The Bombing War: Europe 1939-1945

28. Claudia Baldoli, Andrew Knapp, Forgotten Blitzes: France and Italy under Allied Air Attack, 1940–1945 (London: 2012), 123; Amedeo Mecozzi, ‘L’ala fascista domina la guerra’, Rivista Aeronautica, 16 (Dec 1940), 497–507.

29. IWM, Italian Series, Box 14, E2545, Ministero dell’Aeronautica, Servizio Informazioni Aeronautiche, circulars on the experience of war gathered by German aviation, 5 Nov 1940; ‘Esperienze di guerra e notizie varie sulla Gran Bretagna’, 31 Mar 1941.

30. IWM, Italian Series, Box 14, E2547, Col Luigi Overta (Corpo Aereo Italiano), ‘Cenni sull’impiego del bombardamento dell’aeronautica del Reich’, 29 Mar 1941.

31. Andrea Zotti, ‘La teoretica e l’esperienza’, Rivista Aeronautica, 17 (May 1941), 214–16, 220.

32. IWM, Italian Series, Box 11, E2541, Stato maggiore dell’aeronautica, ‘Ore di volo belliche, 10 giugno 1940 al 30 giugno 1941’.

33. The Jerusalem Post, 25 Sept 2012, ‘How Italy Bombed Tel Aviv in World War II’.

34. Calculated from the statistics in IWM, Box 25, ‘Relazione statistica sull’attività operativa’, 13, 16.

35. Ibid., 54, 56a, 56b; Knox, Hitler’s Italian Allies, 163.

36. Alegi, ‘Qualità del materiale bellico’, 1,201–2, 1,209, 1,213. On training units see IWM, Italian Series, Box 19, E2560, Stato maggiore dell’aeronautica, ‘Costituzione dei “Gruppi Complementari” presso i reparti’, 12 Aug 1941.

37. IWM, Italian Series, Box 19, E2560, report from Commander 30th Stormo to Commander of Air Forces in Sicily (n.d. but Aug 1941), 1–2.

38. ‘Appunti per il potenziamento dell’arma aerea’, Rivista Aeronautica, 17 (Aug 1941), 301. On the lead role of the group commander see ‘La posizione del comandante nella formazione bombardiera’, Rivista Aeronautica, 16 (June 1940), 411.

39. NAM, Box 24/4, Air Raid Report Book, 1942–4. The last raid occurred on 16 August 1944.

40. Claudia Baldoli, ‘The “Northern Dominator” and the Mare Nostrum: Fascist Italy’s “Cultural War” in Malta’, Modern Italy, 13 (2008), 8–14.

41. NAM, Box 1/1, minutes of meeting of ARP Committee, 14 Dec 1934; Note, ‘Passive Defence of Malta’, 11 Jan 1935; Note by the Lt. Gov., 27 Mar 1935, ‘Programme for Development of Passive Defence Measures, Malta’.

42. NAM, Box 1/1, minute, C. H. Sampson, ARP officer, Sept 1939. On decontamination, ‘Estimate of Personnel Requiring Instruction in Anti-Gas School’.

43. Michael Budden, ‘Defending the Indefensible? The Air Defence of Malta, 1936–1940’, War in History, 6 (1999), 462–3.

44. IWM, Italian Series, Box 22, E2567, Stato maggiore della R. Aeronautica, ‘La situazione della base di Malta da giugno 1940 all’ottobre 1942’, 31 Oct 1942, 1–2.

45. Ibid., 2–3; Box 11, E2541, ‘Azioni offensive su Malta dall’ 11-6-40 al 19-4-41’.

46. Ibid., ‘Velivoli perduti in Azioni su Malta dall’11-6-40 al 19-4-41’; NAM, Box 23/1, HQ ARP Malta, ‘List of Raids and Raiders 1940–1942’; TNA, AIR 23/5707, Report from HQ RAF Malta to Air Ministry, 23 July 1940.

47. Budden, ‘Defending the Indefensible?’, 460–64; Douglas Austin, Malta and British Strategic Policy, 1925–1943 (London: 2004), 82–4, 91–6; Robert Mallett, The Italian Navy and Fascist Expansionism, 1935–1940 (London: 1998), 193–5. Italian intelligence greatly exaggerated the size of Malta’s defences, assuming at least 105 aircraft on the island in June 1940, a figure not reached until almost two years later.

48. TNA, AIR 2/7397, Air Ministry to C-in-C, Bomber Command, 28 Oct and 29 Oct 1940; HQ RAF Malta to Air Ministry, 4 Nov 1940; Air Ministry, Plans to DCAS, 3 Nov 1940.

49. TNA, AIR 23/7375, Air Ministry propaganda department to RAF commander, Malta, 4 Dec 1940.

50. Ibid., Air Ministry to RAF commander, Malta, 18 Jan 1941.

51. TNA, AIR 2/7397, HQ RAF Malta to Air Ministry, 9 Nov 1940; Portal to deputy chief of staff (Harris), 10 Nov 1940.

52. NAM, Box 16/1, Note on Evacuation; Census of Population, Northern Region, 20 Aug 1942; Regional Protection Office, Western Region, Census, 19 Aug 1942; Local Government Office, ‘Evacuation Scheme’.

53. Frederick Galea, Women of Malta: True Wartime Stories of Christina Ratcliffe and Tamara Marks (Rabat: 2006), 30–35; NAM, Box 16/1, ‘Evacuation of Marsaskala: General Instructions’, 19 July 1940.

54. TNA, HO 192/59, REDept to the War Office, 19 Oct 1942; R & E Report, ‘Effects of Bombs on Tunnel Shelters’, 21 Aug 1942.

55. Galea, Women of Malta, 45–6, testimony of Christina Ratcliffe.

56. IWM, Italian Series, Box 25, ‘Relazione statistica sull’attività operativa’, 7. The figures were 30,825 hours of daylight bombing, 9,659 by night. On shelter policy see Austin, Malta and British Strategic Policy, 87–8.