Are You Ready to Witness the Drama of Malta Through Italian Eyes?

When Italy declared war on Great Britain and France, one of its first targets was the British stronghold of Malta, barely a 100 km distance from Sicily. Britain couldn't spare much to improve the strength of this small Mediterranean island so the defenders had to cope with only a handful of Gladiator biplanes initially. Although numerically superior, the Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) found the Malta campaign quite challenging. This video will describe the early phase of Italian efforts to neutralize Malta through a series of encounters that took place over it.
Main sources:
- Ryan K. Noppen - Malta 1940-42: The Axis' air battle for Mediterranean supremacy
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- Brian Cull - HURRICANES OVER MALTA: June 1940 - April 1942
amzn.to/41SyS94
-Marco Mattioli - Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units
amzn.to/41Q2YtZ
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[@jotabe1984]

some things are pretty clear: 1) Royal Airforce had so little air power that the main problem for the Regia Aeronautica was their own shortcommings, even with British 0 fighters in the air, the Italian Air Force was unable to produce any real damage to Malta. 2) Malta had a lot of triple A, this is not reflected in the video, but was the main problem of the Regia Aeronautica, the high altitude bomb campaign was a direct consequence of that 3) lack of modern/efficient sights was a major issue, the light payload was also a problem. While not a big problem at low altitude, the light weight bombs won't keep the trayectory as flat as bigger ones... 4) lack of propper pilot training was a severe problem for the regia aeronautica. most pilots trained in biplanes and knew no other way of dogfighting. Vertical turns were much more present on monoplanes but Italian pilots didn't know propper tactics, so for the combat type they were performing their planes were in fact inferior to biplanes in british hands. 5) lack of coordinated strategy was the single most important problem. By 1940 it was pretty clear that Italy could have taken Malta despite some relatively heavy losses (maybe one or two heavy cruisers damaged, a large wounded and death toll maybe 1 or 2 donzen planes shot down), but on the strategic picture, not aiming for this was a HUGE mistake in the long run

[@showtime112]

Good points. As for the AAA, it wasn't given much of a focus because WT really doesn't give the proper feel of flak fire at higher altitudes.

[@Ingulf_The_Mad]

Very well made. Please, keep videos about north africa and the mediterranean theaters coming. Also, I'd like to suggest something about the air war in East Africa. I have a wonderful book that analyzes it day by day and it was a conflict, although very limited compared to the great European and Pacific clashes, really interesting because of the machines used. A sort of "WWII if it had happened five years earlier".

[@showtime112]

Thanks! I plan to cover some more of the Mediterranean and African theater in WWII. What is the title of this book?

[@Ingulf_The_Mad]

​@@showtime112 "La guerra aerea in Africa Orientale" (The air war in eastern africa), by Corrado Ricci and Christopher Shores. Published by the Historical Office of the General Staff of the Italian Air Force. Unfortunately I fear that there is no English version, although I cannot rule it out given the origin of one of the two authors.

[@showtime112]

@@Ingulf_The_Mad I can read Italian, that's not a problem. I wish it was available for purchase in an electronic format though.

[@Ingulf_The_Mad]

@@showtime112 I bought mine at least 30 years ago, but I doubt that such a "niche" (and quite old) text will ever have an electronic version. A real pity, because these volumes published under the patronage of the Italian general staff (there are some on the Italian intervention in the Spanish civil war, the Italian Betasom submarine campaign in the Atlantic, the air war in North Africa, etc.) are an exceptional source.

[@VenlyssPnorr]

@@Ingulf_The_Mad I have 'Dust Clouds in the Middle East' by Christopher Shores. This is also a great book featuring East Africa, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Madagascar. The Syrian campaign in particular is a fascinating read!

[@user-ll3th6ly6o]

Thank you. A masterly evocation of what aerial combat must have been like over Malta in 1940. My late uncle Peter was one of the three heroes who manned " Faith", " Hope " and "Charity " in defence of the Island. Indeed he was shot down in September of that year and although badly burned he recovered thanks to his strength of will and the best available surgery available at the time. I believe his Gladiator is to be brought to the surface and restored for eventual display in the Air Museum in Valetta... Keep up the good work !

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much commenting and sharing your personal connection with these events. I am happy to hear that the Gladiator might be brought to surface, that is great news!

