Customer Reviews

Fortress Malta (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best military history book to be published since (and I'd rank it right up there with) last year's "An Army At Dawn" by Rick Atkinson. High praise, indeed, since that book won a Pulitzer Prize. If you've read the Atkinson book, you'll find that "Fortress Malta" complements it nicely, since both books end with the Allies poised for the invasion of Sicily. Mr. Holland, to judge by his photo on the dustjacket, looks to be still in his twenties. (This is his first book.) If he is indeed that young, that makes this book even more of an accomplishment. The quality of the writing and the way the book is structured demonstrate a great deal of skill and maturity. This is because the author has a lot of balls to juggle: he has to tell us about the aerial war; the surface naval battles; the submarine war; strategy and tactics, etc. This part of the story is well-told: there are many exciting sequences dealing with dogfights and convoys being stalked by submarines. But what elevates the book to the superior level is Mr. Holland's ability to bring home to us the human element. We get to know a lot of the pilots and submariners as real people - quirks and all. (Two people who leap out from the pages are Adrian Warburton and George "Screwball" Beurling. Warburton, despite being a reconnaissance pilot, managed the rare feat of becoming an "ace" - which means he shot down at least 5 planes. He was unorthodox. He once flew over Sicily to take some photographs, then made an unauthorized side trip to Greece to pick up some booze for the boys back at the base. He got away with such behavior because he always got his photographs - no matter what. Beurling was the highest scoring Allied ace of the war, with over 30 confirmed kills, with an incredible 4 in one day.) The same is true regarding the civilian population. Everyone was under incredible stress - day after day, month after month, and year after year. For much of the time the island was under almost constant attack. There were severe housing and food shortages. Some people were forced to live in underground "cubicles." Inadequate nutrition led to sickness and disease. On the military side, there weren't enough planes to defend the island. Often, 3-4 Hurricanes or Spitfires would go up to do battle with 50 or more enemy aircraft. As the Axis powers were in control of the areas both north and south of Malta, getting convoys through with essential supplies (planes, fuel, spare parts, food, etc.) was extremely difficult. Plus, there was the added psychological stress of being "trapped" on a small island. The entire island was awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian award for valour. The action was unprecedented. It was also well deserved. After reading about these people for allmost 400 pages I felt that I knew them. As I approached the end of the book I hoped Mr. Holland would tell us what happened to them after the siege of Malta was over. The author, once again, did not disappoint. There is a postscript which follows the lives of all the major characters. As you might expect, this section is filled with both joy and sorrow. Some of the people led short and tragic lives, some long and happy. A surprising number are still alive today. (One is the well-known British actor Frederick Treves, known to this anglophile through his performances in the David Suchet "Poirot" and Joan Hickson "Miss Marple" stories.) The book has 7 pages of maps, placed in the beginning, which allow you to get your geographic bearings and follow the action. There are also over 80 wonderful black-and-white photographs. The dustjacket mentions that the author is working on 2 more books regarding the war in the Mediterranean. If "Fortress Malta" is anything to go by, we are in for some more great reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed Holland's Fortress Malta. Holland has a very easy going, understated writing style that makes reading him a delight. The book is very informative about a little-known - yet quite important aspect - of WW II. Holland tells of the great courage, sacrifice, and fortitude of the people of Malta during the Italian and German siege of the Island. Holland provides a perspective from the points of view of airmen, sailors, soldiers, and civilians.

Although I certainly enjoyed the book, I rated it 4-stars for two reasons. First, the book, for the limited subject it covers, is too long at over 400 pages. Second, the book somewhat downplays some aspects of the war. For instance, well into the book Holland gives a recap of the number of Malta pilots killed. I was amazed at the high number killed! Considering that I was well into his book the total number of pilots killed should have been no surprise. One reason for this is that Holland writes this historical work in the style of a novel, concentrating on a limited number of participants rather than very detailed and comprehensive combat.

Despite the misgivings expressed in the preceding paragraph, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who would like to know more about this fascinating aspect of WW II.

I HAVE LISTENED TO MY FATHER-IN-LAW, WHO WORKED AS A MECHANIC FOR THE RAF, WAS MALTESE AND LIVED THROUGH THE WAR ON THE ISLAND, TELL STORIES STORIES ABOUT THE BOMBINGS AND THE DAMAGE INFLICTED ON THE ISLAND BACK THEN. MY WIFE, AS A YOUNG GIRL, CONFIRMED HIS STORIES, AS SHE TOO LIVED ON MALTA DURING THE WAR.

JAMES HOLLAND MAKES YOU LIVE IT AS WELL!!! HIS BOOK IS A TRUE ENCOUNTER, SO REAL, THE READER WILL FEEL THE ACTION TAKING PLACE BEFORE HIM/HER. YOU WILL LAUGH, YOU WILL CRY, YOU WILL CHEER...MOST OF ALL, YOU WILL NEVER FORGET MALTA.

I HAVE BEEN THERE SEVERAL TIMES IN TYHE PAST, BUT MY NEXT VISIT WILL MEAN SO MUCH MORE.

I SALUTE JAMES HOLLAND, AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING HIS OTHER BOOKS.

