The Siege of Malta 

Malta, the Mediterranean island, south of Sicily and north of Libya, lies astride
the air and sea lanes from Europe to North Africa. Germany and Italy
wanted to occupy North Africa, seize the Suez Canal, and take control
of the oil-rich regions of the Middle East. Their planners wanted
Malta because British forces based there could attack the ships
transporting Axis supplies and reinforcements from Europe. Germany and
Italy thus resolved to bomb or starve Malta into submission. The
British Royal Air Force (RAF) fought back. Retired U.S. Air Force and
airline pilot and Museum lead docent Don Johnson tells the story of
the great siege of Malta. He tells how the outnumbered fighter pilots
of the RAF, including a few American volunteers, defended the island,
and the little-known story of how the British “borrowed” the U.S
aircraft carrier Wasp to deliver RAF fighter planes to Malta under the
noses of the Axis.