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The Santa Marija Convoy

Faith and Endurance in Wartime Malta, 1940–1942

Dennis Castillo

Malta is once of the smallest nations in the world, yet has one of the longest histories of any country. During World War II, Malta played a key role in the Mediterranean campaign, its submarines, light surface forces, and aircrafts destroying supplies desperately needed by Rommel's forces in North Africa. The price the Maltese paid for this effort was the most sustained and intensive bombing campaign in the war, enduring over 130 tons of bombs per square mile. This, compounded by the Axis blockade that attempted to starve Malta into surrender, set the stage for numerous convoy battles, the most dramatic being Operation Pedestal, remembered on Malta to this day as the Santa Marija Convoy.

In The Santa Marija Convoy, Dennis Castillo uses published histories as well as interviews and oral histories to explore the experiences of the Maltese and how their faith sustained them through this dark period of Malta's history. Malta is an ancient Catholic culture, with roots going back to the founding of Christianity on the island by St. Paul. Their faith was sorely needed as they suffered both bombardment and hunger from June 1940 to August 1942. This faith was rewarded when, on August 15, 1942, The Feast of the Assumption, 5 out of 14 ships won through to Malta's harbor bringing crucial supplies for the islands survival.

Lexington Books

Pages: 272 •

978-0-7391-2895-4 • Hardback • December 2011 • $120.00 • (£92.00)

978-0-7391-2896-1 • eBook • December 2011 • $114.00 • (£88.00)

Subjects: History / Modern / 20th Century, History / Europe / Western, History / Military / World War II

The Santa Marija Convoy

Faith and Endurance in Wartime Malta, 1940–1942

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Malta is once of the smallest nations in the world, yet has one of the longest histories of any country. During World War II, Malta played a key role in the Mediterranean campaign, its submarines, light surface forces, and aircrafts destroying supplies desperately needed by Rommel's forces in North Africa. The price the Maltese paid for this effort was the most sustained and intensive bombing campaign in the war, enduring over 130 tons of bombs per square mile. This, compounded by the Axis blockade that attempted to starve Malta into surrender, set the stage for numerous convoy battles, the most dramatic being Operation Pedestal, remembered on Malta to this day as the Santa Marija Convoy.

In The Santa Marija Convoy, Dennis Castillo uses published histories as well as interviews and oral histories to explore the experiences of the Maltese and how their faith sustained them through this dark period of Malta's history. Malta is an ancient Catholic culture, with roots going back to the founding of Christianity on the island by St. Paul. Their faith was sorely needed as they suffered both bombardment and hunger from June 1940 to August 1942. This faith was rewarded when, on August 15, 1942, The Feast of the Assumption, 5 out of 14 ships won through to Malta's harbor bringing crucial supplies for the islands survival.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 272 •

978-0-7391-2895-4 • Hardback • December 2011 • $120.00 • (£92.00)

978-0-7391-2896-1 • eBook • December 2011 • $114.00 • (£88.00)

Subjects: History / Modern / 20th Century, History / Europe / Western, History / Military / World War II

Author

Dennis Castillo is professor of church history at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One: The Maltese Islands
Chapter Two: The Faith
Chapter Three: Malta and Britain
Chapter Four: The War Begins
Chapter Five: The First Raids
Chapter 6: The Italian Phase
Chapter Seven: Doom’s Day
Chapter Eight: Defying the “Phooey”
Chapter Nine: The Angels of Doom
Chapter Ten: The Summer of 1942
Chapter Eleven: The Santa Marija Convoy
Chapter Twelve: “…we got there at last”
Chapter Thirteen: Dona Nobis Pacem
Bibliography

Reviews

Using lively details and vignettes, balanced by historical background, Castillo’s fast-paced work opens our eyes to the spiritual strengths and physical challenges behind the Maltese peoples’ endurance during World War II, demonstrating this story’s importance not just to the nation’s existence but to the Allied cause in World War II.
— Marion Girard, University of New Hampshire

Exploring a subject far broader and more comprehensive than the Santa Marija convoy alone, Castillo provides a fascinating look at the untold story of Malta and the Maltese people at war.
— David R. Stone, Pickett Professor of Military History, Kansas State University

The Santa Marija Convoy

Faith and Endurance in Wartime Malta, 1940–1942

Dennis Castillo

The Santa Marija Convoy

Faith and Endurance in Wartime Malta, 1940–1942

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