The final days of Kanalkampf (Malta Variant 16th Jan 1941)
The Malta Blitz.
For four days after the Illustrious limped into Valletta harbour mysteriously there were no air raids by Axis aircraft.
However, all this was about to change. With a target of such importance helpless and within striking distance the Luftwaffe were determined to finish the job. The lull did give time to unload the convoy which had broken the blockade, and improve the AA defences around the carrier.
In addition some of the ships aircraft were now deployed in the defence of the harbour.
After the Early warning system picked up the first wave of the inevitable attack it was in fact two Fulmers from the Illustrious that made first contact out at sea with the enemy incursion.
Whilst they were engaged with the escorts, a wave of heavy bombers sneaked into the vicinity of the harbour.
Here they met a trio of Hurricanes scrambled from Hal Far led by Peter Bouncer-Smythe, and accompanied by Ronnie Sanderson and Ginger Blaney. With their aircraft freshly refurbished from the supplies newly arrived, and after two days rest, Peter was in no mood to stand for any Axis nonsense. Issuing a curt " Let's get 'em chaps" he lead his Flight into the thick of the bomber swarm.
Within seconds a well aimed burst from Ronnie, aided by the AA battery on the point, hit the port engine of an oncoming BF 110 and set it ablaze, and it banked steeply away from the onslaught.
On the other flank, Peter and Ginger dealt it out to another Me.
Return fire did little to either Hurricane, although Ronnie did take some damaging flack from the aircraft he had torched.
As the bomber and fighter escort broke up, it was next the turn of an oncoming JU 88 to cop a packet.
As the hurricanes dived through the gaggle of bombers, Ronnie got another squirt in on the one which he had set on fire.
At this point, with the Hurricanes clear, the Harbour AA and ships guns took up the discussion, and flack began to burst all around the German and Italian aircraft.
One Bf110 taking engine damage from a near miss as shrapnel ripped through its wing.
The Hurricanes were now engaging the second wave of bombers and escorts.
Whilst the first wave were creamed by the Harbour defences.
Italian fighter escorts could do little against the onslaught, which was taking a steady toll on the bombers.
Meanwhile, the second wave were getting the same from the British fighters.
It was at this point that Peter, in the thick of the action, got hits from both a Macchi fighter and an oncoming Stuka which damaged his rudder.
As the bombers closed, the warships added their fire to the mix.
Ronnie and Ginger now nearly came to grief as they both performed a banking turn to sweep in behind the same bomber.
Only the fact that they were at slightly different altitudes saved them from a three-way collision with their quarry.
Although Illustrious sustained some near misses.
A combination of steady Flack barrage and continual harrying from the Hurricanes now accounted for the first wave of bombers as one by one the took a bath in Valletta harbour.
So close had they come to success that one bailed out airman almost landed on the deck of the Illustrious itself.
Another fighter took some serious.
Ronnie gave a squirt to a passing Stuka, which fortunately was suffering a rear gun jam after its action with the Fulmers.
As Ronnie continued to chase it down, Peter and Ginger hammered the other bombers.
Once again ably assisted by the Harbour defences.
Although Ronnie was relentlessly chasing down his Italian, it managed to release its payload right on target.
The bomb hit the Illustrious on the waterline and added to the damage sustained during the race for the harbour two days earlier.
Whilst Peter and Ginger continued to harry the next wave of bombers, Ginger finally managed to drop his in the drink just short of the Carrier.
Its pilot just getting his canopy open in the nick of time. Unfortunately there was no sign of the rear gunner.
The action continued with the RAF boys either diverting bombers, or chasing them off target repeatedly.
Ginger took a hit from another marauding Stuka, but with a flick roll reversal soon turned the tables on his adversary.
His was also the next aircraft to score a kill when he flamed another 88.
Two of its crew managed to deploy their chutes.
This was the final score as the rest of the attack now petered out, either because the aircraft had been forced to jettison bombs or because they were too badly damaged to press their attack.
The exhausted trio, broke off to refuel and replenish ammo, with the satisfaction of a kill apeice, and the knowledge that although the might of the Luftwaffe had been thrown at the Illustrious once again, it had only sustained a few buckled plates and a deck fire to add to its damage.
This was by no means the last bombing raid on the ship whilst it remained in Valletta, but it was by far the most serious. A mixture of bad weather and stalwart defence ensured that on the 23rd of January Illustrious managed to steam out of the harbour at a speed of 23 knots and reach the comparative safety of Alexandria, where this photograph was taken of the damage sustained to her bow section.
This escape was very propitious, because by the 19th of January fighter cover over Malta had been reduced to just six Hurricanes, a single Fulmer, and a Gladiator.
The Butcher's Bill.
261 Squadron (Hal Far)
Flt. Lt. Peter Bouncer-Smythe RTB. One Kill.
Flt. Lt. Patrick "Ginger" Blaney RTB. One kill.
Flt. Lt. Ronald Sanderson. RTB one kill.
HMS Illustrious. 31 damage sustained.
Two Fulmers SD.
Axis Forces.
Five aircraft lost.
Scores by Fulmers on any other aircraft were not counted as this was just fluff.
Rob.
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Originally Posted by Franco Lucchini
There's a food shortage in Malta at the moment. Someone suggested it started after the visit of a certain Squadron Leader and his good Lady, but I put it down to the Regia Aeronautica and Luftwaffe. 
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