Show malta at mediterranean crossroad still remains target for nazi bombs 0 5 10 15 25 P c 0 aj av U P A sta ti a I 1 W wyl V 0 JR ty 1 ga C JR A C A ON 0 suture MILES 0 5 LONGITUDE 10 EAST OF 15 GREENWICH 20 Z even though the united states army and navy fighting forces h have ave been battling tar far to the other side of the world and thereby shadowing the importance which malta se see e arrow above has to in its pivotal point la in the mediterranean this regularly bombed spot Is like singapore and gibraltar other very important british life line links constantly on alert orders this map also shows how almost all important seaborne north a and d south and east and west nest sea traffic Is within striking distance from this island on the left edge of the map p I 1 Is s shown G gibraltar south of malta in north africa libya Is the territory where the nazi and british have been I 1 thrusting hru sting and counter thru thrusting sting forming one of the worlds smallest island groups about miles southwest of italis toe and attacked over times despite the continual pounding by the nazi air force during the past six months malta still remains to fight back as one of britaina Brit ains important naval bases this hot spot of the mediterranean ocean lying athwart the criss crossing sea lanes between gibraltar and suez europe and africa has been called the most bombed spot on earth news of united states army and navy forces fighting on oil the other side of the world from malta have dwarfed in significance ance the daily reports of bombing raids at this kedit mediterranean er base military authorities though seem to think that hitler will marshal all his military might for a knockout blow here the malta islands form one ot of the worlds smallest island groups made up of 0 three islands an islet and a rock it covers a total area ot of only about square miles the title island ot of malta itself whose grand harbor of valletta Is big enough to accommodate the entire british fleet Is less than square miles in extent geography makes history yet these mediterranean stepping tones stones have figured in history and legend since before the apostle paul was shipwrecked on their shores the maltese say that ulysses came this way ancient seagoing sea going phoe founded on maltas deeply indented coasts useful ports from which to base their trade and exploration activities in the western mediterranean the carthaginians moved in six centuries before christ followed by the conquering romans greeks saracens saracena Sara cens normans and spaniards all bad a hand band in the rule of the strategic mediterranean islands and left a share in its mixed heritage of blood and culture it we was s under the maltese cross of th the e reigning knights of st john however that malta saw its most colo colorful erful a and nd romantic period for nearly years this crusading order upheld its rich and feudal aris of castle church and fortress in the famous battle against the turks in 1565 the besieged knights with followers turned back some 50 would be invaders on napoleons path napoleon was one of the conquerors of malta on his way to egypt in 1788 1798 he took the islands from the declining knights as an easy prize soon afterward following an uprising against the french which was assisted by the british fleet they were annexed by great britain and finally were awarded that country in 1814 by the congress of vienna during world war I 1 malta again became an important place name in international annals it was not only a leading base of allied military operations erat ions but also a hospital and recuperation cupe ration center the entry of italy into the present war saw the island among the first e nemy enemy objectives in six months the maltese capital of valletta suffered more than air raids it la Is only 58 miles south of sicily according to the national geographic society Boci ety while the intricacies of the mod ern fortifications of malta are closely guarded secrets its general defensive strength long has been recognized zed the old castles and tor for tresses were reported reinforced and secret anchorages and submarine bases set up in outlying inlets like gibraltar malta has innumerable coast and antiaircraft anti aircraft batteries bombproof bomb proof prof shelters and rock tunneled galleries where men munitions nit ions food and water supplies may be stored beneath the islands surface a network of ancient underground passages and catacombs cata combs also is reported now put into service as part of the defense and fortifications system although its status as a vital british base carries the wartime penalty of enemy attack malta in peace enjoys the economic advantages of heavy payrolls there for workers and soldiers the islands which must support a population of nearly people are themselves far from self sufficient clent even in normal times intensive cultivation of the thin but P si A scene la in the harbor of valletta valle tta capital of En glands island of malta showing a few of the vessels of the british mediterranean fleet beet at anchor hidden in the hills in the background are important defense weapons which would make any attempt to take it suicide for any enemy fleet fertile soll soil provides crops of grain vegetables and fruits but the supply is inadequate to meet domestic dom eslic needs in one recent prewar year malta imported nearly worth of goods compared with exports which amounted to less than a million and a quarter dollars |