[@user-ll3th6ly6o]

@@showtime112 Thanks ! Fingers crossed that they manage to raise the old plane OK... " Charity ", I think ... NH

[@leonehlers4574]

​L

[@leonehlers4574]

​@@user-ll3th6ly6o😊

[@leonehlers4574]

😅 0:05

[@bantam118p]

It may come as a surprise to Europeans, but Japan has produced a wonderful animated film that pays homage to the beautiful Mediterranean sea and the aerial battles fought by reciprocating aircraft (especially seaplanes) in the Mediterranean. The film is Porco Rosso (1992), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

[@showtime112]

That's very interesting information. I have to say that I've never heard of this animated film.

[@lancaster5077]

Pigs might fly

[@ratagris21]

Good video coverage for the Malta Aerial campaign. Excellent work as always Showtime 112! Special thanks for recognition for the contribution to the channel. ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇲🏁🇺🇦🔱🌻🌸💮🌼🏴‍☠️😘

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you liked it, I had fun doing it. The recognition was long overdue :)

[@Ghost0fPakistan]

Was eager for this episode. Even the war thunder loading screen sometimes displays a brief story of the event.

[@showtime112]

True! Some day I intend to do another video but more with the focus on the defenders. There's plenty of details there too.

[@Spitfiresammons]

Great video of the first air battle during the siege of Malta please do more Malta stories like spitfires over Malta.

[@showtime112]

Thank you! There are some good stories left and I'd like to cover them. We do have such a lovely map of Malta in WT and doing videos on actual map locations is especially enjoyable.

[@MrAndrew1953]

Very good animation and interesting animation and story lines.

[@showtime112]

Thanks, I'm glad you appreciate this content!

[@simoncampbell-smith6745]

What can I say other than Per Ardua Ad Astra. The battle for Malta rates highly in the pantheon of RAF victories.

[@showtime112]

Oh yes, such stories are special indeed.

[@estellemelodimitchell8259]

I hope you would cover the air war in Malta when Luftwaffe and RAF Spitfies joined the party

[@showtime112]

I plan to do it. The map is there, the airplanes are there and the exciting stories are certainly there to cover!

[@martindunstan8043]

​@@showtime112that would be really awesome, the bombardment of Malta was intense and is a fascinating tale of struggling against all odds against an overwhelming power.

[@martindunstan8043]

That was an excellent video👍great visuals and narration. Looking forward to part 2 on Malta

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

I like seeing some of the lesser known aircraft, both italian and british

[@kalaharimine]

Well done. Recommend you read Keneth Poolman's Faith Hope And Charity about the epic aerial defense of Malta. DCS needs to fix the single 600 rpm MG sound when there's 8 MG's spitting out 4800 rounds per minute from the Hurricane.

[@showtime112]

I'll try to acquire that book and maybe do this story with more focus on the Gladiators. This was done in War Thunder and they use a rather limited set of sounds I'm afraid.

[@RosaAsaro-gc1ol]

Great video and good accurate info over the the lesser known Regia Aeronautica participation to the siege of Malta. Very informative and entertaining. If I may I would point out that the c200s of the 'primo stormo caccia' that were employed as escorts during the first months had a full enclosed canopy over the cockpit (I guess that war thunder does not provide such an option) and those same mc200s of the 6th and 17th fighter group (which were the mc200 equipped gruppi of the 1° Stormo CT) were not grounded to have the leading edges of their wings modified ( a friend of mine, a former air force pilot whose uncle [flying officer Gianlino Baschirotto of the Regia Aeronautica] participated in the air battles as mc200 pilot, told me that) but carried on to fly combat missions over Malta for several months till the end of their combat tour. Other fighter plane units, mounted on macchi c200s, underwent such process descripted in the video in the middle of their deployment during the first months of ww2 though.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the comment and additional info! There are two versions of C.200 in WT but they are both open cockpit. Also, I didn't find that some C.200 units didn't go through the leading edge modification in the sources I had. Most interesting action since July 1940 seems to have been done by the CR.42s.

[@oropolitics]

@@showtime112 ì⁸

[@oropolitics]

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[@bantam118p]

I am a lover of unique Italian military aircraft. When I was a child, I used to build plastic models of the two types of military aircraft that are shown in this video. They were 1/72 scale. I am romantic about the aerial battles between biplanes in the Second World War. There is a record of an IJN biplane of Japanese navy shooting down a USAF F6F fighter at about the same time. It was the last era when the skill of the pilot made the difference between victory and defeat.From Japan.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the comment! Lots of people seem to like the biplanes and I have to admit there's something about them. I wasn't familiar with the Japanese biplane shooting down an F6F. It would make a great video.

