The Maltese Cross A Strategic History of Malta

Subjects:

• History » European History -- Modern/20th Century
• Military Studies » Military History

Reviews:

• [C]astillo, of Maltese descent, is well versed in the island's history. He covers prehistoric temple building, through the various occupations to the great siege of the Knights of Malta by the Ottoman Turks in 1565, through the sieges of WW II. The island's strategic value has changed, as has technology and the shifting of international power. From 1520 to the end of the 18th century, the Knights lived on the glory of the siege and by policing the corsairs of the Middle Sea. But then Napoleon conquered the island, after which the British ruled until 1964. By then, the Royal Navy, long Malta's treasurer, had withdrawn. The island's strategic importance reached its height in 1939-1945 because Allied and Axis sea routes crossed just to the west, but after the Allies rescued North Africa, Malta faded in importance....Recommended. All levels/libraries.
  —Choice 11/1/2006

Table of Contents:

• Dedication
  Acknowledgements
  The Maltese Islands
  Malta Before the Knights
  The Knights of Malta
  The Great Siege of 1565
  Hospitaller Malta
  The French Revolution and the Knights of Malta
  The Maltese Revolt of 1798
  British Malta
  Malta and World War II. The Italian Phase
  The German Phase
  Pedestal
  Modern Malta
  Bibliography
  Index