When the French fell to the Germans in the summer of 1940, it left the British on its own to fend off the Axis Powers. After this fall, the British Mediterranean Fleet was forced to move from the island of Malta to a port in Alexandria. There were still British on the island, along with the Royal Air Force (RAF), who needed supplies. The task of resupplying, which required sailing a treacherous length of 830 miles, was full of risks. In Angus Konstam’s new work, “Second Sirte 1942: The Desperate Battle to Relieve Malta,” readers go on a high-seas adventure that pits an undersized naval fleet against a larger Italian fleet led by Adm. Angelo Iachino, as well as Italian and German fighter planes.
Before this naval battle took place in late March 1942, the British had consistently been on the receiving end of bad news. From mines and U-boats, numerous cruisers and destroyers had been damaged, sunk, or forced to scuttle.