[@bantam118p]

The IJN biplane that shot down the F6F was an F1M1-M2 (Mitsubishi) seaplane with floats. The captain was Navy Ensign Nobuo Fujita. It should be noted that Ensign Fujita was the only pilot to have bombed the US mainland with a surface reconnaissance aircraft based on a submarine. Two air strikes were carried out, but they were only effective to the extent that they caused forest fires to break out. I hope that you will continue to unearth these little battles that are buried in history.

[@showtime112]

@@bantam118p I'm definitely making a note of this story. Thanks again for the suggestion!

[@steveburton9242]

The Italian Air Force certainly had the most attractive paint scheme and logos! If only design aesthetics won wars, they’d have won!

[@williamkoppos7039]

Outstanding. The best of these.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for this positive feedback!

[@VC27]

Superb rendition, as usual!

[@showtime112]

I appreciate your comment, as usual :)

[@user-wc6gu7zp8o]

Excellent work. Thank you.

[@showtime112]

I appreciate your feedback!

[@ArcanisUrriah]

When I was visiting Malta around 1985, randomly got chatting to an old guy who was there on holiday, while we were in the museum. Turns out, he was an anti aircraft gunner posted in Malta during the war. He told us many stories, but the one that sticks out, (now forgive the accuracy here, it was nearly 40 years ago - I also make no claim this story is true, only that is was told to me as being true), was when a German solo bomber made a bombing run , but there were newly arrived spitfires, so the only spitfire that was ready to fly went up to engage. This prevented the ack ack opening fire, due to the risk of friendly fire. The spitfires guns jammed, but the pilot didn't want to give up, and wanted to chop the bombers tail off with his propeller, but was refused permission to do this. He was arguing with the command structure to try and get permission, which continued to prevent ack ack being used. During this time, the bomber slowly completed it's bombing run, turned around, and slowly flew away, completely unharmed. I still wonder if that bomber pilot ever found out why he didn't get shot at on that day.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing! Ramming attacks were rare in Western air forces but some cases can be found. The Spitfire pilot probably should have cleared the area as soon as his guns jammed.

[@rodsmith3911]

The remains of one of the Gladiators are in the Malta War Museum having sat for many years in the open at Hal Far. I believe it is Faith. My relatives (Zammit family) were there receiving those bombs from the Italian planes and later the Luftwaffe whilst living on rations well below the level required for maintaining good health. Anything edible was soon eaten and still they went hungry. How they continued to survive let alone fight the enemy astonishes me yet survive they did through the hell of constant air raids day and night. I am fortunate to have grown up only knowing Malta in peacetime but I can remember seeing the war damaged sites long after the war ended and we could visit the island. The caves and former Malta Railway tunnels in Valletta were the only saving grace for the beseiged citizens. Thanks for the well researched video which reminds the world of today just what a debt we owe to our forefathers who stood in the way of an Axis invasion.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this elaborate comment! Yes, mos of us can only imagine the suffering that the people of Malta went through in those years. It was a tough generation for sure.

[@TheCalcMan]

Ah, so these are the three defenders of Malta that the war thunder tips keep reminding me about lol. Interesting story and great work especially with the mocked-up gun camera footage, would personally love to see a reenactment of the P.108B raids over Gibraltar to add to this video. Keep up the good work :)

[@showtime112]

Yes, that is the story :) Your suggestion is quite interesting, I'm just not sure how to represent Gibraltar with the current WT maps. I'll look into that. Thanks for the suggestion and feedback!

[@paulstanton7153]

One of the best yet.

[@showtime112]

It is very nice to hear, thank you!

[@privatepilot4064]

These series of raids occurred around my father-in-laws 10th birthday. He was there.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing!

[@jamiegrover3181]

Amazing research and visualisation of the air combats over Malta in 1940/41. Thanks for making this video. Keep up the great work.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and appreciating it!

[@jimiraj]

I was surprised that the Italian aircraft didn't have radios. That definitely could have made them more effective

[@showtime112]

Yes, some sources suggest that it was a cost cutting measure. That is probably true but in combination with an outdated mindset. Hand signals worked in the past so why wouldn't they work in the future too?

[@eduardodeandres3864]

Muy buen video. Me ha encantado. Deseando que lleguen nuevos videos. Gracias

[@showtime112]

I'm happy to get such a great rating. There's more coming up!

[@TheRockerxx69]

My father was a pilot in Puglia. Fighter pilot of the Regia Aeronautica. S79 unloaded their bombs over the sea midway to Malta.!!!! And then went back . Such suicidal mission was to fly over Malta.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing your personal experience and insight!

[@georgebronte840]

I'm led to believe that most Italians were horrified by the notion of throwing bombs on an industrial scale on the Maltese. My father, who was one of the Maltese defenders, used to say that the Maltese would joke about there not being any fish left in the Mediterranean because the raiders would do just as your father did.

