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THE SECOND WORLD WAR

During the Second World War, Malta played a vital role in the Battle for the Mediterranean between Axis and Allied forces. Its strategic position at the centre of the Mediterranean gave the British a unique opportunity to maintain the vital Gibraltar – Malta – Egypt link, while also providing them with an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ to strike at the Axis supply routes between Italy and North Africa. The Battle for the Mediterranean was mainly centred on both sides striving to maintain their land, air and naval forces in the theatre of war logistically supplied through a number of convoy operations. The successful British defence of Malta, most of the time against impossible odds, gave them the chance to maintain limited air and submarine assets which were able to seriously harass Axis convoys in the central Mediterranean. Additionally, in mid-1943, after North Africa had been cleared of Axis forces, Malta also played a crucial role in Operation Husky (the Allied landing in Sicily), which eventually resulted in knocking Italy out of the war.

ArtEfacts

Size

140cm

Date

20th century

Location

Malta Maritime Museum, Third Floor

Creator

Società Italiana Ernesto Breda - Società Anonima Fabbrica Armi Torino (Breda-SAFAT)

Reference Code

MMM 005166

Breda-SAFAT Italian Machine Gun.

Size

137cm

Date

20th century

Location

Malta Maritime Museum, Third Floor

Creator

Rheinmetall

Reference Code

MMM 005167

Rheinmetall German Machine Gun

Date

20th century

Location

Malta Maritime Museum, Third Floor

Reference Code

MMM 000645

Size

152.5cm

Date

20th century

Location

Malta Maritime Museum, Third Floor

Creator

Edward Wyatt

Reference Code

MMM 001203

Size

118cm

Date

20th century

Location

Malta Maritime Museum, Third Floor

Creator

Edward Wyatt

Reference Code

MMM 001246

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The Mediterranean expanse, which in antiquity was defined as “The Great Sea”, has for centuries