General History: The Gladiators of Malta
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Alone against the Italian Air Force for ten days, a handful of outdated biplanes provided the only defense for the island of Malta. The brave pilots of these planes fought against overwhelming odds and entered into legend doing so.
A story that should not be forgotten.
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They say there's a kernel of truth in every legend and myth, and the one at the heart of the Gladiator's fame in the skies over Malta isn't the least bit small.
From what I remember, the last pilot from the Malta Gladiators said Faith, Hope and Charity was any three Gladiators that could be put into operation, not specifically given to any particular aircraft. That's also backed up by what I've read or documentaries I've seen.
The book about them was great too.
Very good video, but the biggest strategic value of Malta was that is sits directly in the path from Italy to Tripoli, which was the largest port on the N. African coast available to the Italians and later Germans that was also closest to the front lines battling the British. Malta is also close to Tunis, which while it was also a large port was much farther away from the front. Malta holding out cut Axis supplies by half.
Their biggest contribution during those ten days was destruction of the Italian bombing formations. Defensively you don't have to shoot planes down you just need to upset their aim when they're bombing. This is done by breaking up the formation.
Hey, hope you’re well.
Great video. This is a bit of history often got very wrong by somewhat mawkish interpretations!
I have literally just finished ‘Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41’ by Shores, Cull & Maliza’. (Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942’ to follow:)
You’ve got it all spot on. Fun fact! One of the Sea Gladiators had 6 Brownings fitted instead of the usual four.
The two firing through the prop were synchronised and therefore much slower than the wing guns thus negating the efficacy of the weapon considerably. The two extra made a difference. Hurricane pilots with 8 guns described the CR42s as “disintegrating” when hit.
Most interesting g thing is the egregious over claiming by both sides. Anglo Saxon history bias does the Italians a great disservice but it has to be said that their pilots over claimed even mor3 than the Germans did. UK and Empire pilots also claimed many that were not.
I agree Malta was strategic. Would have split the Mediterranean and created a logistics nightmare for Egypt.
IIRC Egypt had to be supplied via the horn of Africa anyway. But it was a major threat to axis-supply lines to North Africa.
I read this story when I was in 6th grade. 1970
You would think Hollywood could take this and run with it.
Malta was under continuous aerial bombardment for months(maybe over a year) and a huge portion of the populace lived in caves hewn out of the rock formations.
Please do a bit on ANY of the savage convoy battles to get supplies to this beleaguered island.
Oh, and another request: HMS Audacity proved the concept of Jeep carriers and was instrumental in relieving Malta.
Just found your channel and love your stuff.
The Brits are a magnificent people. Give a squad three ballpoint pens...
And they'll figure out a way to hold a battalion off with them until reinforcements come...
Then call those three ballpoint pens Faith, Hope and Charity.
In peacetime they leave a lot to be desired
but in wartime with their backs against
the wall they always come through no matter who the foe
As a Brit I would also have to mention the Finns use of Gladiators, Brewster Buffaloes and Morko Moranes, which were french Moranes given Russian Kamov engines from crashed or captured Russian planes in the 1939/40 Winter War. They got planes deemed not up to scratch and made them work by whatever means and used them with great success.
The Literal saying of "Hold My Beer"
Thank you!
How many Italian planes if any did they shoot down?
belgium is the only country to have used both biplanes in action (neutral sweden also had both types)... and the fiats did MUCH better! but chance and luck were also involved... in any case the gladiators claimed one BF109, the Fiats at least two! but the fiats had no aerial losses, the gladiators were all lost in the second day of fighting.
It wasn't Paul's second letter to the Corinthians (5:17). it was his first. "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (1 Corinthians 13 v 13).