[@TheRockerxx69]

@@georgebronte840 my father was a fighter pilot, was not on the s79 bombers, he would have done the exact way. I m sure. Malta reached a point that was impossibile to be taken. Ours was a joke Mussolini s army !!! No good weapons, no Wish to fight. Luckily the Yankees arrived in Galatina, and my father could finally eat, they were starving, could smoke the Lucky Strikes, could listen to 78s jazz records that he loved so much. Damn Mussolini !!!!

[@extremathule982]

@TheRockerxx69 You aren't italian, not even by smear or by accident.

[@TheRockerxx69]

@@georgebronte840 so damn true, My father was Stationed in Galatina, S79 were too,

[@ralphscholer7345]

When I browse YOUR brilliant channel,( ... have ABO of Showtime 112...) I come to the REGIA AERONAUTICA Malta Operations ! Like everytime from YOU A SUPER VIDEO !!! And I like that guncamera footage,YOU coloured in Black and White,it looks so REAL !! Again Italian Pilot's showed, what they can do with a CR. 42 or an MC 200 SAETTA .Also great Job by the SM 79 Bomber crews . But with these not very heavy bomb's ,there was no intense Damage . I feel sad for the enthusiastic ITALIAN AIRMEN. And great RAF had highly trained Pilot's !! For the last time,I'm hanging more and more on YOUR GREAT CHANNEL,and for me as a model builder, it gives me so much new ideas !! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EXTRAORDINARY AIR WAR PRESENTATIONS....😊❤

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this very enthusiastic feedback!

[@enzoflyer7522]

I was waiting for this one!

[@showtime112]

And there it is :) Thanks for commenting!

[@user-pi4wj7bm4z]

Thanks for your great video and keen research.Greg 😊.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and appreciating the content!

[@stevensonDonnie]

I lived two years in Malta and one in Italy. I would go back in a minute. It is sad that this happened but the Maltese and Italian have a relationship that goes back centuries.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting! Some of these places go through extremely hard times. Hopefully, that won't repeat.

[@stevensonDonnie]

@@showtime112 true. Malta is only 50 miles from Sicily and would get bombed trice a day by the Germans. They would use Malta to ‘work up’ new units before deploying to Russia.

[@marcomarcon5802]

The Falco could hold its own against the Hurricane, in the right hands

[@showtime112]

True. Especially if the Hurricane pilot chose to fight the 'wrong' way for him.

[@tempestmkiv]

The hurricane was at least 50 mph faster, this gives the pilot the ability to engage or disengage the dogfight at will, it would be a very foolish hurricane pilot that would give up that advantage to enter into a slow turning fight with an aircraft like the Falco.

[@marcomarcon5802]

@@tempestmkiv Yes, the Hurricane would need to fight as an energy fighter using its superior speed and firepower and not be drawn into a turning dogfight

[@algi1948]

It only shows the stupidity of wars in general. In WW2 Italy and Britain were at each other's throat. Less than 25 years later Italy, Britain, and Germany, were cooperating in constructing a common fighter plane: the Eurofighter.

[@steventhorson4487]

Absolutely correct 👍

[@Andriwon]

Excellent video! Thank you!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for appreciating it!

[@martinshephard6317]

I visited Malta a few years ago and they have a fantastic RAF fighter control centre completely refurbished in Valletta which is well worth a visit. The young guide told us that the Italians were horrified at the thought of bombing their aunts, uncles and cousins so frequently dumped their bombs in the med rather than bomb the city.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for sharing!

[@richardsimpson3792]

I spoke with a British veteran AA gunner from the siege of Malta. He said that the Italians would not attack unless they had clear sight of a military target....but when the Germans came they would just bomb at random without caring who or what they hit.

[@pauldear6660]

"Aunts, uncles and cousins" ? You do know that Malta has nothing to do with Italy don't you ? They are a completely separate nation and have their on language. Mind you, when I tell people that my wife is Maltese, they often ask if Malta ia an Italian island or is part of Italy or they might say "don't they speak Italian in Malta" ?

[@kurtcoolson9054]

​@@pauldear6660Many Maltese speak or understand Italian. Also, the Maltese language does contain some Italian words.

[@EastGames-uy6mc]

Great biplane dogfight scenes!

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you liked it, more to come!

[@whicker59]

Excellent presentation. High quality graphics and synchronized to ur verbal component.

[@showtime112]

Many many thanks for the positive feedback!

