built upon to hurt the Axis powers with the military resources present on the island. Winston Churchill appreciated that interdiction of the Axis would contribute much to the Allies campaigns. Thus, Force K was deployed to execute more aggressive attacks on Axis convoys from Malta. This strategy brought significant success and seriously curtailed resupply of German convoys to North Africa. As Grove (2011) describes, Force K composed two cruisers; Aurora and Penelope, and destroyers; Lance and Lively. The exploits of Force K, operating from Malta, include destroying an entire convoy of the Germans consisting of seven merchant ships and their destroyer in November 1941. Half the supplies of the Axis Powers to North Africa were affected, with Italy declaring Libya as practically blockaded. With the Allies using Malta to reduce the influence of the Axis Powers, Germany refocused its efforts on the land to force it into submission. The heavy firepower on Malta again forced Britain to reinforce the islands defensive and offensive capabilities. Churchill saw the Maltese campaign reinforced with two light cruisers and two more destroyers to deal with the German offensive. Grove (2011) states that Axis lost an estimate of 60% of their supplies, alongside fuel shortages that curtailed the might of the German Air Force. Hence, Britain was able to break the first siege of Malta by the Axis Powers. Britain also took part in helping break the second siege on Malta alongside other Allied Powers (Grove, 2011). Italy’s Interaction with Malta during World War II Italy quickly followed its declaration of war on Britain and France with air attacks on the comparatively defenseless Malta. The period prior to World War II (1930s) had seen Italian-Maltese relations turn sore. According to Bain (2007), Mussolini’s utterances had angered the Maltese; he had equated Malti as a mere dialect of Italian, and stated that Malta rightly belonged within his Italian Empire. His statements on language was in the observation that Italian had become the language of law, politeness and the upper class in Malta, while Malti was an everyday language for the commoners. Sciberras (2004) states that the Maltese disgust of the Italians grew into hatred fueled by the anti-Italian propaganda spread via the local press. Hence, the relationship between Italy and Malta was volatile prior to the outbreak of the war. Italy’s air strikes on Mata received backing from the other Axis Powers as they realized the role the island played in influencing the course of the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean. The Maltese had initially done considerably well to defend themselves from Italian air power, and had aid from Britain to break the First siege of Malta. Malta’s strategic location turned significant war effort to the Mediterranean, as the Allies had to break Italian strikes at the onset of World War II. Besides the air strikes, the Italians also used the navy to prevent movement of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean Sea, especially towards the island of Malta. However, the island and reinforcements from the Allied Powers were able to overcome the Italian onslaught on Malta. Later interactions between Malta and Italy were in terms of the collective efforts of the Axis Powers to create a second siege led by Germany. Germany’s Interaction with Malta during World War II: The Second Siege Malta had survived the sporadic aerial bombardment by the Italians well, and with the help of the Allies, had disentangled itself from the first siege in 1940. However, the strikes from Germany were more devastating. In 1941, Germany had realized the importance of the Mediterranean Sea in determining the course of the war, and thus sent air units to Sicily and Southern Italy. In Germany’s bid to protect convoys supplying their North African campaign and to interdict British ships, Malta would not escape Germany’s attention due to its location. Further, the Allies occupation of the island and their success at thwarting Germany’s Mediterranean convoys made Malta a thorn in the flesh. Thus, Hitler set forth to wipe out the little island. According to Cavendish (2001), Hitler preferred launching an aerial bombardment of Malta, with the aim of creating a second siege to starve the island into submission. At the hands of Germany, Malta suffered the heaviest airstrikes of the Second World War in 1941-42, subjected to a sever siege creating grave shortages as Ally ships with supplies got heavily bombarded. Cavendish notes that, within two months in 1942, Malta was bombed times than London in the same year. Further evidence of the extent of bombing on Malta by the Germans is highlighted in February of 1942; a total 2497 aircraft bombed Malta, besides thirteen airstrikes in one night. Germany heightened the bombardment in March, with 4927 aircraft striking Malta at 159 times a day. Malta was isolated from the rest of the Allies, seeing their efforts to save the island thwarted by heavy airstrikes from the Germans. Malta, meanwhile, miraculously held out and survived the air strikes hiding in tunnels, shelters and underground caves, eventually experiencing better tides as Hitler recalled Mediterranean troops to Russia alongside the intervention of the USA (D`Estes, 2010; Cooke et al., 2005). The heavy air strikes undertaken by Germany in the World War II are indicative of the important role the island played in determining the progression and outcomes of the campaigns in the Mediterranean and neighboring regions. Malta and the USA in World War II: