Malta's Greater Siege: & Adrian Warburton DSO* DFC** DFC (USA)

by Paul McDonald

Overview

This is a true historical account of war in the air, at sea and on land in the battle for Malta's survival in the Second World War. It was a battle which decided the outcome of the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Adrian Warburton went missing in 1944 in a single-seat American aircraft. He had flown at least 395 operational missions mostly from Malta. Unusually for a reconnaissance pilot, Warby as he was known was credited with nine aircraft shot down. He lay undiscovered for sixty years. He is the RAFs most highly decorated photo-recce pilot.

In Malta, Adrian met Christina, a stranded dancer turned aircraft plotter in the secret world deep beneath Vallettas fortress walls. She too was decorated for heroism. Together, they became part of the islands folklore. How important was Malta and the girl from Cheshire to the man behind the medals? This tale takes the form of a quest opening in a cemetery in Bavaria and closing in another in Malta. In between, the reader is immersed within the tension and drama surrounding Maltas Greater Siege retracing the steps of the main characters over the forever changed face of the island following its heroic victory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473860087
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	02/20/2016
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Paul McDonald is a former Royal Air Force pilot. He served as a photo-recce pilot in Malta and as a Tornado pilot in Germany. He was decorated for gallantry in 1980 and appointed OBE in 1995. He lives in North Yorkshire. His previous books Winged Warriors - The Cold War from the Cockpit (2012) and Malta’s Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton DSO* DFC** DFC (USA) (2015) were also published by Pen and Sword Limited.

Table of Contents

Plates vi

Maps vii

Acknowledgements viii

Foreword xi

Prologue: A Selfless Act xiii

Chapter 1 A Quest 1

Chapter 2 A Place in History 6

Chapter 3 Stepping Stones & Flying Lessons 15

Chapter 4 Malta Unprepared 30

Chapter 5 Enter the Italians 43

Chapter 6 The Whizz-Bangs 64

Chapter 7 Enter the Luftwaffe 85

Chapter 8 A Man They Called Warby 93

Chapter 9 1941 & New Arrivals 103

Chapter 10 Christina, Fighter Control RAF 123

Chapter 11 Determination 144

Chapter 12 Desperation 167

Chapter 13 Salvation 194

Chapter 14 Deliverance 219

Chapter 15 Springboard 240

Chapter 16 Loss 254

Chapter 17 Waiting 262

Chapter 18 Finding Warby 275

Chapter 19 Finding Christina 285

Epilogue: The Last Flight 301

Appendix: Gallantry Awards And Citations 308

Bibliography & Sources 311

Index 314