[@flightlinemedia]

Nice work man.

[@showtime112]

Good to hear you liked it, thanks!

[@DataWaveTaGo]

Top notch! Visual content & combat facts are exemplary!

[@showtime112]

I am happy to hear it, thanks!

[@jaymorris3468]

Great stuff, Thankyou

[@coleparker]

Nice video. However one thing as I understand the Macchi 200 was fairly equal in terms of performance with early Hurricanes and could hold its own against the P-40 Tomahawks, and when they were supplemented by Macchi 202 the battle became even more dicey for the British. Of course, I not forgetting the Luftwaffe.

[@showtime112]

Thanks! The C200's problem was that it was underpowered and it didn't have very good firepower. Hurricane was superior in both aspects I think.

[@coleparker]

@@showtime112 Actually as I understand it, the C 200 had a sturdy airframe, and was highly maneuverable, perhaps a little bit more than the Hurricane. It did suffer, like its successor the first MC202 Folgore in being under armed, but no more so than many of the early 1940 planes. I tried to find more info on the comparison on the internet, but have not had much luck as of yet.

[@LeslieGallivan-mp5qi]

​@@coleparkerI saw a video on the c 200 , and it discussed the armament. At the time P-40 was using 6 x .50s , hurricane 8 x .30 , spitfire many different combinations most abt. 3 to 4 times as heavy as c 200. The thinking of the Italian high command was for speed and maneuverability and when presented with slower more heavily armed designes they stayed with the ww1 thinking . Some one who read Italian commented that Italian pilots cursed the fact that a 3 second burst from allied plane would send them down , but they needed go hold on target for 10-15 seconds

[@coleparker]

@@LeslieGallivan-mp5qi Oh I agree with your comment about MC 200 Saetta. It was basically obsolete by the time of the Malta Campaign. Although it had good manueverability it was underpowered and under armed. Also you are right the Italian's were still using WWI tactics. It wasn't until the MC202 came along that the Regia Aeronautica had a plane to match its opponents. The only area where I disagree with you is the armament array of the P-40. In 1941 the P-40B was armed with two cowl mounted Browning 50 cals. and 2 or 3 Browning .30 Cals in the wings. It wasn't until the P-40D variants came in, when their armament was greatly increasd.

[@stephen8433]

Subbed and thumbs up. My family and I have friends that live in Malta.

[@showtime112]

Thank you! I hope you like other videos too.

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

Its interesting to see how quickly the SM.79 went from being nigh uninterceptable in the Spanish Civil War to being obsolecent by 1940, ofc, the Spanish Republic didn't have radar stations and chances are that with early warning bomber losses would had been more dramatic, but even then the fact the RAF managed to down a few SM.79's with biplanes is quite telling.

[@showtime112]

It was certainly a very dynamic period of very quick development. No aircraft could stay up to date for very long.

[@gabrielesagramoso7491]

My father was based in Comiso with Macchi 200 and then in Pantelleria always with Macchi 200 and Macchi 202 his role with Malta was to make photos of the island and he knew that they were controlled with the radar... in fact he told me that he was circling over sicily to an altitude up to 9000 meters and then down to Malta in order to escape their planes due to his speed...

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing your personal experience and for contributing additional information about this theater!

[@markaxworthy2508]

My great-grandmother lived near the dockyards and witnessed the first Italian raid on it. Apparently she sat outside and watched it all the way through because she thought it was an RAF exercise! When she learnt the truth she suffered from delayed shock and was moved to my grandparents safer home in Sliema. She was never quite the same again and died within the year.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing the story! Humans are not really made for fighting, this is an obvious example.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Thanks. That was interesting and very well done. .

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your comment and positive feedback!

[@shanemills3879]

Brilliant visual story-telling

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for the comment!

[@joseftabone3366]

This is a very special Vid for me as I am Maltese great work sir. I was born and raised near Hall Far and Kalafrana in Birzebbugia.

[@showtime112]

I'm very happy that you liked it! I plan to cover some more of Malta aerial operations in the future so I hope you stick around.

[@joseftabone3366]

@@showtime112 Definetly Sir. Looking forward.

[@pauldear6660]

My wife is Maltese, born in Marsa. I've been to Malta 20+ times over the years and have bought many books on WWII involving Malta. I'll have to dig them out at some point. Most are about the RAF and the pilots who fought there. My wife's uncle by marriage was an anti aircraft gunner in Malta during the war.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy reading those books!

[@towgod7985]

Speaking as someone who used to know a former Hurricane pilot on Malta, this is a well done and UNbiased video. Cheers.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this positive comment!

