The critical situation in the second half of the April 1942 blitz
After Malta was awarded the George Cross on April 15, 1942, the country saw Spitfire reinforcements, the targeting of anti-aircraft batteries, the bombing of the Floriana parish church, naval losses in Maltese waters and the final Axis preparations for the invasion of Malta.
By mid-April 1942, Malta had been awarded the George Cross by King George VI. However, the situation was going from bad to worse.
That month, Malta became the most bombed place on earth. It is calculated that the tonnage of bombs dropped during the same month amounted to 6,727. This exceeded any monthly tonnage of bombs dropped over Britain during the height of the Battle of Britain. According to local records, 339 civilian and 208 servicemen were killed in April through enemy action.
The number of Spitfires and Hurricanes defending Malta had by now dwindled to a mere handful. The two initial batches of Spitfires sent to Malta in March 1942 brought some respite but they could not operate for a long time. It was for this reason that, on April 1, 1942, Churchill cabled US President Franklin D. Roosevelt appealing to him to let a US carrier be used to deliver Spitfires to Malta.
The USS Wasp was sent and the...