In the face of Hitler's plans to conquer the Mediterranean with the Italians, Britain undertook a formidable challenge to keep nineteen hundred miles of sea lanes clear from Gibraltar to the Suez. With the fall of France in 1940, the Royal Navy carried on despite the threat of Germany from on, under, and over the oceans. This episode of the series focuses on the crew of the King George V, a Man of War class ship instrumental in the defense of the Mediterranean. It's a bit hard to imagine life on board with almost two thousand sailors, balancing routine daily boredom with the existential threat of enemy attack. For their perseverance, the sailors appeared to be generally well fed, including a ration of a pint of rum per day.
Just as Gibraltar formed a natural fortress guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean, the tiny island of Malta was viewed as a base from which to control it's center. In concert with the British, the Maltese people held out through seventeen months of nightmare attack from the German Luftwaffe. The waste and wreckage from aerial battles and naval attacks left miles of littered seabed. Probably the most surreal footage of this episode comes near the end as young Maltese children make their way through the rubble of city ruins, as their parents and grandparents try to carry on a normal life.
As far as actual battle scenes, this chapter of the series is light on action except for some footage of German planes attacking naval ships. Every one that hits the drink is a victory for the Allies and a morale builder for the troops. Chalk one up for the perseverance of the Brits and the grit of the Maltese.
Just as Gibraltar formed a natural fortress guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean, the tiny island of Malta was viewed as a base from which to control it's center. In concert with the British, the Maltese people held out through seventeen months of nightmare attack from the German Luftwaffe. The waste and wreckage from aerial battles and naval attacks left miles of littered seabed. Probably the most surreal footage of this episode comes near the end as young Maltese children make their way through the rubble of city ruins, as their parents and grandparents try to carry on a normal life.
As far as actual battle scenes, this chapter of the series is light on action except for some footage of German planes attacking naval ships. Every one that hits the drink is a victory for the Allies and a morale builder for the troops. Chalk one up for the perseverance of the Brits and the grit of the Maltese.