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Hello mate. It's a rare know History. All i Can said that all Gladiator and Sea Gladiator are délivered by HMS Glorious ( aircraft carrier). A mix of thèse planes are used to fight Italian planes. Few of thèm are used for spare parts. After this battle , Gladiator have nicknamed of Faith, Hope(N5531),Charity (N5519),shot down by Tarantino 's CR42. In August 1940 aircraft carrier HMS Argus délivered sq 261 Hurricane to help remaining Gladiator. Good vidéo mate

[@showtime112]

Thanks for more comments! One day, I would like to cover the story again but this time, with more focus on the Gladiators. The story has been told but perhaps more can be said.

[@richardsimpson3792]

@@showtime112 I think there were 6 Gladiators in total, but 3 were always kept in reserve/for parts. The Maltese locals named them. One was a locally-modified 'hot rod' with a 3-blade propellor...not sure if they had to do away with the two central guns because of this.

[@showtime112]

@@richardsimpson3792 There were more than just three, that is correct. This video would be a bit of a myth-busting sort probably 😁

[@cartersmith8560]

I hope you do a Spitfire Mk V vs MC-202 Folgore video !!!

[@showtime112]

I plan to cover more of the Malta campaign some day.

[@chups1447]

Nice work 👍

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot, Chups!

[@keithfarrell3370]

That was great. Thanks

[@showtime112]

Thank you, I'm glad you appreciate it!

[@GapBahnDirk]

My Dad was there at the time, as RAF ground crew for 4 years......

[@showtime112]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

The term "triple-A" is American in origin. The British would have used AA or "ack-ack" from the phonetic alphabet in use at the time. What we know as radar was called RDF by the Brits. It stood for Radio Direction Finding. Historical recreations are best presented with the language of the place and time. Critiques notwithstanding, I thought this video was interesting and I appreciate the effort in producing air combat footage from War Thunder.

[@peteuist]

SM79 was a poor strategic bomber but a heck of an anti ship naval strike aircraft, they sank my friend 's father's (may they both rest in peace) ship - they met after the war and got very drunk whilst hugging each other at a reunion, conflict may be a coonstant but humanity is eternal

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing that! It's not uncommon to hear such stories of former enemies meeting like that. I guess it gives hope.

[@vespelian]

Well presented.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your feedback!

[@prometeodivino5468]

OTTIMI VIDEO E STORIE BEN DETTAGLIATE. COMPLIMENTI

[@showtime112]

Thanks, I'm glad you appreciate it!

[@AntonioOrru21]

Awesome video

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your feedback!

[@jaydeister9305]

Epic biplane vs biplane dogfight of world war two! Strangest war(the Island of Malta Battle) yet, almost as strange as russia vs ukraine.

[@showtime112]

It's a unique case in WWII. Perhaps you could call it a mini version of Battle of Britain?

[@stralabastro142]

The Italians fought against all odds, most if not all of the times outnumbered and with low quality airplanes against superior forces, and yet they had always proven themselves capable of pinning a considerable number of allied forces in the mediterrean, forces that could have been diverted against the germans or the japanese. Malta risked many times to surrender because of the lack of supply but the maltese managed to resist, the Italian high command especially Supermarina realized how Malta could pose a threat and made a plan with the german to capture it, but that time Rommel proved wrong and chose to cancel the invasion. The mediterrean is probably one of the most underrated theatres of the war but it was as important as the others.

[@showtime112]

I agree it is probably not the first WWII theater that people think of. But that makes is more interesting to discover! Thank you for commenting.

[@catinthehat906]

The RAF fighter squadrons on Malta were a pretty diverse crew with British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African, Rhodesian and other nationalities, plus US citizens who had volunteered for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

[@leonehlers4574]

​

[@tapio4142]

I like This.

[@showtime112]

I'm happy to hear it, thank you!

[@nosleN105]

I know that this is totally unrelated, but how do you do this? Is there an mission editor in WT or some offline mode where you can fly any plane? Would like to know, cause i would love to play the tame this way.

[@showtime112]

There is an app called CDK Mission Editor. You can use it to create custom missions. It's not the easiest thing to learn but you can check out this tutorial to give you an idea kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXTFYaaaaNWZgc0

[@nosleN105]

@@showtime112 i love you dude

[@doctorshawzy6477]

nice work

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the comment!

[@bigw1552]

Camo on point thanks

[@showtime112]

This is a rare, happy situation where default skins actually fit the story 😁

[@gregormcnee2370]

Awesome Awesomeness 👌 ❤

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your positive feedback!