Breaking of the Second Siege The USA’s first efforts in the Mediterranean region aimed at helping to break the siege on Malta, transport vital supplies and join the other Allied Powers in curtailing the influence of the Axis Powers in this region. A background into the role of the USA indicates that the nation, bound by the Neutrality Act in 1935, had not been involved in the Second World War in a similar fashion as its entry into World War I. Besides, the population of the USA was torn in the middle in support and opposition to the USA joining the war. However, the USA had entered a number of agreements that assured the Allies of supplies as they were worn down by the Axis Powers. Warfare between the USA and Germany took place in the seas, as the USA sought to protect British fleets freighting supplies from the USA in the Atlantic Ocean. This, however, was occurring with the USA not officially engaging in the war. Japanese attacks on the USA at Pearl Harbor and US possessions prompted the USA to enter the war against the Axis Powers. Gradually, the USA became involved in war and supplies to Europe by 1942 (Olson, 2007). In April 1942, Roosevelt sent a carrier named Wasp to deliver fighters to Malta and the Mediterranean islands. The Wasp was, however, destroyed by the massive airpower of the Germans. Hence, earlier efforts by the USA, Britain and fellow Allies to help Malta from the siege and provide supplies to the stretched population proved unsuccessful. With the situation in Malta worsening and the island on the verge of imploding, decisive efforts had to be made by the Allies. For instance, diseases such as Polio were taking their toll on the Maltese population, alongside lack of basic necessities. A combination of events on the Allies and Axis Powers led to reprieve for the Maltese; first, Hitler refocused expansionist efforts to the Soviet in May 1942, directing that part of the fleets from the Mediterranean be withdrawn and transferred to the newly preferred war front. On the part of the Allies, Roosevelt re-sent the Wasp in May 1942 to Malta, this time successfully. Thus, the USA successfully escorted about 60 spitfires to Malta, helping the Allies fell 37 Axis aircraft at the expense of only 3 spitfires. Hence, the USA played a decisive role in breaking the Second Siege of Malta (Grove, 2011). Conclusion An overview of the geographical location of Malta helps to comprehend the reasons behind the island’s historical importance in trade and militarism. Malta is situated centrally in the Mediterranean Sea, from where influence to the entire Mediterranean region, Europe and Northern Africa can be managed. Malta’s physical location also places the island in a strategic position for controlling Euro-Asian influences, as exemplified by Britain’s occupation of Malta to maintain and manage interests in India. Malta’s strategic location resulted in the island playing prominent roles in both world wars. In World War I, Malta acted as a nursing center for the wounded and sick British soldiers, providing hospitals and attendants. Besides this, the island also provided military and labor personnel to the British cause and room for holding prisoners of war. Throughout World War II, Malta was the subject of heavy military action as both sides sought control of the island to take advantage of its strategic position. The Axis powers heavily bombarded Malta to prevent the Allies from occupying the island and interdicting their convoys to North Africa. The Allies sought to break the Siege of Malta, viewing the island as a determinant of their success in the Mediterranean region. With battles and campaigns between the two sides taking place in Malta, the island was at center stage in the Mediterranean. Hence, the island served as one of the main points of focus in the progression of the war besides continental Europe, the Far East and the Soviet. This is evidenced by the involvement of the major powers in the war, including Britain, Italy, Germany and the USA. Hence, the view that Malta played a pivotal role in determining the course and outcomes of both World War I and II is upheld. References Austin, D. (2004). Malta and British strategic policy 1925-1943. NY: Taylor & Francis. Bain, C. (2007). Malta & Gozo. USA: Lonely Planet. Cavendish, M. (2001). Cultures of the world: Malta. NY: MCC Publishers. Cooke, T. et al. (2005). History of World war II. NY: MCC Publishers. D`este, C. (2010). A journey to World War II battlefields part 3: The Siege of Malta. Retrieved 11 January 2012 from http://www.armchairgeneral.com/a-journey-to-world-war-ii-battlefields-part-3-the-siege-of-malta.htm Dimech, A. (2004). Malta during the First World War, 1914-1918. UK: ZD Publishers. NY: Routledge. Grove, E. (2011). The Siege of Malta in World War Two. UK: BBC History. Kavanaugh, S. W. (2010). Hitler's Malta Option: A Comparison of the Invasion of Crete (Operation Merkur) and the Proposed Invasion of Malta (Operation Hercules). NY: Nimble Books. Malta History (2006). Malta and the Second World War: The 2nd Great Siege. Retrieved 11 January 2012 from http://www.maltahistory.org.uk/malta_siege.htm Olson, R. (2007). U.S. history 1865-present: From Reconstruction through the dawn of the 21st century. NJ: The Career Press. Rudolf, U. J. & Berg, W. (2010). Historical dictionary of Malta (Historical Dictionaries of Europe). USA: Rowman & Littlefield. Sciberras, S. (2004). Malta at war. Retrieved 11 January 2012 from http://www.stbenedictcollege.org/stlucija/files/Sandro%20Sciberras/Form%205%20Maltese%20History%20Option%20Notes.pdf Read More