QUENTIN L. MILANO

An amazing book (most especially for a first timer)about a little known part of the second world war. By singling out individuals to follow through the course of the siege and after, Mr. Holland brings us to identify with them, share their terror, their loss and their ultimate victory. A few of his accounts left me shaken and his account of the August convoy, Operation Pedestal, left me in tears. I somehow find myself enthralled by accounts of people in face of adversity, especially during World War II, and I would put this book right up there with any I've ever read and, believe me, I've read many. Lots of photos to help identify and identify with the participants. Also, great maps (the lack of always a sore point for me). Highly recommended.

Fortress Malta by James Holland tells the story of the battle for Malta from 1940 thru 1943. Mr. Holland nicely merges personal remembrances with the historical events around the siege. He opens the story by telling us about the British defenses (or the lack there of) and the opening moves of the war in the Mediterranean. Italian aircraft raiding the island and the defenders trying to cope with the attacks. Two topics during the 1940 portion of the book that were interesting were Faith, Hope, and Charity (the Gloster Gladiators that defended the island) and the British attack on Taranto and how Malta contributed to the attack. Other sections of the book deal with the German intervention over Malta (actually twice) and the Pedestal Convoy.

While Mr. Holland is mainly focused on telling us the history of Malta during WWII, Mr. Holland does an excellent job of telling us the stories of the people that were caught up in events. Whether it's the native Malta people surviving the raids, gun crews living there through-out the time period (Army personnel seem to have been there for the duration), the pilots (due to the stress, the RAF was replacing crews about once every three months), or the Naval personnel. My personal favorite was Adrian Warburton and his exploits doing photo recon work. Simply amazing!

Mr. Holland's work is his Freshman work (1st) and is very nicely put together. On an Amazon scale, I'll give it 4.5 stars, but since they only deal in whole stars, I'll give it the nod to 5 stars because of the Mr. Holland's writing style, merging history with personal remembrances, and dealing with a topic that hasn't been written about heavily. I'm looking forward to reading other histories from Mr. Holland, assuming he can do half as well or better.

It's suprising that this book has not gotten more attention on Amazon. Only one reivew since October. Too bad. British journalist James Holland, in his maiden book, engagingly tells the story of the indefatigable Maltese people and their stalwart RAF and Royal Navy defenders. The island's stubborn, against-the-odds resistance allowed Malta to remain a strategic Allied stronghold throughout the Mediterranian campaign: first, enabling the interdiction of Axis supplies and reinforcements headed for North Africa and then serving as a bridgehead for the Allied invasion of Siciliy. Hitler's failure to invade the weakened island redoubt has to go down as one of his bigger blunders.

Holland's narrative is sprinkled with vivid, first-person recollections and meticulously reconstructed feats of derring-do. The relentless German air assualt's impact on ordinary civilians is particularly poignant, as are the the accounts of intrepid RAF pilots dueling numerically superior Axis fighters. The exploits of one reconnaissance pilot, Adrian Warburton, is the stuff of Hollywood.

It was also fascinating to learn that the entire island was awarded the George Cross -- Britain's high civilian award for gallantry --for withstanding the vicious, three-year siege. The London Blitz pales in comparison.

Here's hoping more readers discover "Fortress Malta." Looking forward to Holland's next book.

I was very impressed by this book as you can guess by the Title of this Humble Review of mine. For some reason, Malta does not get the respect that is due for its part in the ETO of WWII. Basically it was a monkey wrench in the supply line for the Axis forces in the Med. and North Africa. For this it paid a very heavy price for this, which is outlined in this very well written book.
If one wants to get a good idea of what this gallant island did the the war. Then one would be advised to check this book out. (Hint -It really earned its George Cross for which even today it proudly flies on it's national flag.)

As some other reviewers have noted, Holland's focus is on the civilians and the warriors who endured the horror that was Malta, 1940-43. In a time of 'embedded' reporters and 'computer games' warfare, it is vital that we hear from those who have lived the actual horror that is war. Too many war books and 'armchair warriors' forget the ordinary people who actually experience "Shock and Awe" as it is now called. Wars always start with cheers but end in tears. Courage comes in many forms. We should honour those who offer their lives to defend freedom but we must give full acknowledgement of what war means for civilians.

One of my relatives was an Australian spitfire pilot in 603 Squadron RAF who survived Malta. Sadly he was one of those who only found himself in war. Afterwards he could not cope with peace. He and his family paid dearly for his Malta exploits and their inevitable consequences. Truly all who experience war become casualties, in one way or another. Holland has done great service to the memory of those who survived and those who did not. He reminds us again of the tragedy and falsehood that is "Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori". The world would be a far better place if all politicians and political leaders (of all parties and faiths) were made to read this book. Most highly recommended.

Elizabeth, this book is the key to much of your parents' lives.

greyollie,
Australia

This is a good historical account of malta during wwII. The author puts himself in the coockpit of several of the airbourne fighters and describes the action. He also puts us in the eyes of som eof the local maltese people. Some of the descriptions of the photos are a little lame sounding 'his eyes betray his depression'--a tad bit too dramatic. overall a good book.

A well-deserved tribute to the defenders and the residents of Malta during World War Two. Much of the book is devoted to the air battles for the island with attention also to the naval engagements. The trying circumstances of the embattled residents of the island are never far from view either. The author provides a nice postscript where he summarizes the postwar lives of some of the main characters involved.