[@Twirlyhead]

Very interesting.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting!

[@TheRockerxx69]

Later Malta became a superfortress. Italians could not even dare to go near it.

[@showtime112]

Yes, those early days were when something could be done.

[@cryhavoc999]

The Author Roald Dahl was a Gladiator Pilot in North Africa and said that the Gloster Gladiator was 'made of kindling' and if the designers had deliberately tried to make an aircraft that would easily catch fire that they would have been unlikely to have done a better job. His unit later converted to Hurricanes and he took part in the famous Battle of Athens where 12 Hurricanes of No 80 Squadron fought against over 100 German aircraft shooting down 8 for the loss of 5 of their own including the then expert ace Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle who was killed along with 3 other pilots. It does seem that early war the RAF was often massively out numbered.

[@WilliamWalls-iz2rv]

At 7:25 Getting in a turning fight with a biplane -- he only had himself to be mad at!

[@serverlan763]

Can you do a video on the Luftwaffe's contribution to this conflict?

[@showtime112]

It's in the long term plan.

[@atharvatoskar1633]

are there any Polish air force vs. Luftwaffe battles at the beginning ww2? bi-planes vs. monoplane dogfights

[@showtime112]

Polish pilots claimed over a hundred German aircraft shot down in 1939. I'm not sure how realistic those claims are but a number of them must be true. They were flying a locally designed PZL fighter which was not a biplane but a high-wing, open-cockpit, fixed landing gear airplane. Almost a biplane, you could say :)

[@BingoFrogstrangler]

Yes well it is the Poles claiming extravagant kills, just true to form really.

[@sailordude2094]

No radios in their aircraft. Now thats a bit backward. Thanks for the great history!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting! Yes, in some aspects the Italian Air Force really didn't move along with the times.

[@angriff69]

Again full compliments from Italy, to you for this reconstruction (and pronunciation). On the "darn Brits"... what can I say, radar tells to a pilot that 70 aircrafts or more are approaching from northwest, and T.H.R.E.E. PILOTS with SIX huge balls, scramble and climb to meet the enemy !!! My absolute respect to these former enemies.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for this amazing feedback! Once you start to study the story of Malta in WWII a little more deeply,, it becomes obvious why so many people are fascinated with it.

[@extremathule982]

...another fake "italian".....bah!?

[@angriff69]

@@extremathule982 why fake... ?

[@extremathule982]

@@angriff69 ..'couse you're fake italian. Full stop.

[@dunbar555]

What sim is that ?

[@showtime112]

It's War Thunder. Not really a sim, more of an arcade.

[@cartersmith8560]

were U referring to faith, Hope, and Charity ? gladiator names ?

[@showtime112]

Yes, the Gladiators are known by these names but I didn't mention them because this video is focused on the Italian PoV. And maybe I'll do another one focusing on the Gladiators.

[@billyponsonby]

I imagine that Maltese people still tell each other stories of days in spring and summer 1940.

[@showtime112]

Probably. Sadly, it's slowly dissappearing from the living memory but impressions must still be strong with the population.

[@branka1980]

👍

[@showtime112]

Hvala!

[@Oldspeckledjim]

Is that warthunder used in this video

[@showtime112]

It is

[@eric-wb7gj]

TY 🙏🙏

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching!

[@bjornsmith9431]

Malta air battle the forgetting air siege .

[@showtime112]

Hopefully, it will be a little less forgotten with this video :)

[@cbaboxsqueeze]

The fundamental handicap of the Italian war effort was the lack of any strategic geopolitical war aims. Mussolini's son in law and foreign minister Count Gallazeo Ciano understood this expressing his forboding in 1939, later trying to extricate Italy from the war. Leaving massive amounts of war material behind in Spain at the end of the Civil war meant that the limited capacity of Italian industry was unable to make up the deficiencies before Mussolini suddenly declared war in June 1940.

[@MDsteeler1]

Are we gonna get a Malta episode featuring the Luftwaffe?

[@showtime112]

Eventually, yes. I'm not exactly sure when but it is definitely planned.

[@blackbirdpie217]

By saying "detachable leading edge" I think this might mean the lift enhancing device called a leading edge slat. Otherwise I can't imagine what else that might mean.

[@showtime112]

Yes, they are leading edge slats.

[@kaushikganguli1091]

The best Italian fighter of the war was the Macchi 202 Folgore. It was however grossly underpowered

[@showtime112]

I definitely need to do a video about it. Or more than one. Thanks for commenting!

[@believersblues]

Check out the Mc 205 Veltro, and the Fiat G55 Centauro. Also, the Mc202's problem was light armament, it certainly had adequate engine power.

[@alvarvillalongamarch3894]

Danke!

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much, your financial support is highly appreciated!

[@charlescamilleri1774]

Thank You!!!!😃

[@ECHOFOXTROT289]

part 2?

[@showtime112]

It hasn't been done yet. There's plenty of Malta story left to cover but I'm not sure when it will be.

[@richmorg8196]

The Sea Gladiators were based on the Mk.2 Gladiator three bladed prop that came out latter and fought in the battle of France in 615 squadron in1940 not the MK1 of 1934 that was a Two bladed prop. So it was not that out dated

[@mike160543]

The British ambassador was notified by a high Italian official that Italy had declared war against the UK. Here is his reply " I would remind your Excellency that Britain is not in the habit of losing wars."

[@welshpete12]

I have read , that the Italian armed forces were not ready for the Second World war . They needed an other 3 or 4 years to become up to date and rearm .

[@charlesarmstrong5292]

Admiration for all the brave defenders of Malta. BTW. Shortest book ever. Italian victories in WWII.

[@mickmacgonigle5021]

Once watched a British war film called the Malta story ; never once did feature a native of malta

[@soumadip_skyy_banerjee]

❤

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the comment!

[@jeannezehner9450]

I didn't know this aerial battle between the english and the italians during 1940. Malta was a nigthmare for the italians and even for the germans. Despite of the powerfull action of the Luftwaffe, Malta will stay british along the war. The english helped by Canadian, australian, New Zealander, south african, offered a strong resistance against germany which bombed Malta very heavily. Malta had a naval and a submarine base which blasted the german ships that supplied North Africa, the Afrika Korps of Rommel who helped the italians in their libyan military campaign turned into a disaster. Allied bombers took of from Malta to bomb the germans and italians ships too and the axis maritime port of North Africa.

[@showtime112]

It was one of the hottest spots of WWII, no doubt. Which makes it a must for me to cover, this early operations and later ones too!

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Salut Jeanne. En effet c'est le début peu connu de la bataille de Malte. En fait c'est un mix de Gladiator et de Sea Gladiator amenés par le porte avion HMS Glorious qui ont combattu.. Pas tous ensemble car certains servait de pièces de rechange. Après cette bataille 3 Gladiator ont eu le surnom de Foi, Espérance, charité ( faith, Hope, Charity).. en août 40 le HMS Argus a amené des Hurricane sq 261en renfort pour la bataille. Les Spitfire arriveront plus tard de la même manière par le HMS Ark Royal

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Comment ça va ??

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@dominiqueroudier9401 Bonsoir, Cela va bien, épisode instructif avant le grand choc avec la Luftwaffe. Parti en vadrouille ce week-end ?

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@dominiqueroudier9401 Oui, j'ai vu aussi, le crash du F-18 en Espagne. Je mate SPLITAIR, il a refait la démo de la patrouille Victor sur MIRAGE F1 et une autre qu'il a créée avec des 2000, c'est pas mal. Tant mieux pour la thalasso le weekend prochain. Moi c'était examens, et oui, pendant le viaduc, afin de décourager les étudiants.

[@thomasroth4695]

A fiat 55 would be awesome

[@showtime112]

Yes, it would have made a difference. But so would late marque Spitfires.

[@jankutac9753]

Aren't Sparvieros twice as fast as gladiators?

[@beaujeste1]

The ignominy of being in a Hurricane and being shot down by a biplane 🤦‍♂️

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

I have always wondered why Italy didn`t immediately use its well trained paras combined with shore bombardment to capture Malta.

[@showtime112]

Italians generally lacked decisiveness but I suppose there are many more reasons for that.

[@dirkvdk9078]

Read the book …To War In A Stringbag

[@Rickusty]

The italian air force fought with great honour and skill in ww2, achieving a LOT of success giving the shortcomings. The torpedo-bombers and the fighters were outstanding units. Instead of "armchair historians", want some proof of it? Search for a german Ju 87 Stuka Pilot's memories about the Regia Aeronautica and what the germans thought about the pilots.... It's easy: in youtube just search - italian air force german stuka pilot and you'll find it. Outstanding words were said to the Regia also by the commander in chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet, A.B.C. Cunningham. I tend to believe those to be honest

[@showtime112]

The success of the Regia Aeronautica is a bit overlooked, that's for sure.

[@janlindtner305]

👍👍👍

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the comment!

[@rdalbright1]

Poor Duce! Never had any luck.

[@showtime112]

Yup, luck was his main problem 😁